People discuss proposed public safety vote

Funds would be for array of facilities, projects, services

By Cathy Spaulding

cspaulding@muskogeephoenix.com

A public safety building on West Columbus Avenue could help ensure quick response time for ambulance runs, said Laurel Havens, executive director of Muskogee County Emergency Medical Services.

The public safety building is part of a vote Tuesday for a county-wide sales tax. Muskogee County voters are to decide on a temporary sales tax of 0.849% of one cent to fund an array of public safety facilities, projects and services. That tax would remain in effect for seven to 10 years to pay for initial buildings and equipment, then would drop to a half-cent sales tax to maintain the program.

If passed, the sales tax would fund: — A joint facility, likely on Columbus Avenue, to house Muskogee County EMS, Muskogee Police Department, Muskogee County Emergency Management, Muskogee County Call Center and part of Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office and Muskogee Fire Department.

— New Muskogee fire station on York Street, renovations to other Muskogee fire stations, and five new fire trucks for Muskogee.

— New vehicles, radios and equipment for Muskogee Police, Muskogee Fire, Muskogee County Sheriff.

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— New joint public safety facilities, new police and fire vehicles and equipment for Haskell, Fort Gibson and Warner, planned $4 million for each community.

— Emergency ambulance runs at no cost to patients living within Muskogee County.

— New radios for volunteer fire departments within the county.

“Every public safety agency in the county will be impacted by this,” Havens said. “Our responders will benefit from this.”

Officials with Muskogee County EMS, Muskogee Police Department, Muskogee and Fort Gibson Fire Departments had a public session Friday to respond to comments and comments and questions posed on social media about the public safety vote.

Many people have asked why the county cannot use Arrowhead Mall for the joint facility, Havens said. He said the mall would cost $20 million to buy and much more to renovate into a facility.

Also, Arrowhead Mall’s closest access to the east side of the city is the Callahan Street viaduct. He said traffic on the viaduct snags when there is a train. That was the same problem EMS faces with its current facility on Callahan, he said.

“It is imperative for response time to have the Columbus Street overpass” to get to the other side of town, Havens said. Putting the joint facility at the county fairgrounds on South Cherokee Street would pose a similar access problem, he said.

Havens said the tax would generate $8.5 million a year. About $4 million from the first year would go to critical needs, Havens said.

The county would take out a loan — incur indebtedness — to pay for buildings, Havens said.

“We cannot start the building process without the money being fully secured,” Havens said. “We’ll borrow it. It will be about $25 million at that point. According to the bank it takes about four years to pay that off.”

Muskogee Police Chief Johnny Teehee responded to Facebook comments about the department’s recent purchase of 25 new Tahoe units.

“It took us quite some time to get those Tahoes, and that’s literally one-third of our fleet,” Teehee said. “They talk about the 25 new ones, but they don’t talk about the other 50 old ones that are falling apart sometimes. We’ve had to beg, borrow with regards to our radios for several years. They don’t make parts for them.”

The department also is short-handed, Teehee said.

“We’re losing to other agencies,” he said. “Will new cars matter? It wouldn’t hurt. This entire package, when you put it together is a big plus for the county.”