By Liz McMahan
SUMMIT — Greg Smith doesn’t see this town of less than 250 growing to be huge, but he does want to see it grow.
The mayor of Summit, Smith has asked the county to deed 88 lots to the town that have become county property because no one would pay the taxes.
County Treasurer Glenn Scott said there’s no hope of the county selling those lots.
Smith said he would like to see the town begin a housing authority and build affordable, low-maintenance housing for low-income people.
“I don’t want to put a family in a house where the electric bill is $900 a month,” he said. “We need something that is sustainable.”
His idea came from the town’s long-range plan, but right now, the proposal is just Smith’s, he said. Once it gets further along, he said he plans to take it to the three-member town board of trustees.
County commissioners told Smith his idea is not an impossible one.
“The county doesn’t want to be in the land business,” said Gene Wallace, District 1 commissioner. “We want them (the vacant lots) developed and taxes being paid on them.”
However, if the county deeds the property to the town and the town retains ownership of the property, it would be tax-exempt.
The county has an agreement with the city of Muskogee where the city requests a lot be transferred to them, and then they transfer it to an individual who agrees to develop the lot or keep it up and pay the taxes.
Smith said he is looking for ways for the town to increase its revenues. The town’s annual budget is now about $40,000, including grants. Most of the town’s general fund money is derived from sales taxes, and those monies have gone down significantly with the nation’s economic crisis.
According to Oklahoma Tax Commission reports, the town received 42 percent less in sales and use taxes for April, May and June than for the same period a year ago.
Those sales taxes are collected from the only convenience store in town and from sales to the town’s utility customers, Smith said.
In addition to the sales tax money, the town receives $500 per month from the rental of one of its buildings for use as a child care center, Smith said.
The town offers no utilities or services. Its expenses are in the upkeep of buildings, hiring people to mow and do other jobs, and each of the trustees is paid $75 per month, Smith said.
There’s very little growth in Summit, Smith said. The 2000 census showed 226 residents. The state estimated the population for 2008 at 232, up two from the 2004 estimate of 230.
While the town’s not growing, it is doing better than it did 10 years ago, Smith said.
“Ten years ago, we met in the kitchen at First Baptist Church,” he said.
Since then, the town has received several grants to build community storm shelters and a fire department/community center building has been funded with state, county and local funds. Smith also serves as fire chief.
“We haven’t had much to work with, but we’ve done well with what we’ve had,” he said. “In the last year, we’ve done 1,000 times better, as we’ve removed a lot of the blight and made everything look better.”
Reach Liz McMahan at 684-2926 or lmcmahan@muskogeephoenix.com.
