Ward 3 candidates differ on voters' readiness for new taxes

On the northwest side of Jackson, voters will decide Tuesday whether to retain the city's senior member of the Board of Aldermen or give a political newcomer a chance. The vote could help guide the board on a decision about whether voters are ready to accept higher taxes to support police and fire protection.

Val Tuschhoff, first elected 16 years ago, is facing Mark Dambach, who is running his first political race, in Ward 3. Ward 3 includes the area north and west of Jackson City Park, along with everything west of Bast Street that is north of West Main Street and Jackson Boulevard.

City officials have been discussing for many months whether to ask voters for an additional tax that would fund construction of a new fire station. While Tuschhoff supports better fire protection, she doesn't believe residents are ready to provide the money. Recent tax increases approved for county roads and public schools, along with Jackson's recent increases in electric rates, mean a fire station must be postponed indefinitely, she said. The city stationed a pumper truck in the northeast part of the city to decrease response times as a stopgap and to prevent a change in insurance ratings, and that will have to be sufficient for now, Tuschhoff said.

"There is no way to put a tax on the people right now," she said. "There is just no way to do it."

But Dambach said he thinks voters would make a choice on the tax on its own merits. A proposal that includes a fire station, better police protection and provision of ambulance service on 24-hour readiness could win approval, he said.

The growth of Jackson, and the likelihood that the growth will accelerate as areas such as the East Main Street corridor are opened to development, won't allow for delays, Dambach said. If Jackson slips in the ratings insurers use to set rates because of delayed response times, the cost for homeowners will be more than any tax would likely to be, he said.

"Why give that money to insurance companies in higher premiums and get nothing in return?" Dambach asked.

Jackson residents and businesses are paying much higher electric rates than they were this time last year, in part because of a switch in the city's electrical supplier. Rates rose 40 percent for residences and 56 percent for businesses. Because electric rates also support other city functions, including police and fire services, a tax increase for those departments could allow for electric rates to be cut, Dambach said.

Tuschhoff, however, believes that as the new supplier, MoPEP, pursues new sources of power the rates could gradually come down. "We are partners with them and in a couple of years should see the benefits of that," she said.

On some other issues, Tuschhoff and Dambach are in basic agreement -- the city needs to make strides in controlling storm runoff and concentrate on quality of life issues. For Tuschhoff, that means completing sidewalks and walking trails that connect the city's schools and parks as well as improving north-south road corridors.

For Dambach, the quality of life issues include expanded animal control hours, replacing leaf burning with a city collection truck and a curbside recycling program.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126