“Sell” Them on the Issues

The calls are beginning to go out. It happens every time a local issue appears on the ballot. In this case, high-placed city officials have been calling people they deem significant to make presentations before various groups and individuals to “sell” them on two significant tax issues the city seeks approval of in the Nov. 4 election. For those who have been tapped, the opportunities for engagement range from casual one-on-one encounters to formal presentations before the plethora of civic and professional groups across the city.

City officials are running scared, agonizing over the chance of gaining voter support for a property tax increase to beef up the Police Department and other municipal enhancements as well as the required every-five-year renewal of the parks sales tax. Based on the failure of two sales tax initiatives in August, the mood about increasing taxes of any sort is rather negative and not very encouraging looking forward. One person we know who was asked to work the hustings on behalf of the city politely declined, saying the breezes of support among the electorate had shifted to strong gusts of disapproval out of the south.

Rallying the votes

Perhaps the “well” of taxation was poisoned last year when a small well-organized and fiercely ardent cabal of mental health care professionals used the initiative process to place a half-cent countywide sales tax proposition on the ballot. The receipts would fund a then still-to-be-defined realm of augmented mental health services that would not incidentally further fatten the pockets of anyone who was professionally involved.

This group chose well, an off year, otherwise insignificant election where fewer than 20 percent of the county’s eligible voters bothered to show up. Rallying energized troops to get out the vote among their ranks, the group’s half-cent sales tax initiative soared across the finish line with 57 percent of the vote. Incredibly, but hardly noticed, this tax is permanent, a fee consumers will be saddled with for years and years to come. This is in contrast to the Columbia sales tax for parks, which next month comes up for another five-year renewal. County officials are still flabbergasted, especially after failure of the event center sales tax in August. The commissioners smile grimly, set to enforce what an apparent minority of voters managed to get done.

Choosing favorites

No one would ever deny the need to care for those who are afflicted with mental health issues. No less significant though is the need to expand police and fire protection, address myriad other infrastructure needs and the shopping list of needs that just goes on and on. So the electorate is now put into the position of choosing favorites. One group succeeds with a mechanism to fund its special needs to the probable detriment of other groups unluckily lined up behind them chronologically. Something to think about for those so fervently opposed to raising to taxes and championing the Hancock Amendments that will further push Missouri behind the financial eight-ball.

Matters relating to mental health needs are best administered on a uniform, statewide basis. Missouri’s response inarguably has been inadequate over the years both in facilities and staff, and that’s what provoked last November’s successful effort here: a “local option” response for enhancing mental health services in Boone County. Would anyone dare circulate an initiative petition to revoke the countywide mental health sales tax? At the least, there should be an initiative to require review and renewal of this half-cent sales tax every five years.

Assessing expenditures and outcomes in mental health matters seems somewhat fuzzier weighed against equally necessary and more tangible funding for infrastructure. If mental health professionals could magically reduce crime and recidivism, then we wouldn’t need any more cops, a Pollyanna concept if there ever was one. Every sales tax increase sends more and more consumers to Internet vendors that remain exempt from taxation. This undermines the merchants and service providers that anchor the area, pay property taxes and, most important, create jobs and employ people.