Fuel tax, quarry fee, levy for sewers are on ballot in Peculiar

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Peculiar voters will decide three ballot issues Tuesday — and one of those could make the city the first in Missouri to do something.

Another is aimed at dissuading a rock quarry to forgo an expansion.

“Question 2” would impose a one-cent tax on each gallon of vehicle fuel for the purposes of building and maintaining streets. Mayor Ernie Jungmeyer said the Missouri General Assembly passed a bill recently allowing cities to impose the one-cent tax.

“We’ve been told that we will be the first city in Missouri to do this,” Jungmeyer said Tuesday.

The city has three convenience stores that sell gasoline, but the big bucks would come from the huge Flying J truck stop on U.S. 71.

It’s unclear how much revenue would be generated from such a tax, but city official have estimated the amount at $70,000 to $100,000.

The money would be used for repair, signing, lighting and cleaning roads and streets.

Voters also will decide “Question 1,” which asks for a 20-cent increase to the city’s tax levy per $100 of assessed valuation to build and maintain sanitary sewer systems. To the owner of a house valued at $150,000, the tax increase would be $57a year.

“Question 3” asks whether the city should impose a $1,000 per year business license fee on any person or firm that operates a rock quarry or mining operation in the city. The proposal also seeks a 40-cent fee per ton of limestone sold or physically removed.

The plan is directed at Hunt Martin, a quarry operation the city has feuded with for some time. Jungmeyer hopes the ballot issue would influence the company to scrap an expansion.

“But in case it doesn’t, we’ll have some money to fix the streets torn up by their trucks,” the mayor said.

| Donald Bradley, 816-234-4182, dbradley@kcstar.com

Posted on Tue, Oct. 27, 2009 10:15 PM

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