Well-known businessman leading committee supporting Boone County’s local use tax ballot measure

Supporters of an April Boone County use tax ballot measure say Boone is the last county among its contiguous counties to approve a use tax.

Boone County voters will cast ballots on Proposition 1 in April. Audrain, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Howard, Moniteau and Randolph counties already have a use tax, which is a sales tax on online sales.

If the measure fails, Proposition 1 supporters say local stores will continue to lose business to online retailers, impacting the local economy and job market. Businessman Dave Griggs, a former county commissioner, chairs the Boone County Yes on Prop 1 committee. Mr. Griggs served as Boone County’s northern district commissioner in 1989 and 1990. He and other Proposition 1 supporters say Boone County lost $3.7 million to untaxed online sales in 2020.

There is no organized opposition to the ballot measure. Election day is April 5.