Transportation sales tax renewal on New Madrid County ballot

NEW MADRID, Mo. - New Madrid County officials are urging voters to continue the half-cent sales tax used for transportation infrastructure.

On April 4, New Madrid County voters will be asked to vote yes to renew the general sales tax which generated approximately $1.9 million in 2022 for the county’s roads, bridges and more.

According to Presiding Commissioner Mark Baker, all the money generated by the tax is used to fund the daily operations of the New Madrid County Highway Department. Since the tax’s passage four years ago, the County has replaced 20 wooden bridges with concrete bridges, resurfaced approximate 70 percent of the county’s asphalt roads, upgraded equipment and begun a mowing program of ditches and along roadways.

“If that sales tax goes away you would notice a huge difference in what these county roads look like and the ditches too,” Baker added.

The funding has enabled the County Highway Department employees to tackle other projects as well, the presiding commissioner pointed out.

“We help all the little cities over the county with projects that are too big for them to handle,” Baker said.

The projects have ranged from picking up old tires from communities for recycling to removing abandoned properties to providing sand and sandbags during flooding. The Department has has provided assistance to all the school district as well, officials noted.

One of the bigger projects taken on by New Madrid County Highway Department employees was with the city of Sikeston to assist with the construction of a road at the north end of New Madrid County near the new Carlisle plant under construction. Paving of the road will be completed this year.

With the passage of the sales tax four years ago, the County Commissioners reduced the road and bridge property tax by half. Baker said with the continued growth in sales tax revenues, he could foresee rolling back the property tax even further.

Also Baker pointed out, while all county residents benefit from the projects funded by the sales tax, much of the money comes from the northern part of the New Madrid County which includes such Sikeston businesses as Walmart, numerous restaurants and hotels.

“That area has a lot of shoppers that are not New Madrid County residents so out-of-county residents are paying a lot that bill,” Baker said. “And without the tax, it would basically defund our County Highway Department.”