Election: Scott County voters will decide fate of tax issues on Tuesday

BENTON, Mo. — Voters in Scott County will decide during Tuesday’s special election the fate of a countywide sales tax that would provide funding for 911 services to dispatch to all fire protection and emergency services in the county and do away with the landline phone tariff currently in place.

“This is a countywide sales tax, and it will benefit all residents and entities,” Scott County Second District Commissioner Donnie Kiefer said.

The question on Tuesday’s ballot reads: “Shall the County of Scott impose a county sales tax of one-quarter (¼) of 1% for the purpose of providing central dispatching of fire protection, emergency ambulance service including emergency telephone services and other emergency services. If this passes, the current telephone tariff tax will be terminated.”

Kiefer said the emergency communication centers in place in Scott County would remain the same. Sikeston and Scott City will continue to operate their own emergency communication centers, and the county would continue to oversee the rest in the county as it currently does, he said.

Currently, the Scott County Communication Center is located within the Scott County Jail in Benton and is in operation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This office answers 911 telephone calls and dispatches for several emergency departments and providers throughout the county and state.

“To be able to put a tax of any kind on the ballot for this issue, we have to say ‘centralized’ in the wording of the proposal,” Kiefer said. “It’s not really centralizing but rather virtually consolidating because the sales tax would be generated throughout the county and used to fund all of the county’s emergency communication and fire dispatch centers.”

“We (Scott County) would be virtually consolidating with Scott City and Sikeston so that means we can back each other up if needed,” Kiefer said.

The need for the sales tax is due to funding, or lack thereof, for providing communication to dispatch fire protection and emergency services in the county, according to Kiefer.

“Revenues just aren’t there and haven’t been for years,” he said. “It’s costing us (Scott County and cities of Sikeston and Scott City) all money out of the general revenue.”

Emergency communications services in Scott County is about a $400,000 annual expense for the county, Kiefer said.

The 15% telephone tariff tax that’s in place now is for land lines only, Kiefer said, adding that most homes have removed their land lines and only use there cell phones. As a result, revenue from the telephone tariff tax has declined considerably over the years, he said.

If the issue passes on Tuesday, the emergency communication services would have to be governed by a board, Kiefer said.

“We (the commission) would have to appoint a board, and they would be responsible for the daily running of the emergency communications centers. It would be regulated by that board,” Kiefer said.

Also on Tuesday, voters in Vanduser will decide whether the village will contract with a single trash company for trash services at all residential households within the Village of Vanduser at a rate of $15 per month for weekly trash collection and disposal.

Scott City voters will also decide whether to impose a local use tax at the same rate as the total local sales use tax rate, provided that if the local sales tax rate is reduced or raised by voter approval, the local use tax rate shall also be reduced or raised by the same action.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.