By AP
Jay, OK – Delaware Co. ponders tax hike to pay settlement
JAY, Okla. (AP) Officials in Delaware County are working to develop a plan to pay a $13.5 million lawsuit settlement over accusations by female prisoners that they were raped by jail guards.
At a Friday meeting, Delaware County Democratic Party Chairman Michael Sperry suggested the county raise the sales tax for three years to pay the sum.
The Oklahoman reports Sperry argued that property owners constitute a minority in the county and that a sales tax increase would reach a broader base.
Sperry said his immediate family and extended family own thousands of acres in Delaware County.
The proposed property tax hike would be 18 percent for three years. If the sales tax is raised by 1.5 percent, that would push the tax over the 11 percent mark in Delaware County.
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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.