EDITORIAL: McAlester Council shouldn't repeal the will of voters

Apr. 11—In less than a minute Tuesday night, four McAlester city councilors voted to repeal an eighth-cent sales tax approved six years ago by a vote of the people.

The four city councilors who voted in favor of the motion did more than simply repeal the one-eighth cent sales tax designated for expansion of the McAlester Cancer Treatment Center.

They also voted to repeal the will of the voters who passed the sales tax measure in the first place.

Imagine the outrage among voters if state legislators repealed a state question passed by a vote of the people.

That's essentially what the four city councilors did who voted Tuesday night to repeal the one-eighth cent sales tax measure. It's a reckless move that could impact the McAlester Cancer Center for years to come.

On Feb. 13, 2018, city voters approved the one-eighth cent sales tax to provide funding for the McAlester Regional Health Center Authority to construct a modern regional cancer center to provide expanded cancer care and ancillary services for Southeastern Oklahoma.

The 2018 one-eighth cent sales tax measure passed by a margin of 55.62% — well over the 50% required for passage.

During the Tuesday night meeting, a split city council voted 4-to-3 in favor Ward 4 Councilor Randy Roden's motion to repeal the one-eighth cent sales tax designed to construct a "modern regional cancer treatment center."

Joining Roden to repeal the sales tax were new Ward 1 Councilor Levi Gilmore; Ward 3 Councilor Chris Stone and Ward 5 Councilor Billy Jack Boatright.

Mayor John Browne was joined by Ward 2 Councilor Justin Few and Ward 6 Councilor Kevin Beaty in voting "no" to oppose the repeal.

It's difficult to understand why a disagreement by some over the hospital's plans to transition to the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center instead of the physician-owned Oklahoma Cancer Specialists and Research Institute should lead to a repeal of the one-eighth cent sales tax to fund the Cancer Center expansion.

Hospital CEO Shawn Howard maintains the transition to joining the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center allows the McAlester hospital to align itself with the only National Cancer Institute Designated Cancer Center in Oklahoma.

Money collected from the quarter-cent sales tax is in the bank, with $2.988,918.09 reported in the McAlester Regional Health Center's account for Cancer Center expansion as of Wednesday.

In 2018, then-McAlester Regional Center CEO David Keith said prior to the election he figured it would take approximately $15 million for the Cancer Center expansion. He anticipated getting half of that, around $7.5 million, from the one-eighth cent sales tax during the 15 years it was to be in effect.

City councilors who voted to toss the one-eighth cent sales tax approved by the people should rethink their position so the matter can be brought up for a revote.

No less than the quality of future cancer treatment for McAlester and the surrounding area is at stake.