Scott County to ask for renewal of half-cent law enforcement sales tax

SIKESTON, Mo. -- Scott County commissioners will again ask voters to extend the half-cent sales tax for county law enforcement for another eight years.

During a special joint Sikeston City Council meeting Tuesday morning with the Scott County Commission, commissioners asked council members to back them in the commission's attempt for an eight-year countywide law enforcement sales tax.

"We're here today to ask for your personal support and your support as a group," said Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger.

An eight-year half-cent sales tax for the construction of the jail and law enforcement expired Sept. 30.

Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn said that law enforcement expenses other than the jail construction the former tax helped pay for are still there.

The new, larger jail also comes with higher costs for staffing and maintenance.

Though the jail holds three times as many prisoners as the one it replaced, the county still must pay to board prisoners in other jails. "Our jail is full all the time," Burger said.

Also, while the county has not increased the number of staff at the sheriff's department since moving into the new jail, law enforcement costs such as fuel and insurance have risen significantly over the last eight years.

Commissioners asked voters to make the countywide half-cent law enforcement sales tax permanent in the April 4, 2007, election but were denied.

In January, county officials are facing their first fiscal year without the $1.7 million the old law enforcement sales tax brought in.

Burger said commissioners are seeking support from all the cities in the county, starting with the largest, Sikeston, and working their way down. Civic organizations will also be approached, Burger said.

"A sales tax is the fairest tax," Ziegenhorn said. "Everybody pays."

With a sales tax, "people passing through are here putting money in the local economy," Burger said. He added that a lot of county money from the sales tax ends up going right back into Sikeston.

Burger said commissioners are considering including a property tax abatement in the ballot language as an incentive to voters to approve the tax.

Burger said commissioners are leaning toward putting a sales tax proposal before voters during the February election.