All voters in Greene County, except for those who live in the town of Churdan, are being asked to renew the current 1-cent local option sales and service tax, LOSST, at the Nov. 4 general election.
Jefferson city administrator Mike Palmer talked with the county board of supervisors Monday about the importance of the LOSST to the Jefferson city budget. The task was “like preaching to the choir,” Palmer reported to the Jefferson city council Tuesday.
The LOSST currently brings about $360,000 in revenue to Jefferson annually. Projected revenues with the addition of Wild Rose Jefferson are $400,000 a year. The question on the ballot is not a new tax, but a renewal of a current tax, Palmer stressed.
Using a PowerPoint® presentation, Palmer showed pictures of infrastructure projects already funded with LOSST funds. One of the first projects was a $300,000 resurfacing of S. Chestnut St. Funds have been used to repair sewer manholes, curbs and sidewalks, to patch streets, and to update street signs. Recent work on Jackson bridge on S. Grimmell Road was funded by LOSST.
The city has 56 miles of curbs, 25 miles of sidewalks, 380 manholes, and six miles of alleys.
Palmer named future needs that could be addressed with LOSST funds:
- Putting seal coat or blacktop on the remaining three miles of unpaved streets within the city
- Maintenance of seal coated roads
- Repair to curb and gutter
- Refurbishing manholes to prevent future collapse
- Sidewalk replacement
- Seal coating alleys
Under the LOSST now in effect, funds can be used only for streets, water and sewer projects. The new wording, which would be in effect from Jan. 1, 2017 through June 30, 2027, would allow the funds to be used for any infrastructure project. That would allow the money to used for maintenance projects at city parks, the Greene County Community Center, the municipal pool, the public library, and other places. Going forward, projects like a new filter at the pool and a new handicap lift at the library, which have been large budgetary challenges, could be paid for with LOSST funds.
Jefferson mayor Craig Berry points out that the LOSST is paid by everyone who purchases taxable items (food and prescription medications are exempt) in the city of Jefferson. “I believe that the these monies have allowed the city to keep up with the maintenance of our systems without having to increase our property taxes to pay for these projects,” Berry said. “I believe that the citizens of Jefferson realize the need for this revenue stream due to our aging systems, and that a ‘Yes’ vote will support the continuance of this source of income outside our property taxes.”
