Sales tax initiative defeated at the polls

Wednesday, June 6, 2007
A Bourbon County deputy election clerk helps two Fort Scott registered voters prepare to cast their ballots in the special election Tuesday on a proposal that asked Fort Scott residents to fund an aquatic center via a 1-percent sales tax increase over 10 years. The measure was defeated.

Fort Scott voters on Tuesday sent the following message to organizers who pushed for a 1-cent sales tax increase to fund a multi-million dollar aquatic center: Don't raise the sales tax.

Residents voted 1,015 to 731 against a ballot question that asked them to fund a $6.5 million indoor/outdoor aquatic center through a 1-cent citywide sales tax over 10 years. Most of the tax would have funded the aquatic center with the rest going toward the City of Fort Scott for unrelated economic development.

Voter turnout, according to county officials, was strong and steady throughout the day. There were 480 votes casts by around 11 a.m. Tuesday.

In all, 32 percent of registered Fort Scott voters turned out, with 1,746 of 5,332 of registered Fort Scott residents voting. That's a 10-percentage-point increase over the general election on April 3. Also, 64 provisional ballots will be added to the unofficial numbers.

It didn't take long for Bourbon County election clerks to count the votes. A clerk posted the results about 10 minutes after polls closed at 7 p.m.

"People can't afford any more taxes," an elderly woman said shortly after casting her vote. "It's pathetic." The woman asked not to be identified.

The issue of higher taxes was the common reason given for opposing the initiative. Signs proclaiming "vote no to drowning in higher taxes" dotted yards across Fort Scott. Also contributing to its downfall were concerns about the financial implications of the center -- for example, officials' projections that the facility would lose money down the road and, in turn, cost much more than the initial $6.5 million initial price tag.

Darren Bevard, aquatic manager with Larkin Aquatics, a company that helped the committee formulate the project plan, said similar initiatives in other communities vary in success the first time they're presented to voters.

Kale Nelson, co-convenor of the committee, said a number of factors could have played into the defeat.

"It could be possible that wrong information was shared," Nelson said. "I don't know what the reason is. What we did as a committee was we put together a project that followed what the survey said people wanted in the community. That's what we proposed, and the people of the community came back and said, 'No, that's not what we want to pay for.' The committee did nothing wrong."

Nelson went on to say, "You can go through a whole list of things that could have led to that, but until we get citizen feedback, we will not know. If it was the cost of the pool, so be it. If it was the amenities of the pool, then so be it. If people believed it was a property tax, then so be it."

Committee member Dave Martin said there were no winners or losers in the election. He said it was a learning experience that gauged the public's opinion on the issue.

"We knew from the beginning it would be tough," Martin said. "I want to thank all the voters who came out."