CJ officials frustrated with use tax results; Jasper County officials elated

John Hacker, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·3 min read

Apr. 3—CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Results of two use tax votes in Tuesday's municipal election prompted different reactions.

Carl Junction officials said they were disappointed at the narrow defeat of that city's proposal, although it may not be finished; Jasper County officials said they were elated with their results.

A proposed use tax equal to Carl Junction's 3% sales tax that would have been charged on all internet sales from out-of-state sellers failed by three votes, 561-558.

This was the city's fifth try in the past few years to pass the tax and the closest it has come to being approved.

The same day, voters across Jasper County passed a countywide use tax with 5,150 "yes" votes (61%) and 3,288 "no" votes.

Jasper County Auditor Sarah Hoover said she believes the state will start collecting that tax for the county in October and that the county will see revenue from it in December.

provisional ballotsThe Carl Junction Board of Aldermen voted in December when it put the tax on the ballot to commit the proceeds primarily to the Carl Junction Police Department.

Carl Junction Mayor Mark Powers said the vote count wasn't final because Jasper County Clerk Charlie Davis still has to check provisional ballots to confirm they were legitimate and count them.

Davis said there were two provisional ballots in Carl Junction and counting would be done Friday.

"We'll wait on them, but I doubt there will be enough," Powers said. "We'll see how those go. If they're OK and they voted for the use tax, that would be a one-vote margin. If it's a one-vote margin, I'll ask him to count them again because that's so close. Then when it comes up with the same, well, the people are going to get what they wanted. That's why we have a vote on it."

Powers said in addition to committing the proceeds to the police department, this fifth campaign was the first where a residents group tried to promote the tax to voters.

He said that group had its work cut out for it just teaching voters what a use tax was.

"We had a council meeting, it was either a month and a half or two months ago, and we were talking about it, and several people in the audience that were there thought this was a tax on top of our regular sales tax," Powers said. "They didn't understand it's for internet sales only. I think there's a lot of people who still don't understand that" and that the state was "forcing us to use that language, calling it a use tax, on the ballot."

Powers said the closer margin may encourage the board to put it back on the ballot in a future election, but he wasn't sure.

"Council could put it on the ballot again," he said. "But isn't that the definition of insanity, doing the same thing over and over and getting the same result?"

third attemptJasper County Presiding Commissioner John Bartosh said county officials were pleased that the county's use tax was approved.

Bartosh said the revenue, when it starts coming from the state, would be put in the county's general fund.

"We've been told the proceeds could be about a million dollars-plus a year," Bartosh said. "Me, personally, I would like to get our employees up to a fair amount of money in salaries. That wouldn't take all of that money, but it's one thing I would like to see it go for."

Bartosh said the county had tried to pass a use tax twice before, but the third time was the charm.

"I think the people finally got it figured out what we were trying to do and why we were trying to do it," Bartosh said. "I think they said, 'Oh. man, we need that.'"