COWETA, Okla. — On Feb. 11, voters will decide how they want to pay off a multi-million dollar settlement for a death in the Wagoner County jail.

If the sales tax on the ballot doesn’t pass, property taxes will increase across the area.

Many concerned residents gathered in Coweta to ensure they clearly understood why they had to pay for this and to ask Sheriff Chris Elliott any last-minute questions ahead of the vote.

On Tuesday night, Wagoner County officials held a public meeting at the Indian Capital Technology Center in Coweta about the upcoming sales tax vote.

“A message...to the people to really cover the issues of what we need to do to come together as a community to ease this burden, but it’s going to have to be paid one way or the other,” said James Hanning, District 1 County Commissioner for Wagoner County. “So, getting the two options to everybody on how this would impact their families, their budgets. That’s going to be the important thing.”

Hanning said the death ended up costing the county $13.5 million.

The people who live in the county now have to pay.

“Whether you’re a renter or a homeowner or a landowner, you’re still going to pay property tax. Sales tax is shared amongst a broad spectrum of people,” said Hanning. “People who travel here to visit, they are going to come buy stuff and shop. They’re going to help pay that burden faster.”

Last month, Wagoner County Sheriff Chris Elliott took full responsibility for the jail death and settlement in front of the Broken Arrow City Council and urged the community to vote for the sales tax, saying it would be the best choice.

“I own it. I want everybody to hear this: I own this,” said Sheriff Elliott. “I’m not pointing fingers. It’s my responsibility but, my responsibility to the citizens of this county moving forward is to assure them we’re doing everything. We’re partnering with the Board of Commissioners to make sure this never happens again.”

The vote is Feb. 11.

If you weren’t able to make it to the meeting tonight, the county has posted answers to frequently asked questions on its website.

To view those, click here.