The upcoming general purpose special election should not be supported by the county’s voters. This is a tough position for us to take because we can see the need for an increased sales tax, but we believe the tax as presented is a 10-gallon solution to a one-gallon problem.
Yes, we are aware of the funding challenges the cities and county have faced in the past few years. The general reduction in sales tax revenue has caused problems for the cities as their governing bodies look at how to provide the same services they offer with less revenue. The county commissioners are in a similar boat as they contend with lessened revenues that have trickled down to cuts to public services like the Sweetwater County Library System and Golden Hour Senior Center. Of course the challenge of ambulance subsidies and funding for the joint dispatch center are a driving force behind the tax proposal as well.
The people pushing the tax asked for too much. Yes, as far back as the presentation made by Ryan Rust, Green River’s government affairs and grants administrator, the tax was meant to fund public safety. Beyond the fact that those services cost in total around $38 million, there is little provided to voters as to why a general sales tax is needed.
The tax ultimately represents a means of increasing government spending as money that would have been earmarked for emergency services is shifted elsewhere.
This isn’t inherently bad and there are places it certainly could be used to great effect. However, with talk of a specific purpose tax being brought to voters in 2022, it isn’t hard to question why local governments need such a large amount of money. Is it for road work and infrastructure? Voters have supported those expenditures through previous specific purpose taxes. Those taxes are a great means to seek funding because not only do specific purpose tax initiatives give voters a say what would receive the funding, it is a tax that sunsets after the approved amount is collected.
Additionally, local leaders have completely fumbled their push to educate voters. They haven’t been able to properly explain why 1% is needed as opposed to seeking a .5% sales tax. While leaders have said the tax would pay for all emergency services, the ambulance funding piece, which would account for about $1.1 million of a tax that is projected to bring in up to $17 million a year, continues to get dangled before voters as a main consideration.
Leaders also haven’t talked to voters about how up to a quarter of the sales tax collection would be used for economic development outside of saying it would be for economic development. There were a number of opportunities for a dialog, but almost all of them were squandered.
We know difficult times are in store for local governments, but the case for a 1% general purpose sales tax has been poorly made.
We know the funding challenges local governments face, but we can’t support this tax.
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