Supporters kick off campaign to renew parks tax

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Supporters of renewing the state's parks and soil sales tax kicked off their campaign Tuesday, saying the money has benefited people across the state.

Missouri voters will consider in August whether to extend the one-tenth cent sales tax to help fund state parks and fight soil erosion. The tax was first narrowly approved by voters in 1984. It has been renewed twice since, with two-thirds support, after being placed on the ballot by initiative petition drives, which involve gathering thousands of signatures.

"It has really been a help for the farmers and for you as an individual no matter where you live. It's been a big help to the state parks," Citizens' Committee for Soil, Water and State Parks co-chairman Don Fisher said at Jefferson Landing, a state historic site in Jefferson City that receives money from the park tax.

The measure voters will consider would amend the state constitution to extend the tax for 10 years and to put the issue before voters every 10 years from now own, making future citizen-led petition drives unnecessary. The proposed amendment will be on the Aug. 8 ballot, along with primary races.

The tax is expected to generate $82 million a year. The money is divided equally between state parks and soil conservation efforts on agricultural property. If voters do not renew it, the tax would expire in 2008, and legislators likely would have to use money from the state's general-revenue fund for the programs or cut them. The general-revenue fund is used for many government programs, including public education, Medicaid and prisons.

State parks receive no general-revenue money now and money from the tax makes up about 75 percent of their funding, the Department of Natural Resources said.

Supporters also note that soil erosion in Missouri has been cut by more than half since the tax was first approved.

Some in urban and suburban areas have complained about the tax. One concern is that most state parks aren't in urban areas, so metropolitan taxpayers contribute a lot without seeing a direct benefit. Another, pressed more when the Legislature sent the measure to the ballot last year, is that soil erosion money is directed at agricultural concerns and doesn't help suburban homeowners whose yards may get washed away by storm water.

"It just seems like the state does the bare minimum and says, 'Go use a park somewhere else that you're paying for,"' St. Louis County Municipal League Executive Director Tim Fischesser said Tuesday. "In terms of dollars being returned it's pretty skimpy."

Fischesser said St. Louis-area resident have expressed concerns about the tax but the league has not taken an official position on it.

But tax supporters said urban residents benefit by having safe, clean water statewide and an affordable food supply. While much of the soil tax money is used to help farmers pay for projects to curb soil erosion, some also is spent to help keep streams free of pollution, such as animal waste from farmland.

"This doesn't only benefit farmers. This benefits you as a food buyer," Fisher said.

Supporters also noted all residents can appreciate state parks if they make the effort to visit them.

Ron Coleman of St. Louis, president of the Missouri Parks Association, said he's unaware of any organized opposition to the ballot measure but said a larger concern is people not caring enough about the issue to vote.

"We must have these important dollars," he said. "Apathy is the biggest challenge we face."