City residents on Tuesday voted decisively to impose a half-cent sales tax for park and stormwater projects.
The city voted 792 in favor to 479 opposed to add the new sales tax, or about 60 percent approval.
The tax, which is projected to generate about $750,000 annually, will be split evenly between projects for stormwater and the Parks Department. The city's current tax is 7.725 percent, which is lower than other municipalities in Mid-Missouri. This will raise the sales tax to 8.225 percent.
The tax will not expire.
"We're just, of course, very pleased and appreciative of the voters and their confidence," Mayor LeRoy Benton said. "Hopefully, we'll live up to their expectations."
He said he expected the vote would be closer to a 50-50 split, but he said supporters tried to address any concerns that people had about the proposition.
"It sounds like a lot of money, but by the time we split the money, it's about $375,000 apiece (for stormwater and parks), so we'll have to do some long-range planning."
Almost every street in Fulton has stormwater issues, he said, and this funding stream will allow the city to address those.
The city also wants to use the stormwater half of the money to address problems with Stinson Creek.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources audited the city last June for the pollution in Stinson Creek, creating a need for funds. Both the DNR and the Environmental Protection Agency had Stinson Creek listed as "impaired" since the 1990s. The creek was taken off the list in 2010 after the city made a plan with the EPA to improve the creek's water quality.
Although Stinson Creek does not affect the drinking water in Fulton, pollution caused by stormwater runoff and wastewater flowing into the creek has made the water unsuitable for aquatic life. The water quality also impacts the required process to gain permits for the wastewater and stormwater systems.
Other city issues
One City Council seat for a two-year term is up in each of the city's four wards. In the only two opposed races, Beverly Gray defeated Lindsey Pace-Snook in the 3rd Ward, 190-87. In the 4th Ward, Steve Moore beat Helen Jarvis, 156-126.
The Fulton School Board had five candidates for two open seats, which will be filled by Verdis Lee Sr., 752 votes, and Andy Bonderer, 647 votes. The other candidates and their vote totals were Rodney K. Latty, 619; Timothy Clay Caswell, 512 and Alethea Dzurick, 403.