Update On Potential Oklahoma County Jail Locations
Still no decision on a location for the new Oklahoma County jail.
But the list of possible locations has been narrowed down.
The Oklahoma County Commissioners met Wednesday to discuss possible locations for the new county jail.
Three locations - one near 29th Street and the Kickapoo Turnpike, one near East Grand and Southeast 15th Street, and one near Reno and Martin Luther King Avenues have been removed.
Other locations that have not been removed from consideration include an area near the Will Rogers World Airport and an area in Stockyards City, despite disapproval from FAA regional manager Glenn Boles and Oklahoma National Stockyards President Jerry Reynolds.
Traffic Tickets For Tribal License Plates Dismissed
Traffic tickets issued to drivers with tribal license plates have been quietly dropped.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol has issued at least two citations to drivers whose cars carried tribal license plates for failure to pay state taxes. Both have been quietly dropped.
One driver, Crystal Deroin, posted a copy of her ticket on social media, which sparked controversy across the state.
Deroin, an Otoe-Missouria Tribal member, was given a $249 ticket because she lived outside of the northern Oklahoma tribe's jurisdiction but had valid plates.
While you cannot be pulled over for simply driving with a tribal tag, these citations triggered questions statewide about how often troopers were writing similar tickets to tribal citizens with valid plates
The Oklahoman newspaper first reported her citation, as well as the second driver’s ticket were dropped.
It’s unclear what may happen next for drivers with tribal tags.
Oklahoma Tax Study
A recent study of Oklahoma taxes found the state’s system is upside down, largely due to its structure.
This means tax burdens are higher on people who have less money.
The nonpartisan, nonprofit Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found Oklahoma has the 16th most regressive tax system in the country.
“This means our tax system asks the most from the residents who have the least," said Shiloh Kantz, executive director of the Oklahoma Policy Institute.
Gov. Kevin Stitt began his call for no income tax in the state late last year during what was ultimately a failed special session.
The report found that eliminating the personal income tax would mean the lowest-income 20% of taxpayers would face a state and local tax rate that is 300% higher than the top 1% of households.
The Oklahoma Policy Institute says implementing a 0% income tax policy would also drop Oklahoma from the 16th most regressive tax system to the 8th.
Expected Winter Weather Postpones MLK Parade
Oklahoma City’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade has been postponed due to potential winter weather next Monday.
City officials say organizers have rescheduled the parade for Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m.
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