There are a multitude of issues that citizens will be weighing in on when they go to the vote on November 7, but two of those issues will only involve the citizens of Clinton: the Transportation Tax and the Parks and Rec Tax renewal. Neither are new taxes and Clintonians will be asked whether or not they wish to continue these two taxes which were approved ten years ago. So, why are they important?
First of all, it needs to be stressed, again, that each tax is up for renewal. These are not new taxes. Citizens have been paying them for the past ten years. Both are ¼ cent taxes and the city council is hopeful voters will allow them to continue. The Clinton Daily Democrat reached out to City Administrator Christy Maggi, and also to Mayor Carla Moberly to get a gauge on what these taxes ultimately do for the city.
“These are part of our core operating funds,” said Christy Maggi. The reason the taxes were presented to voters a decade ago was to shore up funding in those departments. Since that time, they have become an almost necessary part of the operational funds and budgets for the Street Department and Parks and Recreation. Places like Kids World, for instance (the highly popular park outside the Benson Center) rely on funds coming in from those taxes to maintain operation. But, so do the ball fields, some street maintenance, and staff salaries among other things. Of the $1.6 million dollar Parks and Rec operating budget, the Park tax generates about a third of. A non-renewal of the Transportation tax would cut $552,000 (almost half) of the operating budget for the Street Department. That’s a lot of street maintenance.
“The renewal of the existing Park and Recreation ¼ cent sales tax is important for funding and to maintain and improve our facilities but also support the many programs offered in the city,” said Mayor Carla Moberly in regards to the Parks and Rec tax renewal. “We are very fortunate to have such a wide variety of parks and recreational opportunities,” she continued.
“The dedicated funds generated from the existing ¼ cent Transportation tax is also an important part of the Street Department budget,” she said. “The Clinton Street department is responsible for maintaining and plowing at least 220 lane-miles of roadway in the city limits,” said Mayor Moberly about the other tax’s partial purpose.
Here is a breakdown of the dedicated funding for each department that the taxes help provide. Recall, the taxes are part of the core operating funds. For Parks and Rec: youth and adult athletic and recreational activities, maintenance and improvements of the 100+ acres of city park land, the indoor walking track, the wellness and exercise center, the inclusive playground (Kids’ World), the soccer fields, ball fields, tennis courts, and disc golf course, the Bark Park, the Artesian pool, indoor pool, and therapy pool.
The ¼ cent Transportation tax provides core funding for: repair and improvement of public streets, pavement improvements, curb and gutter, storm sewers and sidewalks in the public right-of-way, equipment and vehicle purchases for the Street Department, matching funds for state and federal grants (also for public street construction and improvements), and for vehicle purchases for ATS.
Again, there is no increase in tax if approved; the city sales tax (with the two ¼ cent taxes) is 2.25%. If the voters approve the tax it would go into effect October 1, 2024, and be subject to voter approval again in 20 years. It is worth mentioning that the city council unanimously approved the two taxes to be placed on the ballot.
