According to a witness, the red RAM 1500 truck (front) was northbound on US-169. The tan RAM 2500 truck was stopped in the median of US-169 waiting for a break to go south on 4090 Road. The tan truck pulled out in front of the red truck.

The collision knocked the tan truck into the white RAM truck, which was waiting at the stop sign on 4090 Road in front of Creekside Plants and Produce.

There were a total of five people in the three vehicles. Three ambulances responded to the scene, but no one was transported by ambulance to the hospital.

By JOHN M. WYLIE II, Editor

County and election officials were scrambling late Thursday to determine if Tuesday’s election on renewing the county’s penny road tax was valid.

Voters approved the tax by a 58.22 margin with a 6.28 percent turnout.

However, allegations arose Thursday that notice of the election had not been published as required by law.

The statute requiring publication of tax elections was enacted in 1910, according to its online history at the Oklahoma State Courts Network legal research website.

However, sales taxes did not exist in the state until 1933, and the current law allowing counties to levy a sales tax of up to 2 percent if voters approve traces its origins back to 1983 and has been amended or replaced in 1984, 1985, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

County commissioners approved a resolution calling the election in March and a summary was published as part of the minutes of that meeting. But allegedly there was no full publication of the question as required by the 1910 law.

Rogers County Clerk Robin Anderson told the Claremore Progress that Election Board Secretary Julie Dermody should have handled publication.

Dermody, backed by the State Election Board, said the responsibility was the County Clerk’s.

“I hate the fact it is happening, but it should not reflect in any way on the Election Board. We did our part,” Dermody added.

Although a Tiawah-area resident identified as Myron Grabaski filed a complaint about the lack of publication with the election board, Dermody said the issue is outside that body’s jurisdiction.

It is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Friday to certify the results, but its consideration will be limited to whether the votes were correctly handled and counted.

Issues such as whether the election call was properly published would have to be handled through a filing in Rogers County District Court.

County Commission Chairman Kirt Thacker said a new election, if required, would cost $25,000. It was unclear if the county’s errors and omissions insurance would cover the cost.

Thacker, Dermody and members of the district attorney’s office conferred much of the day about the situation.

And to add to the confusion, Dermody said it was very possible that it would not be possible to get a quorum for Friday’s election board meeting. That would put any action there off until at least next week, she said.

By JOHN M. WYLIE II, Editor

A five-year extension of Rogers County’s penny sales tax for roads and bridges coasted to an easy victory Tuesday.

The final unofficial vote was 1,887 yes and 1,354 no, a victory margin of 58 percent.

The results showed the waning power of Claremore in countywide politics. The Claremore Daily Progress and the board of the Claremore Chamber of Commerce opposed the tax extension, which failed in the city precincts.

But that could not overcome the victory margins in the rest of the county, where the population outnumbers Claremore’s by an almost 4-1 margin.

The biggest victory margin was in Chelsea, where the tax extension won by a margin of over 80 percent. It was approved in Oologah by a margin of 70 percent.

A countywide precinct-by-precinct breakdown of the voting numbers was not immediately available.

The tax failed in 12 precincts, tied in two precincts and passed in 22 precincts (see map).

Absentee voters approved the extension by a 59 percent margin, early voters who cast ballots Friday and Monday at the election board said yes by a 55 percent margin and those who voted on Election Day approved the issue by a 58 percent margin.

The tax was initially approved in 1988 by a margin of 55 percent and subsequently renewed in five-year increments by margins of 68 percent, 63 percent, 75 percent and 55 percent.

All three Rogers County Commissioners expressed delight at the results, appreciation for the voters who turned out, and a promise to continue improving the county’s roads and bridges.

All also said they hoped Claremore leaders would recognize the voters’ clear message that the city needs to work with, not against, the rest of the county.

“The people who wanted good roads and bridges and streets really got out there and got after it,” said District 2 Commissioner Mike Helm. “What a great job the citizens did in bringing it back.”

District 1 Commissioner Dan DeLozier said he was pleased that despite attacks on county commissioners originating in Claremore, “voters pay attention (and know) that we do our jobs.”

Of the huge margin in his hometown of Chelsea he said, “I knew we would carry it and I was very pleasantly surprised” by the size of the victory.

All three also expressed disappointment about the turnout. Just 3,241 of the county’s 51,645 registered voters, or 6.28 percent, cast ballots.

Commission Chairman Kirt Thacker said, “If we don’t exercise our God- and veteran-given right to vote, then what hope do we really have that America will continue to be free?”

News editor Chris Edens contributed to this story

Garden gnomes litter the front of Oologah High School and a castle scene was placed by the front doors Monday as part of senior prank. “A few seniors left their mark on campus. But compared to the past it was in good taste,” Oologah superintendent Rob Armstrong said.

Jacob Taylor and Mark Ingram took seventh in #2 Doubles at state.

By CHRIS EDENS

City Editor

Four Mustang tennis players competed at state last weekend in Oklahoma City and Mark Ingram and Jacob Taylor took seventh in doubles.

Ingram and Taylor won three matches and lost two in #2 Doubles. The pair beat Riverfield 6-4, 7-6 in the first round and then lost to Byng in the second round.

Ingram and Taylor beat Sperry 6-2, 6-1 in the third round and lost to Kingfisher 6-3, 6-1 in the fourth round. The doubles team took seventh with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Mt.S t.  Mary in the consolation bracket.

In #1 Doubles, Tyler Rodgers and Matt Williams lost to Riverfield in the first round. Rodgers and Williams were eliminated after a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Nowata in the second round.

“Three out of four boys that went to state this year will return so we will do even better next year,” Oologah head coach Charles Kerber said.

City Editor

Oologah School Board members approved a price increase for school lunches at Monday night’s meeting.

Lunches in the elementary buildings went up 40 cents and will now cost $2.50. Lunch at the middle school and high school will now cost students $2.60, an increase of 25 cents.

Assistant superintendent Jerry Rutledge said the increase was necessary to meet new federal guidelines on pricing. He said the school is reimbursed $2.59 per meal from the federal government for free or reduced lunches.

Rutledge said the federal government doesn’t want to subsidize lunches that are not part of the free or reduced lunch program. He said the school district is financially responsible for any amount under the $2.59 reimbursement rate.

“We have to increase the prices or the district has to pay the difference,” superintendent Rob Armstrong said.

The price increases will take effect at the beginning of the next school year.

In other business, technology director Mike Murray updated the board on problems with state mandated testing. Students taking the computer tests ran into problems when the testing company, CTB/McGraw Hill’s servers went down.

Computers were freezing up in the middle of tests because of the server problems. Tests were considered invalid if the students were unable to complete them.

Murraysaid 25 tests were invalidated. He said four tests were invalidated at the middle school and 21 at the high school.Murraysaid make up tests were almost completed.

City Editor

Instead of a cat in a tree, Northwest firefighters rescued puppies from a pipe last weekend.

Northwest received a call from a resident in a neighborhood near Oowala about 1:30 p.m. Saturday. They said three puppies were trapped in a drainage pipe.

When Northwest arrived, they found threeLabradorpuppies about six months old in the pipe. Residents said the dogs were strays that had showed up in the neighborhood a few days before.

Firefighters Mat Shockley, Josh Copeland and Matt Marlin started working to free them. A resident gave them some lunchmeat to try and lure the dogs out of the pipe.

“They were just out of arms reach. They weren’t really stuck but it was so tight they couldn’t comfortably get out,” Shockley said. “We used the salami to try and coax them out.”

For the complete story, pick up a copy of the Oologah Lake Leader.

Snow clearing is one activity that may be curtailed if the one penny tax for county roads is not renewed, county commissioners say. Voters will decide Tuesday whether to renew the tax for another five years.

By JOHN M. WYLIE II, Editor

Rogers County voters will decide Tuesday whether to again renew the penny sales tax for county roads and bridges.

The tax has been in effect since 1988 and voters have renewed it for five-year intervals ever since.

County Commission Chairman Kirt Thacker said the results speak for themselves—almost all roads in the county are paved, deficient bridges are being replaced and roads are being maintained.

Grass that can obstruct drivers’ vision is mowed in the summer, while ice and snow are plowed off in the winter, he added.

Losing the tax would mean layoffs of road workers in all three commissioner districts, and the ripple effects would harm services from other offices.

Thacker cited the lease-purchase of 20 new patrol cars for the Rogers County Sheriff’s office last week. Loss of the penny road tax revenue might mean that some general fund revenue would be required for a scaled-back road program. That, in turn, might leave the county unable to make the lease payments on the new patrol cars.

Click to see an enlarged version of the map

Some individuals have expressed opposition to the tax, citing primarily a tight economy and, ironically, the current good condition of the roads.

A committee called Citizens for Rogers County 2013 registered with the Oklahoma State Ethics Commission late last year and has been promoting the tax extension with signs, on-line advertising and newspaper ads. The county’s three legal weekly newspapers plus a new weekly in Catoosa have all been supportive of the tax.

Information from proponents is available at www.roads2013.com . The tax has won handily every five years since 1988, but if it fails it can be again be presented to the voters for reconsideration before it expires in October.

Opposition to the tax has come from the Claremore Chamber of Commerce board of directors, which issued a statement essentially calling for restructuring the tax so that some of the funds could be used for city streets and bridges in Claremore’s city limits.

An Attorney General’s opinion issued by Drue Edmondson and which has never been overturned prohibits use of county road and bridge money for city streets and bridges.

Claremore already levies a penny tax for roads and bridges, although part of that money can be diverted for other capital needs in the city.

All who shop within the Claremore city limits pay one cent for city roads and one cent for county roads regardless of where they live.

While Claremore city officials often talk of the 55,000 people living within the Claremore fenceline, only those who live  in the city limits are entitled to city constructed and maintained roads.  Roads outside the city limits but inside the Claremore fenceline are maintained by the county.

The chamber board issued a statement announcing its decision to urge a no vote on the bond issue until more money is allocated to Claremore capital projects.

The Claremore Progress also urged a no vote.

The other county newspapers–Oologah Lake Leader, Chelsea Reporter, Inola Independent and Catoosa Independent–have all endorsed the road tax renewal.

Voters go to their regular polling places from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday to cast their ballots unless they have already voted absentee. Final unofficial counts should be available by mid-evening Tuesday through the Election Board.

Approval requires a simple majority of votes cast.

Well-known Northwest Rogers County firefighter and training officer John Bortner was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash early Sunday morning on US 169 south of Talala.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Russell Stripling said Bortner, a 45-year-old Northwest firefighter who resides in Talala, was driving his 2003 Harley Davidson Motorcycle at 1:01 a.m. at a high rate of speed north on US 169 one-half mile south of County Road East 350.

Bortner, who was alone on the bike, lost control and the motorcycle began to wobble. It went off the roadway to the right where the cycle overturned.   

Trooper Stripling said Bortner was treated on the ground by firefighters, a ground ambulance crew, and the crew of an AirEVAC LifeTeam helicopter ambulance which took him to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa. He was admitted in stable condition with head and trunk-internal injuries and was listed in stable condition.

Trooper Stripling’s report said the weather was clear and the four-lane divided asphalt pavement was dry. Bortner was not using a helmet at the time of the crash.

Stripling ordered the highway closed for 23 minutes, from 0137 hours until 0200 hours, so the helicopter would have a safe zone in which to land and care for the patient before taking off for Tulsa.