Scott City chamber gauges membership support for use-tax referendum

The Scott City Area Chamber of Commerce is asking its 46 member businesses to respond to an email survey about the upcoming use-tax referendum on the city's November's ballot.

Mike Dudek, city administrator, said Wednesday the proposed levy, also referred to as an internet sales tax, will be identical to Scott City's current 1.75% sales tax, if passed by a simple majority vote.

Dudek, citing figures from the Missouri Municipal League comparing potential revenue from similarly sized cities, said Scott City would derive an estimated $200,000 annually if citizens give approval.

The short questionnaire asks whether the individual respondent will support the use tax and whether the chamber as a whole should support it, too.

Additionally, the email requests to what use the city should put the money collected from a use tax. Options offered in the email are employee retention, street repair/replacement, stormwater improvements, public safety or other.

Mayor Norman Brant, in the chamber's most recent meeting Aug. 19, said he'd like to put use-tax funding toward Scott City's streets.

"We think it's important to know what our actual membership feels about (the tax)," said Victor Phillips, a Ward 2 Scott City councilman and secretary of the chamber's executive board.

Phillips said ideally survey results will be presented to the Scott City Council at its next meeting, Sept. 20, if a critical mass of businesses have responded to the survey by that time. If not enough have replied, he said, a results report will be delayed until the council's meeting Oct. 4.