City must make its case for sales tax

Now it's official. Sikeston residents will be asked to approve a 1-cent sales tax on the Feb. 2 municipal ballot to help finance some needed improvements to our community. To help taxpayers, the city council agreed to roll back property taxes by 21 percent and, the one-quarter cent sales tax currently in place for the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center will be eliminated and some of the proceeds from the 1-cent sales tax will help fund expansion there.

All in all, the sales tax proposal looks good at first glance. The city must make its case that the improvements to be funded by the 1-cent sales tax are worth the vote in favor. And, in my mind at least, they should be able to make that case.

For starters, salaries of some city employees - particularly Public Safety - must be maintained at levels that will not cause erosion of our police and fire personnel. And city employees have gone without cost of living increases as well. But the real attraction to me is the funding for the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority that will come from this sales tax. LCRA is the front line warrior in our community battling against condemned properties. But that battle takes money. Current city budget funds are simply not enough to win the battle. That much is certain. The Board of Municipal Utilities has helped with some of the LCRA funding and more is potentially on the way. But our fight against decaying neighborhoods will take decisive and rapid action. That will be accomplished only with added funding.

The encouraging aspect of a sales tax is that shoppers from outside of Sikeston will help to fund improvements in our community. Everyone readily accepts the advantage of a sales tax over a property tax primarily because of that single aspect which helps to spread the cost of local improvements to a wide array of shoppers.

I stop just short of a full-scale endorsement because I'm interested in some specific breakdown of how these funds will be used. The 1-cent sales tax would generate an estimated $2.2 millions annually and the issue before the voters will include a sunset provision that will end the taxes after 10 years. I support the sunset provision on virtually all issues facing government, especially when it comes to spending my tax dollar.

Here's what the city needs to do - and I'm convinced they will - tell the voters exactly how these new funds will be used. Show them the properties that will be improved with this money. Explain to them the need for competitive salaries for city personnel. Show the minimal impact that a sales tax will bring and then the benefits that will come from new revenue.

I believe the city can well make their case for support on this issue. And in the end, I believe a majority of the voters will recognize the benefits and vote accordingly. The missing ingredient on this issue is this - what happens if this measure is not approved? That needs to be part of the city's story. It needs to be told factually and without fear tactics.

Given all of the needs and the limited means, it may be time to raise some funds and improve our footing. The result could pave the road for a new outlook for our children and their children.

We'll see.