Scott County voters pass both tax issues in Tuesday's election

BENTON -- Scott County residents approved the continuation of countywide use tax during Tuesday's special election.

In a vote of 634 to 461, voters approved placing a local use tax on out-of-state purchases in an attempt to eliminate the current sales tax advantage out-of-state vendors have over Missouri vendors.

Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger said he thought the fact the issue was a continuation was the biggest reason it was passed by voters Tuesday.

"It's something that people were already paying," Burger said. "They knew it was going to expire and that it makes sense to collect the same amount of sales tax on an out-of-state purchase as we do on an in-state purchase."

Burger said he also thinks local businesses backed the use tax and discussed it with their employees.

"It was a pro-Southeast Missouri, pro-Scott County vote," Burger said.

First District Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn agreed.

"I think it was an equalization vote, and it was a do-business-at-home vote -- keep it here," Ziegenhorn said. "That just means more jobs for our area in the future. We've got to support ourselves because nobody else is going to support us."

Second District Commissioner Donnie Kiefer noted that now Scott County voters have passed this use tax, it's something the state can't take away.

"It's here to stay," Kiefer said.

A decision by the state's high court that went into effect in March ruled that only cities and counties in which voters approve a local use tax can collect the sales tax on vehicles purchased out of state.

Scott County voters turned down the same use tax measure when it was put before them in the April election.

"When the governor passed for this (tax) to be in effect until 2016, that showed that everybody realized the counties needed it and gave us an opportunity to pass it as a continuation tax instead of a new or additional tax," Burger said.

Burger said he thinks voters realized more on Tuesday than they did in April what the commissioners were trying to say, which is that they wanted the out-of-state and in-state taxes to be the same.

"We were giving a 1 percent advantage to out-of-state purchases when this expired, and so (with the passage of the use tax) we leveled the playing field," Burger said. "The voters responded, and for that, we're appreciative."

Also on Tuesday, those living within the Scott County Rural Fire Protection District authorized the district's board to levy an additional tax of up to 50 cents on $100 assessed valuation to support the fire district.

Vote totals -- which included residents from Benton, Blodgett, Diehlstadt, Haywood City, Morley, Oran, Perkins and Vanduser -- were 142 in favor of the measure and 91 against it.

This marks the first increase since the district was formed in 1989. Currently, the district has fire stations in Blodgett, Morley and Vanduser.

According to Scott County Clerk Rita Milam, 4.14 percent of the county's 26,343 registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday's election. The results, which were provided by Milam's office, are unofficial.