Countywide sales tax up for renewal

With a special election coming up in June, local officials are hoping to get the word out about the renewal of a countywide sales tax.

On April 3, 2001, the citizens of Bourbon County approved a 1-percent countywide sales tax, with half of that 1 percent going to Bourbon County and the other half being distributed between Bronson, Fort Scott, Fulton, Mapleton, Redfield, and Uniontown.

With the tax set to expire on June 30, 2011, the issue is being put to a countywide vote in a special election on June 15. If passed, the tax will take effect on July 1, 2011, and expire on June 30, 2021.

According to Bourbon County Clerk Joanne Long, Bourbon County has determined that continuation of this revenue is needed to maintain and improve hard surface roads in the county and to fund public services in the cities of Bourbon County.

Fort Scott Director of Finance Susan Brown said she hopes to educate the public about the tax and that it is not a new tax.

"I think the key to this is for the public to understand this is not a new tax, it's one that we're renewing," she said. "It's not like we're adding additional taxes, we're just renewing a tax that is already in place."

According to Brown, the City of Fort Scott currently generates about $650,000 annually in revenues from the half-percent sales tax. The revenue is used to retire debt acquired due to state mandates on the water and wastewater facilities. Annual debt payments total $612,000. Cash reserves are used to aid in funding large capital projects.

Voters allowing the sales tax further enabled utility rates from doubling. If the tax does not pass, water and sewer rates will likely increase to cover the loss, Brown added.

"If [the tax] is not renewed then sewer rates ... would probably double and water rates will have to increase a little bit as well," she said.

According to Long, Bourbon County collected about $826,000 in 2009 from the sales tax, equal to nine mills. With that money collected over the last 10 years, the county has been able to create or maintain 20.75 miles of new asphalt roads, 50.25 miles of existing overlay, 25.25 miles of new chip-and-seal roads, and 26.25 miles of existing chip-and-seal roads.

In addition to building and maintaining hard surface roads, Long said 15 county employees' salaries are paid out of the money collected from the tax. Also, equipment such as a chip spreader, lay-down machine, oil truck, as well as oil and rock have been purchased by these funds.

Long said the county also uses the money to make its own road patches at the cost of about $25, rather than paying $90 to purchase them elsewhere.