How Belton, Raymore will use money if local use tax passes
BELTON, Mo. — On April 2, people who live in Belton, Missouri will consider a local online use tax. If approved, city leaders said it would fund sidewalk improvements and lower residents’ water bills.
“I’m not for more taxes. I really am very conservative in the fact that I don’t want more taxes. However, I understand that you’ve got to make community improvements,” said Ryan Finn, the owner of the Finn Group at Keller Williams Southland.
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“So that was part of our strategy when we (The Belton Chamber of Commerce) met with the (City) Council and the city a few months back and asked them to put this on the ballot,” he said.
“We wanted to see improvements. So they came to the (Chamber of Commerce) board and they said, ‘Hey, let’s do this, let’s improve our water bill because our water bills have been higher,”’ Finn explained. “They also said let’s improve our sidewalks again, promoting a healthy environment. Those are two things that the people that live in this town, want to see happen.”
If Belton voters approve the use tax, residents would be taxed 3.25% on online orders and purchases from out-of-state vendors and stores. That percentage is equal to the city’s current sales tax
“There’s a lot of mom-and-pop shops here and they simply don’t have an advantage that someone that’s selling things online would have because of this tax, “ Finn explained. “It levels the playing field. It’s the same amount of tax collected whether you buy online or you buy here. “
Belton city leaders identified residents’ top needs and wants through surveys and town halls. The top priorities were lower water bills and better sidewalks.
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“The ballot language which makes it legal is that half of the revenue will go to a rebate on the water bill for each citizen and company in the city of Belton, said City of Belton Mayor Norman Larkey. “And of course, the other half will go to repairing and building new sidewalks and infrastructure for walking.”
For more information on Belton’s proposed online use tax visit here.
People who live in Raymore will also vote on a local use tax in April.
“We’re hoping to add additional police officers to provide that visibility and that essential need for rapid response if something should happen; that helps hold down the crime, said City of Raymore Mayor Kris Turnbow. “The other is public works. We’re starting to get complaints about our road surfaces and our curbing. We can do a lot more of that with additional personnel.”
If Question P is voter-approved in Raymore the funds will be used for creating and hiring police officers, public works maintenance workers, and parks maintenance workers, and improvements to Raymore’s stretch of 58 Highway.
Raymore City staffers said the potential impact of the proposed local use tax on residents depends on how much they online shop. The use tax in Raymore only applies to purchases from out-of-state sellers which are typically online.
If a resident spends $1,000 a year, that’s $25 that they would pay in a use tax to support those additional positions and the 58 Highway maintenance.
The proposed use tax in Raymore would be equal to the city’s current sales tax of 2.5%.
“Our staffing numbers are lower in those three areas than industry standards so a few more police and public works and parks maintenance workers would help us to be able to continue to serve our residents at an appropriate level of service,” City of Raymore Communications Manager Melissa Harmer said in a statement.
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“It’s extremely important because we’re growing rapidly and we just can’t keep up sometimes with that growth, Mayor Kris Turnbow said. “And unfortunately, in the last review or survey that we did for the city, we’re starting to see a bit of a decline in people’s perceptions about those services. One way for us to increase those levels of satisfaction by our community is to be able to have those people that provide those services. Additional police officers will help provide that safety and awareness and visibility of officers on the street.”
For additional information on Question P in the City of Raymore visit here.
