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House Passes Bill to Allow Public Safety Districts

The Oklahoma State Capitol.
KWGS Photo
The Oklahoma State Capitol.

The Oklahoma House has passed a bill to let voters decide whether they want to help fund public safety services. 
 

The bill proposes to let voters decide on a city-by-city basis if they’d like to set up public safety districts, raising their property taxes to go toward public safety services, like fire and police. 

"If this becomes law, my understanding is them cities will be able to hold elections to raise the ad valorem tax. Myself, I will not get a vote, my taxes will be raised. Would you kindly agree this would be taxation without representation?" said Rep. Jim Grego.

The author of the bill Representative Jadine Nollan says property owners inside and outside city limits would get a vote. She also thinks the bill will protect property values in those areas.

Nollan says right now, Oklahoma is the only state in the nation that funds public safety through sales tax. Both the City of Tulsa and Tulsa County support Nollan’s bill.

House Bill 1992 passed on a 76 to 20 vote and now goes to the Senate.