SectionsSales tax increase among issues to vote on tomorrow
Kandice McKee
Issue date: 11/3/09 Section: Features
City residents will get to cast their ballot in support or opposition to the sales-tax increase today, as well as if Springfield Public Schools will be allowed to issue bonds and apply for federal stimulus funds for construction and technology development in area schools.
While there are two issues on the city ballot, there is one initiative - an increase in city sales tax to support the police and fire pension fund - that has been given much more attention due to its severe consequences.
If the sales tax initiative passes, Springfield's sales tax would rise from 6.85 percent to 7.6 percent. This would make the city's sales tax equal to Branson's and less than Ozark's, Joplin's, Republic's and Marshfield's sales tax, according to the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, which supports the ballot initiative.
Springfield Police Chief Lynn Rowe said the sales tax would directly help stabilize the police and fire pension fund while also allowing other city funds to be used to "move toward rebuilding what we have piece-by-piece dismantled over the past couple of years."
Rowe said the police department is currently short 55 officers and has "whittled away" discretionary spending.
"If it (officer lay-offs) gets much worse than that, well, you can see the picture," he said. "You can only eliminate so many pens, pencils and papers - and we've done that."
Springfield's Public Information Director, Louise Whall, said if the sales tax passes, then the city would be more likely to fulfill its state-mandated contribution amount to the police and fire pension fund while freeing up some of the city's general fund money that is currently being taken from other areas in the city for the pension fund.
The city, which has made cuts to multiple departments and programs to fulfill its legal obligation to fund the police and fire pension, currently uses about 52 percent of its general fund to replenish the police and fire pension fund, Whall said.
While there are two issues on the city ballot, there is one initiative - an increase in city sales tax to support the police and fire pension fund - that has been given much more attention due to its severe consequences.
If the sales tax initiative passes, Springfield's sales tax would rise from 6.85 percent to 7.6 percent. This would make the city's sales tax equal to Branson's and less than Ozark's, Joplin's, Republic's and Marshfield's sales tax, according to the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, which supports the ballot initiative.
Springfield Police Chief Lynn Rowe said the sales tax would directly help stabilize the police and fire pension fund while also allowing other city funds to be used to "move toward rebuilding what we have piece-by-piece dismantled over the past couple of years."
Rowe said the police department is currently short 55 officers and has "whittled away" discretionary spending.
"If it (officer lay-offs) gets much worse than that, well, you can see the picture," he said. "You can only eliminate so many pens, pencils and papers - and we've done that."
Springfield's Public Information Director, Louise Whall, said if the sales tax passes, then the city would be more likely to fulfill its state-mandated contribution amount to the police and fire pension fund while freeing up some of the city's general fund money that is currently being taken from other areas in the city for the pension fund.
The city, which has made cuts to multiple departments and programs to fulfill its legal obligation to fund the police and fire pension, currently uses about 52 percent of its general fund to replenish the police and fire pension fund, Whall said.
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