Supporters of Jackson County sales tax issues concerned about crowded ballot
Backers of three Jackson County sales tax measures — a new one and two that are up for renewal — are hoping their issues find favor with voters filling out this fall’s crowded ballot.
The proposed new tax request is Question 2. A yes vote would add one-eighth of a cent to the county sales tax for seven years to create a community children’s services fund.
A nine-member committee appointed by the county executive would distribute the millions of dollars raised to support social services programs serving children and youth until they turn 20. All nonprofit organizations would be eligible for funding as long they provided “services to protect the well-being” of young people.
Private polling showed solid support for such a tax before the Jackson County Legislature voted in August to put it on the ballot. But agencies that stand to benefit from the tax are now crossing their fingers.
“Our biggest concern is there are so many things on the ballot,” said Jennifer Hurst, spokeswoman for the coalition of agencies that proposed the tax.
Besides the two other countywide sales tax measures up for approval, Kansas City has a light rail tax initiative, and some voters are being asked to approve a property tax increase for the Mid-Continent Public Library system.
The children’s service tax is projected to raise $12 million to $15 million a year, Hurst said. Eight Missouri counties have similar funds. Lafayette is the only one in this part of the state to have such a tax, approving an eighth-cent tax in 2005.
The other tax issues on the Jackson County ballot:
▪ Question 1: Voters will decide whether to renew for nine years the quarter-cent Community Backed Anti-Drug Tax, commonly known as COMBAT.
It’s set to expire at the end of March 2018. It passed with 75 percent voter support in 2009.
While the original focus was to fight the abuse of illegal drugs, COMBAT’s scope was expanded at the last renewal to include violent crime prevention.
The tax was projected to bring in $22.6 million this year, according to the 2016 county budget. More than half of that goes to law enforcement. The rest goes to dozens of area agencies for drug treatment and prevention.
▪ Question 3: Government officials and car dealers inside Jackson County are urging a “no” vote on this measure, which if approved would end the collection of county sales taxes on vehicles and boats purchased out of state.
Ending the tax would cost the county an estimated $3.6 million and put Jackson County car dealers at a competitive disadvantage with dealers in Kansas. Jackson County residents would have an incentive to buy vehicles, boats and trailers out of state.
A 2012 Missouri Supreme Court ruling set this in motion. The court ruled that Missouri sales taxes could be collected only on sales within the state. The Missouri General Assembly fixed that, but local governments must get voter approval to collect the taxes.
Mike Hendricks: 816-234-4738, @kcmikehendricks
County executive, sheriff, prosecutor also on ballot
The top three officials in Jackson County government are up for re-election on Nov. 8, and all are expected to cruise to victory.
Jackson County Executive Frank White and Sheriff Mike Sharp face only token opposition, and Jean Peters Baker is unopposed in her bid to continue as county prosecutor. All are Democrats in a county that leans Democratic.
White, the former Kansas City Royals player, ran unopposed in the August primary. His only opponent in the general election is Green Party candidate Stacey Lindgren, a self-employed business strategy and marketing consultant and founding member of the the KC ARTS Ecovillage Project in Kansas City.
If elected to a four-year term, she promises to make Jackson County “home to a 21st century green economy,” according to the Green Party website.
White, a former county legislator, was appointed executive in January after Mike Sanders resigned. If elected, White would serve out the last two years of Sanders’ term, through the end of 2018.
Sharp is seeking his third four-year term. He won easily in the primary and faces opposition from Republican Raymond Draper, who was formerly a police officer in Prairie Village and Lake Lotawana.
Draper has been campaigning at community events and, recently, a gun show, but has reported no campaign contributions to the Missouri Ethics Commission and has no campaign website or Facebook page.
Mike Hendricks, mhendricks@kcstar.com
This story was originally published October 25, 2016 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Supporters of Jackson County sales tax issues concerned about crowded ballot."