Columbia’s city council is scheduled to vote Monday evening on whether or not to place a one percent sales/use tax for public safety on the August ballot.
The issue was tabled earlier this month. Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe tells 939 the Eagle that public safety officials support placing it on the August ballot:
“Our police chief and our fire chief said that they felt confident in having it on for the August vote, because to them it’s really about local control and the local voters’ decision,” Mayor Buffaloe says.
If the council places the measure on the August ballot and if voters approve it, the city says revenue from the tax would directly support Columbia Police and Fire operations, capital improvements and pay/benefit programs.
City officials say priorities, if the ballot measure is approved in August, would include increasing staffing with 50 police officers and 40 firefighters over four years, a new police station and also maintaining competitive wages for Columbia Police and firefighters.
The proposed August ballot measure, Proposition 1, reads as follows:
“Shall the municipality of Columbia, Missouri impose an additional citywide
sales tax at a rate of one percent, solely for the purpose of providing
revenues to improve public safety for the city, which shall be limited to
expenditures on equipment, salaries and benefits, and facilities for police
and fire departments?”