COLUMBIA - Vague language, a polarized political environment and touchy ballot issues may hamper the continuation of the City of Columbia’s parks sales tax on November’s ballot.
Mayor Bob McDavid expressed this concern at a meeting with Boone County officials Wednesday morning.
"We want this to be a well a thought out vote," he said. "This is about the gift we give to our children and grandchildren."
The gift refers to the City of Columbia’s parks and trails, which are funded by a one-eighth cent sales tax. On November 2, voters will decide whether to continue that sales tax, which was established in 2000 and renewed in 2005.
To combat possible misconceptions about the tax, the mayor created Friends of Columbia’s Parks to promote the proposal. The committee, which is co-chaired by former mayor Mary Anne McCollum and Columbia Daily Tribune Publisher Vicki Russell, was announced Sept. 8.
“We want people to know this is a continuation of a ten-year-old vote,” McDavid said, explaining how the language on the ballot may confuse voters. “'Shall impose,’” he said, quoting the ballot. “It sounds harsh and heavy."
Committee member and former mayor Darwin Hindman agreed.
"First of all, I think it’s important that people know it’s a renewal of current tax,” he said.
He added that some voters might think the tax will fund projects by GetAbout Columbia, which builds bicycle and pedestrian projects through a federal grant.
“I think people see bicycle lanes and they think of those are for recreation purposes when they’re really for transportation purposes,” Hindman said.
In reality, the local sales tax finances only Columbia parks. He added that about 14% of sales tax is paid by visitors to the city.
“If we don’t support the tax we’ll have to use money from the general fund,” he said.
Hindman said that parks play an important role in health, family relations, and economic development.
“I think it’s important for people to understand how important parks are to the community,” he said. He emphasized how companies look at parks when considering moving to an area.
At Wednesday’s meeting, McDavid echoed that sentiment. He expressed hope that Columbia would be able to host regional sports tournaments with the addition of more soccer fields. He used the Show-Me State Games as an example of Columbia’s potential.
Another facet of the McDavid’s concern is that other propositions may affect voters’ decision.
“Our proposition will among some issues of contention,” he said, referring the proposal to ban Tasers in the city, which is also on ballot.
“We have a polarized electorate,” He said, indicating that voter negativity could cause the proposal’s passage to fail.
"The hope is that through their advocacy, the ballot issue passes successfully," said City of Columbia Public Communications Director Toni Messina, "They will also raise funds to conduct public education campaigns."
On September 21, the Maneater reported a $100 donation to the group by the Audubon Society.
Hindman described Friends of Columbia’s Parks, “We are assigned to go out and tell people and educate people about the benefits of parks.” He said the group would give presentations to different civic groups and be responsible for creating ads and brochures promoting the sales tax.
