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Today's Poll!Panel sets preliminary priorities
Thursday, September 1, 2011
After an all-day meeting and much discussion, members of the Transformation steering committee set a preliminary list of priority projects and indicated support for a potential 10-year half-cent sales tax to fund projects.
As part of the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce’s economic development strategic plan, “Transformation,” members of the steering committee met at Providence Bank on Wednesday.
When the meeting turned to funding options, steering committee members were able to vote on four options: a quarter-cent sales tax for five years, a quarter-cent sales tax for 10 years, a half-cent sales tax for five years or a half-cent sales tax for 10 years. Members were not given a “no tax” option.
The first vote on tax options showed 55 percent in favor of a half-cent, 10-year sales tax, but after much discussion, another vote on that option rose to 86 percent in favor.
The 10-year half-cent sales tax is projected to bring in $41,167,196 for project funding. All 40 packages presented at the meeting would cost about $62,606,500.
Any sales tax would need to be sponsored by the city or county to put to voters.
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Comments
JCsleeper 1 year, 8 months ago
All these ideas have some merit. A lot of time and effort has gone into this Transformation. The only options given to pay for this are sales tax increases. Many folks in the local area haven't seen any income increases for several years, yet prices and taxes keep rising. Might be a better idea to have those that would profit from the Transormation be the ones who pay for it. The taxes suggested would supposedly expire in 5 or 10 years. Does anyone recall a tax, that once on the books, has been allowed to expire? There will always be some reason for leaders ask for an extension. Faced with higher sales taxes and the JC Oil Cartel surchage, It might be wise to shop elsewhere. In the current anemic economy, local leaders need to decide between wishes and necessities.
JCLifer 1 year, 8 months ago
The people running these meetings and pushing all this fluffy BS have no idea what the average family is dealing with budget-wise in this town. Wages have remained stagnant for the last decade.
It infuriorates me that our city leaders are fine to let existing infrastructure decay from lack of maintenance, but they want to keep building more and more. Our children and grandchildren better move away from Jeff City, otherwise they are going to be strapped to pay for all this foolish spending that the current leadership is doing to obligate our town for years of maintenance, and for rebuilding the current infrastructure that they are allowing to decay.
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