The daily incarceration rate at the Seminole County Jail will soon double for the City of Seminole and other municipalities in the county, and the city manager of Seminole said the hike may be in retaliation for a failed jail tax referendum.

Municipalities are currently charged $32.68 per day for holding inmates at the jail, but on July 1, the daily rate will increase to $67.54. The increase was approved unanimously by the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners in its regular meeting on April 12.

The rate hike comes on the heels of a failed sales tax proposal to fund operations at the county jail, which drew the opposition of City Manager Steve Saxon and other area officials. A halfcent tax was approved by voters in 2006 for jail construction and operations, which will drop to a quarter cent in 2027. The county was seeking an additional quarter-cent for operations, but the measure failed at the ballot box on April 6 by a vote of 838 - 217.

Seminole City Manager Steve Saxon, who spearheaded a city council resolution declaring the city’s opposition to the jail tax referendum, said he feels like the county is paying the city back for its failure.

“In general, we understand the need for cost increases, but we do not understand increasing them by 100 percent,” Saxon said. “It feels like payback for the sales tax failing. One thing is for certain, no one wins if the county and cities fight each other. It seems like we ought to be able to sit down in a room and talk these things through. But instead, all we are seeing is paper being thrown at us.”

In stating his opposition to the tax proposal, Saxon said the county did not adequately explain why the additional tax was needed, and now he would like an explanation for the fee increase. He added that the county should have sufficient funds to operate the jail without raising taxes or fees. In 2019, the county refinanced a nearly $7 million sales tax revenue note, and Saxon has publicly stated that he believes the refinancing should have left the county with a surplus of about $2 million.

“This incarceration fee falls into the same category as the failed sales tax proposal,” Saxon said. “Tell us what you need, why you need it, and what happened to cause the inability to afford the need. Our council members are good people with no agendas. These elected officials understand better than anyone that it costs money to have good services.”

Saxon also said that the county has not lived up to promises it made to the city when the new jail was built.

“In my opinion, if simple questions like where was the money spent can be answered, then there wouldn’t be any issues [with elected officials]. But it is really hard for them to smile and move on when the promises that were made during the campaign to build the jail seem to have been forgotten,” Saxon said. “Promises such as ‘if you close your jail and use the new jail it would only cost you $32 per day per inmate because the state will foot most of the bill by keeping their inmates in the county jail.’”

Wewoka City Manager Mark Mosley said his city will have to pass the increased costs along to inmates it is holding at the county jail.

“This only forces the city to increase our fees,” said Mosley. “People who have problems will be forced to pay more. If they couldn’t afford to pay $33 per day, how are they going to pay $68 a day? It’s a vicious cycle.”

Mosley added that, according to Sheriff Shannon Smith, the city will also be liable for any damages exceeding $100 caused by city inmates at the jail.

In addition to the City of Seminole, resolutions stating opposition to the new tax proposal were approved by the Seminole Economic Development Council and the Seminole Chamber of Commerce. Mosley also publicly opposed the jail tax.

“It feels like payback for the sales tax failing. One thing is for certain, no one wins if the county and cities fight each other.”

Steve Saxon Seminole City Manager