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Local
street tax okayed by voters
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by Ivan
Foley and Kim Fickett
Landmark staff
The second time was the charm for a Platte
City sales tax proposal.
Voters in the city on Tuesday approved a 3/8 cent sales
tax for street improvements by a margin of 220 in favor
to 194 opposed, or 53% to 47%.
Only 14.41% of Platte City's registered
voters cast ballots.
Back in April, voters had resoundingly
defeated a similar proposal by 65% to 35%. At that time,
the tax proposal did not include a sunset clause, meaning
the tax would have continued indefinitely. This time,
the city added the clause, and the tax will terminate
when $4 million in general obligation bonds are paid off.
Those bonds were approved by voters back in April at the
same election in which the sales tax failed.
"I'm glad to see that it was supported,"
said Keith Moody, city administrator. Moody praised the
work of a grassroots commmittee, Citizens for Street Improvements,
in helping to earn support for the tax. He said the mayor
and aldermen also made a concerted effort to get information
out to voters.
In reference to the slim margin of approval,
Moody said: "I don't know what to make of that. It
came quite a ways (from last time). That's a fair margin
to overcome. It is a tax issue, so I understand those
issues are tough issues for folks to decide on.”
Moody said the voter turnout, though still
low, was more than the city anticipated.
"I appreciate that the turnout was
over 400, which in an election on just one issue, I think
for Platte City is a fair turnout, looking historically
at Platte City's turnout. We were anticipating around
250 people voting," Moody said Tuesday night.
The successful vote means the city will
implement the next phase of its capital improvement program
(CIP). The new tax is expected to support street projects
from 2006 to 2009.
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