Scott County tax hearing draws few

BENTON, Mo. -- Most of the 25 people who arrived for Monday's public hearing on a proposed Scott County half-cent tax were either elected officials or county employees.

The half-cent sales tax is set for a Feb. 3 vote. If approved, it would generate an estimated $1.6 million annually for eight years. During that time, the county's portion of property and real estate taxes would be waived.

Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger chaired Monday's meeting in the county circuit courtroom in Benton to answer questions about the proposal. During the meeting, he sidestepped a question from Sgt. Kathy Pelczynski, a Scott County sheriff's deputy, about what would happen if the measure is voted down.

"We're putting all our efforts into passing this," Burger said. "If it doesn't, we'll deal with that then."

Information distributed Monday says a family spending $5,000 per year in the county would pay $25 in sales tax. Taxes on a $100,000 home with an assessed valuation of $19,000 would be reduced by $19. The property bill on two vehicles assessed at $15,340 would be lowered by $15.34.

Burger said many Scott County taxpayers spend a lot of money either across the New Madrid County line, where Sikeston's largest merchants are, or in Cape Girardeau, helping support those county governments. It's only fair, he said, that visitors shopping in Scott County do the same.

The commissioners plan to start a resident support committee later this month.

Chuck Deevers, who manages the Miner-based Sikeston Outlet Mall, was not at the meeting, but said about half the mall's business comes from other counties.

"On a day-in-day-out basis, I'm not sure people will make shopping decisions on small differences in sales tax rates," he said.