CITY SALES-TAX PROPOSAL ADDRESSED AT SCOTT CITY

SCOTT CITY -- Although few people attended a Monday night question-and-answer session on a proposal to enact a half-cent sales tax increase in Scott City, council members were able to clear up some confusion that apparently exists about the proposal.

Council members voted last month to put the tax increase on the April ballot. If approved it would go to fund city street repairs. It would generate approximately $100,000 per year for five years.

Kenny Cassout, a resident who attended the session, said the general opinion in town is "people are tired of taxes."

Cassout said residents are afraid the tax revenue would be used to expand the Nash Road industrial area annexed by the city several years ago and would not be used for street repairs.

Councilman John Rogers said that would not happen. Rogers pointed out that, according to the ballot, the tax revenue could be used only for improvements to city streets.

"That's why we decided it would only be for five years; so the people could see that we are using the money for streets," Rogers said. "There is a possibility that after five years we could drop it down to a quarter-cent."

Rogers said that since the city lost $50,000 per year in revenue-sharing funds eight years ago, the city is $400,000 behind in street repairs. The funds from federal revenue-sharing were used for street upkeep, he said.

"What we should have done is move for a tax back then," said Mayor Shirley Young.

The mayor said there are no funds in the current city budget to pay for street upkeep.

Said Young, "We're going to have to go for a sales tax, and, if it fails, I think we're going to have to go for it again until it passes."

Brenda Moyers, a candidate for city council, said the tax increase would bring the city's sales-tax rate to the same level as the cities of Jackson and neighboring Chaffee. If approved by voters, the city's sales tax would increase to 6.225 percent.

No formal council meeting was held because only four council members were in attendance. The meeting was rescheduled for Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.