Our Opinion: Extend Cole County sales tax for capital improvements

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Tax issues deserve scrutiny.

We have examined the proposed extension of Cole County’s half-cent, capital improvements sales tax on Tuesday’s ballot, and we believe it deserves approval.

Our support is not based on two obvious selling points: the proposal is an extension of an existing tax rather than a new tax; and a sales tax is shared by non-residents who use Cole County infrastructure.

Instead, our endorsement is based on a 25-year history of Cole County officials delivering on promised improvements.

Since its inception, sales tax revenues have targeted road and bridge projects, as well as improvements to facilities, primarily the courthouse.

Like the current proposal, each of the previous installments has carried a five-year sunset provision.

We believe county residents repeatedly have approved past extensions based on fulfillment of promises.

A brief overview of the 2007-11 tax reveals: completion of improvements to Big Horn Drive and Business 50 West; cooperative projects with Jefferson City and seven smaller communities; resurfacing about 75 miles of roadway; upgrading 23 miles of gravel roads to paved; a bridge replacement, one bridge rehabilitation and 16 stormwater projects.

The extension on Tuesday’s ballot seeks to raise about $26 million, with an estimated $22.1 million (about 85 percent) for road and bridge projects and about $3.9 million (15 percent) for facilities.

Since its inception, the guiding forces behind the county’s capital improvements sales tax have been public safety and progress.

Improved infrastructure makes our roadways and bridges smoother and safer for county residents and enhances our community as a hub of economic activity.

In the interest of continued progress, we endorse Proposition A, the extension of Cole County’s half-cent sales tax, on Tuesday’s ballot.

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wow 1 year, 11 months ago

Dear Sales Tax Supporter....although I agree the citizens have provided for Cole County infrastructure improvements and repairs for some 25 years now. However I disagree with your assessment of the positive return on investment. Currently Cole County still has too many dirt and or gravel roads which Tax Payers are forced to drive on. Also many of the County neighborhoods are inhabited with residents who currently live and travel in these places where there are no street lights, side walks and other basic residential accommodations. Certainly over the past 25 years enough tax revenue was collected to pay for more than the Big Horn Round About. As for the other projects you mentioned "resurfacing about 75 miles of roadway; upgrading 23 miles of gravel roads to paved; a bridge replacement, one bridge rehabilitation and 16 storm water projects". In what area did this occur? Also, we are talking about 25 years worth of tax dollars and accumulated interested are we not? I'd think over that amount of time, enough money was generated to pay for or at least start more than just these superficial projects you mentioned.

I do agree the 1/2 cents Sales Tax is a way to generate funding for many of the things this county needs however...based on the information I have been able to review, the Stewards of this money have not used the funds in manor which best benefits the citizens of Cole County. In short, I'm not seeing a good return on investment for 25 years worth of the Cole County 1/2 cents Sales Tax or the interest that should have incurred on that money. I don't think the question is if the Tax is still needed. I think the bigger issue is when is the County going to open up the books so the public can see a line by line explanation of how much was actually collected over the past 25 years and what that money was actually spent on. Because until that happens and things are clearly shown to have been operating above board. I'm not be against paying my share of the taxes, but I certainly don't want another 25 years of people mismanaging public tax dollars.

online_editor 1 year, 11 months ago

"Also, we are talking about 25 years worth of tax dollars and accumulated interested are we not? I'd think over that amount of time, enough money was generated to pay for or at least start more than just these superficial projects you mentioned."

The list of projects you referenced was, as the editorial stated, from the last five-year extension period of 2007-11, not a summary of the entire 25 years. So you are correct that there were many more projects over the entire history of the tax that are relevant to the conclusion which the editorial advocated but which it did not elaborate upon. Just wanted to make that clear in case there was any confusion. --Rick Brown, online editor, News Tribune

JCLifer 1 year, 11 months ago

I wish we could vote to increase this tax to 3 cents if it would get rid of the draconian property tax.

wow 1 year, 11 months ago

I understand about your reference of projects was associated with the last five-year extension period of 2007-2011 and not a summary of the entire 25 years. But with that I also have to ask how you can state your "endorsement is based on a 25-year history of Cole County officials delivering on promised improvements"? Surely you were not saying that over a 25 year period the County officials used the citizens tax dollars wisely and got the best return on investment possible? If the money was invested wisely then let me/tax payers know what it was spent on....perhaps after we can actually see what was purchased, we may agree on this subject.

Again...I don't think the question is if the Tax is still needed. I think the bigger issue is when is the County officials going to open up the books so the public can see a line by line explanation of how much was actually collected over the past 25 years and what that money was actually spent on. Because until that happens and things are clearly shown to have been operating above board. I'm not against paying my share of the taxes, but I certainly don't want another 25 years of people mismanaging public tax dollars. I can't speak for everyone, but I'm confident there are a few others who share my feelings.

online_editor 1 year, 11 months ago

.... I also have to ask how you can state your "endorsement is based on a 25-year history of Cole County officials delivering on promised improvements"? ....

Although it's too late this time, I see the wisdom of including some sort of master timeline on issues like this in the future, which would draw upon our past news coverage and our institutional memories of past events and share those in more detail. Especially to help those who've moved here recently or otherwise don't have detailed memories of this issue during previous extension approvals. I know we've done that type of thing at times for various issues in the past; we just didn't think about doing it this time around. Some food for us to give some thought.

tonto 1 year, 11 months ago

I am perplexed about what "wow" really wants, except to make critical but vague complaints about government spending.

This sales tax has been in place a long time, it has been used well, and the online editor's comments about past news coverage and institutional memories are well taken. People who have been paying attention have seen the plans, read about the committee meetings and budget hearings, and read the detailed financial statements the county publishes every year. There is a lot of information available, but it is not like reading a bumper-sticker slogan.

My opinion is that people who can't or won't pay attention, or can't or won't review the information that's available to them are way out of line when they ask for it to be repeated (again) or reconfigured in some way that they can't quite explain but that would somehow make it understandable to them. Would pictures with price tags in the captions help? I know that's a little harsh, but seriously, most of us already know where that money went.

yonomo 1 year, 11 months ago

Is this the tax that paid for the unbelieveably terrible job of "resurfacing" route M from Wardsville to Taos or was that something else?

online_editor 1 year, 11 months ago

No. Route M is a state road maintained by MoDOT, not a county road.

wow 1 year, 11 months ago

Not saying the tax isn't needed, just worried about bad spending. Look around the county.... no sidewalks , no street lights, gravel roads, neighborhoods with no modern codification standards, out dated or no sewer systems or water drainage system. The list goes on and on. No, I'm no being vague......I'm presenting you with some real unresolved issues this 25 years pf 1/2 cent tax collection was suppose to remedy. Perhaps my expectations of a modern community are a bit high....

Oh well...the vote is in and we gotta mover on...but it would still be helpful know: 1. How much tax money was actually collected over the 25 years the 1/2 cents was in effect? 2. How much interest was generated from that? 3. What was the total amount of both? 4. What was the money spent on? 5. Can one conclude that a reasonably good return on investment was obtained? If all is good...no harm no foul and I apologize...if not...then.... Lucy, got sum splaain ta do.

tonto 1 year, 11 months ago

wow:

First, you seem to be wanting to substitute your own wish list for what the voters actually approved. The county commissioners told the voters what they intended to do and then acted as though they were bound by what they promised the voters. That's the way things ought to work, at least in my opinion.

Second, innuendo and suspicion are not good things when real facts are available. Please go to the County Clerk's office if you really want to know the answer to your question(s). Every year there has been a budget and a published DETAILED financial statement on the county funds involved with that sales tax.

wow 1 year, 11 months ago

Tonto I'm doing exactly what you suggested. I only hope the people responsible will be as helpful as you say they will be. I'm asking to see the books on 25 years worth of 1/2 cent taxes with accrued interest and the bills on what the money was spent on. Once I get that, then I'll see for myself if things are good or not. If they are, then cool. If on the other hand, they are not, then there's some issues which need explaining.

Just so ya know......25 years worth of collected 1/2 cent sales taxes is a lot of money. Add in the interest which derived from those funds and it becomes a lot more money. Take a look around and tell me the tax payers got their monies worth? Not just a few bridge, road improvements or new signs. I mean 25 years of county wide positive return on investment. Once the books show me that, I'm cool. Until then I'll keep paying my taxes a remembering that in order to keep a level head about what goes on in this burg. It's always a good idea for me to be positive, open minded, and not accept the standard "things are alright just because we say so" answer. I also remember when I indulge in community activities. It's "puff, puff, pass"...any more than that and a person tends to get confused on reality and lost in the fog.

I'll let ya know what I find out on the tax history. Stay safe and have fun.

tonto 1 year, 11 months ago

Like you said, those are public records and the information must be provided. Having said that, though, someone's attitude matters a lot in these things. A lesson in the "easy way and the hard way" is not a good thing. I hope wow can be smooth and diplomatic and complete his quest easily.

tonto 1 year, 11 months ago

I do that kind of thing for a living, so I know it can be done. Good luck! There may already be summaries prepared in connection with the most recent election and the elections where the tax was renewed before. Be polite and ask them to help you since the summaries may have been done by committees and/or consultants..

wow 1 year, 11 months ago

Geez folks...I'm working on getting the documents. Ohh and just so ya know, just because the Sunshine Law calls for an open record upon demand. It doesn't mean that it's an easy process or that the requester get's everyone's full cooperation. It certainly doesn't mean the request is met within a 24hr period. But before anyone is accused of seeing black helicopters or conducting shadow operations...I'm willing to give the folks at the County Annex time to get what I asked for together. Ohhh and yeah...... I work with this mess everyday and I know how to be polite.....although politeness isn't a requirement of the Sunshine Law. Also...I have no use for a Consultant's report. The County Treasurer should be able to tell me what I need to know...which is how much was collected and what was the money spent on? All a Consultant can/will do is try justifying what they were paid....and if a Consultant was used to collect the fee's, monitor the interest, total everything up and then pay for the completed projects....then please tell me what the County Treasurer and his/her staff are for? Aren't those the people who are paid to handle the County money? Why is a Consultant even involved? Again...good return on investment is what I'm asking about.......if we're paying a Consultant to do what the County Tax staff is paid to do, we're already on the wrong track. If I'm wrong, please clue me in on what I'm not understanding. But remember I'm not going to accept "it's that way just because".

Until then...no matter what I learn from my request. The majority says we all gotta pay the 1/2 cent tax.... however since my request is in, let's see what the documents reveal and go from there.

wow 1 year, 11 months ago

Fact...there are more than just this 1/2 sales tax collected by Cole. This money is split 85% to 15%... I can't recall if the lager portion goes to the upkeep of County facilities and the smaller portion going to special projects such as road and bridge repair. But that's where the 1/2 cent money I raised questions about was spent, but in what amounts is still unknown to me.

Fact is the county doesn't collect this money during the year. The state collects the funds and pays them out accordingly. Not sure how I like that, but that's how things go. Also....my request for information must be written...which it was at the time I sought the information and still is, but before I can submit my request I have to learn how much I'll have to pay in order to get the documented information I want. So much for being easy....

The staff at the County Annex were very polite, professional and took their time explaining how things worked. Yet we could not determine how much my request was going to cost me nor the answers to my original questions. One staff person did mention a possible price of 10 cents a cop for the paper work I asked for....not expensive really until ya figure 25 years worth of information is a lot of documentation. Guess the County hasn't gone paperless yet? Guess a simple cut, paste, spreadsheet conversation and save to a disk or jump drive which I'd happily provide is out of the question. I'm not blaming the staff...just pointing out to all you "I do that stuff all the time" types...that's how things went for me. Nobody got loud or rude...however getting information about Government business isn't as simple as 1, 2, 3.

Oh well...guess I'll just have to wait for some Consultant to provide me a report on what occurred or I'll spend the money set aside for my family medical care to get the information on 25 years of what went on in Cole County with 1/2 cent Sales Tax..... then again.

tonto 1 year, 11 months ago

wow - the State Auditor's Office keeps pushing on local governments in Missouri to actually follow the Open Records (Sunshine) Law and compliance is getting better. It's not perfect. For some reason local officials act like those are personal and us taxpayers are intruding when we ask how our money is being spent. The county's records are (probably) not kept in a form that's compatible with PC's. That's a pity.

I am one of the people that do this kind of thing regularly. The reason I suggested a consultant's report is that those would be prepared from the county treasurer's and county clerk's records. The consultants are hired by the Chamber of Commerce or some other group because they can do things and make statements that elected officials can not. FYI - county treasurer records aren't very informative or user-friendly. Stick with the county clerk as much as possible.

There's one other potential avenue for shortening your quest. The county auditor should (really, really should) have annual reports that include the funds you are interested in. They are public information, they may (or may not) have extra copies for free, and they may have multi-year comparison figures built in.

wow 1 year, 11 months ago

I too work with preparing these type of requests...so I've been on both sides as the requester and provider...I also have a pretty good idea of what can and cannot be done. I also know how easy it is to put together Annual reports on where the dollars went and in what amounts.

My purpose of this little exercise was to prove that we could have a civil discussion about a sensitive topic, prove that my comments were made for valid reasons and to prove that it's not easy to find the answers about where our tax money goes, I'd say my objectives were met.

No one debates the need for taxes...the debate comes when those tax payers are asking for some form of reasonable accountability and can't get it. The problem is further complicated when those tax payers are asked to pay higher or continued taxes for something they don't see the benefit in. All I asked is ..........how much money was raised and what was the money spent on? Instead of answers I was met with " Have you been to the courthouse and asked to see specifically what projects the tax dollars have been spent on? If so, what did they say? Or is posting in here the extent of your efforts? I would think with the Sunshine Law or Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) this would be a fairly routine request. It appears that you are accusing the county of hiding how the money is being spent?" And "I am perplexed about what "wow" really wants, except to make critical but vague complaints about government spending. This sales tax has been in place a long time, it has been used well, and the online editor's comments about past news coverage and institutional memories are well taken. People who have been paying attention have seen the plans, read about the committee meetings and budget hearings, and read the detailed financial statements the county publishes every year. There is a lot of information available, but it is not like reading a bumper-sticker slogan. My opinion is that people who can't or won't pay attention, or can't or won't review the information that's available to them are way out of line when they ask for it to be repeated (again) or reconfigured in some way that they can't quite explain but that would somehow make it understandable to them. Would pictures with price tags in the captions help? I know that's a little harsh, but seriously, most of us already know where that money went." Those type of responses PPO and are quite uncalled for, especially since it was so easily proven that getting the answers isn't as simple as paying attention or making a formal request. I trust we all learned a few valued lessons.....one being, don't think you have all the answers, cause ya don't and the other being, just cause ya say it is, don't make it so!

Have a good night, stay safe and have fun.

tonto 1 year, 11 months ago

No. You've gone off on a tangent again. You are trying to substitute your own definition again, this time for "accountability" instead of the one that is used by the people that work in that field. That's the reason you got the incredulous comments like mine "most of us already know where that money went."

Government has a one-year business cycle in Missouri by state law; budgets, tax collections, record-keeping, and reporting are done on an annual basis. You probably knew that, but that's why you will have to compile the twenty-five year information you want from the one-year records that are kept. County officials aren't wrong to do what they do, and your request is not unreasonable, but your request is not consistent with the records most people want.

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