Sequoyah County Sheriff Larry Lane joined educators, county officials and financial experts last week in Norman to discuss what he described as “potentially devastating” consequences of a proposed statewide ballot measure that would eliminate property taxes in Oklahoma.
Lane participated Thursday in a panel discussion at the 2026 County Officers and Deputies Association of Oklahoma (CODA) Legislative Conference. The session, titled “Stronger Together,” examined State Question 843 (SQ 843), a proposal that would abolish property taxes and replace them with alternative funding sources.
Panelists included school superintendents, county assessors, city and county leaders, bond advisors, and Dr. Pam Deering of the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA). Together, they outlined how the measure could affect schools, public safety, and local government operations across the state.
While much of the discussion centered on education funding, Lane focused on what the proposal could mean for day-to-day law enforcement in Sequoyah County.
“People hear the phrase ‘eliminate property taxes’ and it sounds good on the surface,” Lane said after the conference. “But the reality is that those dollars are what keep our communities safe. If that funding disappears, services disappear with it.”
According to Lane, one of the most immediate effects would be the loss of the Sheriff ’s Office School Resource Deputy program. Sequoyah County currently provides seven deputies who serve in local schools, with salaries reimbursed through property tax funding.
“If SQ 843 passes, our schools simply won’t have the money to reimburse us,” Lane explained. “That means those seven deputies would be pulled out of classrooms and hallways. At a time when school safety is more important than ever, that’s a risk I don’t think any parent wants to take.”
Lane also warned that the financial ripple effect would extend far beyond school campuses. He estimated that the Sheriff ’s Office could lose roughly half of its operational budget if property taxes were eliminated.
“A 50 percent budget cut would cripple us,” he said. “Right now, we typically have three to four deputies on patrol at any given time. Under this proposal, we could be looking at just one deputy covering the entire county. That’s not public safety—that’s survival mode.”
Such reductions, Lane said, would lead to longer response times, fewer proactive patrols and limited ability to investigate crimes.
“Citizens expect us to show up when they call 911,” he said. “But you can’t do more with less forever. At some point, there just aren’t enough deputies, equipment or resources to meet the needs of the community.”
Throughout the panel, speakers emphasized that SQ 843 could have far-reaching and unintended consequences for local governments and school districts statewide.
Lane said the goal of the discussion was not to take a political stance, but to ensure voters understand what is at stake.
“This isn’t about politics— it’s about reality,” Lane said. “Our job is to protect the people of Sequoyah County. I want residents to know exactly how this proposal could affect their safety, children’s schools and the services they rely on every day.”
State Question 843 is expected to appear on a future statewide ballot, though a specific election date has not yet been announced.
