County Asking Voters About Sales Tax Increase

Next Wednesday thousands of ballots will be sent to county voters asking if they’ll support a proposed tenth-of-a-cent sales tax increase that would raise $2.8-million per year to pay off bond debt and fund security upgrades at the county jail. The measure is expected to appear on the primary ballot on August 7th. Commissioner Rand Elliot says if the sales tax proposal fails the money will have to come from the county road fund.

Elliot says the choice is simple: support the sales tax increase or be ready for major cuts in the road budget that will severely impact road maintenance. He says that's not meant to be a threat. He says the security upgrades need to be made one way or another, and if voters approve the tax it contains a 10-year sunset clause. Ballots will begin arriving in mailboxes next Wednesday.