In a telephone interview, Jones said the union is also upset at Smaligo’s frequent references to possibly privatizing the jail.

“Privatization comes up every time the going gets tough or Commissioner Smaligo is irritated,” Jones said.

Contacted Thursday night, Smaligo said it is “hypocritical” of the deputies to criticize the commissioners’ financial support of the jail without acknowledging that former Sheriff Stanley Glanz redirected revenue from the jail to a fund he controlled.

“I’m extraordinarily disappointed they chose to ambush a county commissioner and hope they recognize we all have a job to do,” Smaligo said.

The county commissioners and the other four members of the Tulsa County Criminal Justice Authority, which oversees the jail, believe it should be able to operate on revenue from a 0.25 percent dedicated sales tax and contracts with other law enforcement agencies. In recent years, though, jail operations have been subsidized by county general revenue and the Sheriff’s Office.

Jones said the jail would be self-sufficient if county commissioners had not decided more than a decade ago to dedicate a corresponding 0.25 percent use tax to servicing Expo Square capital improvement bonds.