The 1-cent sales-tax increase for Lyon County passed by a surprising margin in Lyon County during Tuesday’s primary election. A city sales tax question passed in Hartford as well.
This tax will go into effect on Oct. 1 and comes with a five-year sunset. Voters will have the opportunity to vote on the tax again in five years. The tax passed on a 2,636-to-1,567 vote, winning with 62.72 percent of the votes cast.
Lyon County commissioners passed a resolution on May 1 to put the sales-tax question on Tuesday evening’s ballot. After Tuesday’s vote, Emporia’s sales tax will go from 6.8 percent to 7.8 percent. Outside the city, the tax will go from 5.8 percent to 6.8 percent, except in Hartford, which passed its own sales tax Tuesday.
Revenues from the new county tax will be distributed as follows, according to Lyon County Commission Chairman Scott Briggs:
“First, the sales tax is divided in half; the first half is distributed by population as of the latest population figures compiled by the state to all cities in the county,” he wrote in an open letter on Monday. “Rural monies are given to the county. The second half is divided by percent of property tax on the last tax abstract. This means that approximately 5 percent of the sales tax would go to the smaller cities in Lyon County and approximately 41 percent would go to Lyon County. The remaining 54 percent would go to the city of Emporia.”
Lyon County has dedicated its share of the sales tax to lowering property taxes. Briggs also stated that “by using the numbers of the last 12 months of sales tax collected, we can estimate that the county’s share of the tax would reduce property tax by $1,974,702.02.”
The county is using a number of $1.5 million. Any tax money collected above that will be placed in the county’s multi-year capital outlay fund. The county is looking at a mill levy increase of about 1.5 mils for 2009. The property tax relief of $1.5 million is about six mils. With the mil levy increase, this is a net decrease of 4.5 mils.
In an open letter last week, Emporia Mayor Bobbie Agler said the city’s share of the money will go into the city’s Capital Improvement Plan.
County Commission Vice-Chairman Marshall Miller was with Briggs and County Commissioner Bob Davis at the Lyon County Courthouse Tuesday evening watching results trickle in. Miller gave his reaction to the sales tax question’s success.
“The margin of (numbers) is surprising to me,” Miller said. “I thought if it won, it would be much smaller. I’m pleased it did pass. I think it will provide (property tax) relief in the next five years.”
Briggs also said he was pleased with the vote. Briggs said the passage of the tax will diversify the revenue in the county.
“I think it’s a win-win for everybody,” Briggs said.
Briggs said he also was surprised at the margin of the vote.
“I’m not surprised it passed,” he said. “I think people know what we’re going to do with it.”
Davis agreed.
“I’m very pleased,” he said. “This is going to be good for the county.”
County Controller Dan Slater said the increased revenue from the 1 percent increase in sales tax will not only benefit Lyon County and Emporia, but smaller communities as well.
“I think of Americus and their pool and Olpe and their streets,” Slater said.
Slater said the money won’t solve every community’s problems, but it’s a start.
“This is a neat place to live,” he said. “Don’t change that.”
A 1-percent sales tax also passed in Hartford by a 56-17 vote, or 76.71 percent. The 1-cent sales tax increase will take effect in January. The money raised by the tax would be used to improve streets throughout the city of Hartford. The Hartford tax, unlike Lyon County’s 1-percent tax increase, does not have sunset provision because street projects are continuing.
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Posted by methusla (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have a question for Dan Slater.
Exactly why do you think this is a neat place to live, is it because you and the other public officials have found that you can dupe the people of Lyon County and Emporia into giving you all the money that you want ?
I am sure that if property taxes do not decrease in the next 5 years as promised, the next tax vote may and will have an entirely different outcome.
I am also convinced that a property tax increase or another sales tax increase will be the next planned strategy of the City and County officials and others since you have found that there are some gullible people living in Emporia and Lyon County who will blindly give you the money you want no matter the hardship it imposes on others.
I just wish that you County, City and State officials would put as much effort into collecting delinquent taxes owed as you did in duping those gullible people into a sales tax increase.
Posted by paulkersey (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 3:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I would venture to guess that Mr. Slater and all the other county, city, and state officials pay as much in property taxes as everyone else. I feel, as I have stated on here before, that one of three things were going to happen if the sales tax didn't pass
1)Property taxes were going to go up
2)Major city and county services would get cut
3)Emporia would be forced to declare bankruptcy
I'm just glad that there were a bunch of people around here who aren't as near-sighted as you are. This tax affects everyone equally, and increases our tax base to people from out of town as well. It is the only fair way to do it. I think we should thank the county for bailing the city out.
Posted by create (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 3:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Still, I for one shall keep a close eye on my property taxes to see what they mean by relief. As I said on another thread, now we must come together and make this work. The majority has had their say, and in this country, that rules.
Posted by LifeGoesOn (anonymous) on August 6, 2008 at 3:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
paulkersey, it's nice to hear someone say something positive about what has happened. It does not matter if one agrees with this tax or not, it's been to a vote and it passed by a wide margin, the voting public Knew about it and when to vote, so sitting back and Continuing to complain about it is POINTLESS.
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