Proponents of a Cole County sales tax increase to help at-risk youth are asking the County Commission to place the issue on the April 2 ballot.
"Putting Kids First" organizers told commissioners Tuesday they had planned to gather the 3,000 petition signatures needed to put the issue on the ballot by Jan. 4. However, as of Tuesday, they only had 200 signatures. With the holidays near, they didn't see how they could reach the threshold, they said.
The organizers faced a Jan. 4 deadline for the petitions so the Cole County clerk's office had time to verify signatures on the petition. The deadline for governmental bodies to put a measure on the April ballot is Jan. 22.
Jefferson City resident Ed Storey, the leader of the group, told commissioners he and his wife were willing to put up the cost to put the measure on the ballot.
Commissioners did not give any indication as to how they might decide on the issue.
The initiative was started by Storey and other residents to develop a Cole County Community Children's Service Fund, which would be created through a quarter-cent sales tax increase - one penny for every $4 purchased - raising approximately $2.4 million annually.
The money would help fund services and programs such as crisis intervention, school-based prevention programs, home-based intervention programs and outpatient substance abuse treatment. The funds could benefit organizations such as Capital City CASA, The Salvation Army, Pathways, Special Learning Center and Missouri Valley Big Brothers Big Sisters that work with children and teenagers.
A nine-member appointed board of Cole County residents would govern the funds, Storey said.
Local organizations offer youth services, he said, "but they're limited to how many (youths) they can help because of a lack of funds."
"These funds are what's going to make it better," Storey said. "These funds, when we get this $2.4 million, it's not just for this year, it's for every year. As we keep getting this every year we will actually be able to stop the up trend of youth drug use, get it level and make it a downward trend. It's not going to happen over night but it will happen, and the way it will happen is to get the people to say, 'Yes, we do want this for the children.'"
Ten Missouri counties have a Community Children's Service Fund, including Boone County, Storey said.
Residents can contact organizers at [email protected].