Backers of sales tax for children in St. Louis County raise $131,000
Supporters of a one-fourth cent sales tax to help finance programs dealing with children’s mental health, child abuse and substance abuse in St. Louis County have raised more than $131,000 even before they know whether their proposal will be on the county’s Nov. 4 ballot.
More 40 children’s service agencies have organized the Putting Kids First committee to promote the tax. The group has submitted to the St. Louis County Election Board more than 50,000 signatures on a petition to place the tax on the ballot. The board expects to complete verifying the signatures by Aug. 1.
The tax would raise about $40 million a year. Under state law, the money must be used to assist people 19 years old and younger. The group’s website said the money could help pay for:
> Support for families in crisis.
> Counseling and psychiatric treatment.
> Temporary shelters for abused, neglected, homeless or mentally-ill children and transitional living arrangements for older youth.
> Alcohol and drug abuse treatment and programs in schools to protect the wellbeing and safety of children.
The committee raised $131,442.74 and spent $42,877.16 by June 30. The total includes $83,270 in money and $48,172.74 in in-kind services.
Twenty of the more than 40 children’s service agencies that are committee members made money donations ranging from $500 to $12,500, said a campaign finance report filed last week with the St. Louis County Election Board. Five of these organizations also made in-kind donations, such as staff time, consultants and paper for petitions, and two agencies that did not provide money made in-kind donations.
Among the agencies that made money donations were BJC Behavioral Health, Catholic Charities, Epworth Children and Family Services, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Lutheran Family and Children’s Services, Missouri Baptist Children’s Home and Provident Inc.
The Simons Foundation of St. Louis donated $10,000.
Provident Inc. provided $22,500 of in-kind services, almost half the value of these services.
About half the spending went to Marketing Works of Northwoods for managing the petition drive.
If the Putting Kids First proposal contains enough signatures to place the one-fourth cent sales tax on the ballot, county voters could see as many as three revenue-related proposals on their Nov. 4 ballot.
The others are:
> A half-cent increase in the transit tax that would help support the operation of Metro’s buses and MetroLink and build up money for MetroLink expansion. St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley has asked the county council to put the tax proposal on the ballot.
> A bond issue that would not raise taxes for county capital improvements. The bonds mainly would help pay for a new family court building, the furnishing of a new animal shelter and expanded crime and health laboratories. A county blue ribbon commission has recommended the bond issue for a November vote, but not a dollar amount.
If both sales taxes pass, the total sales tax rate in St. Louis County would grow by three-fourths of a cent. A county resident who buys a vehicle worth $20,000 would pay an additional $150 in sales taxes.
Nobody likes a tax increase. It takes a lot of courage for politicians to even say that they in favor of one so BRAVO!… I can’t think of a better investment than in our kids - especially the ones that need help the most and will cost more down the road if we don’t offer anything early enough to make a difference. Good for you St. Louis County!!!!
For anyone who believes you can tax yourself into prosperity, good luck.
I read all the proposed uses for the $40,000,000. Funds are already available for everyone of the proposals EXCEPT usage in schools. That school proposal is ridiculous. Children go to school to learn, and not get drug abuse treatments.
“Putting children first” is worn out slogan that means in translation, “I’ll donate $10.00 if I can make a $1000. in return”. Look at the Donors, and what was done with the money. Much of it went to Marketing Works”. How did that ‘put children first’?
If you want to help a child, mentor him/her, If you can’t do that, don’t expect anything other than failure. Then you will want more money so that you can fail more efficiently.
I will be glad to have e-mail from anyone who wants to know about any phase of their plan, and how it doesn’t work in the real world.
john8m@shawneelink.net
Ritae - It takes NO courage for a Democratic politician to come out in favor of a tax increase. Tax increases are what they do - and Democratic voters consistently support them.
As far as this one goes - this is yet another example of the corrupt use of our “ballot initiative” process. It’s no different than the casinos - groups who will be getting a good chunk of that $40 million a year if it passes are kicking in thousands of dollars for the campaign, while the taxpayers who will foot the bill for this have nobody. It’s absolutely disgusting.
Liberals think we’re a bottomless pit of money. But every dollar that goes to taxes is a dollar that isn’t spent somewhere else. This costs jobs, and makes all of us a little poorer. On the bright side, having two taxes on the same ballot is fine with me.
There doesn’t seem to be anything different in this ballot initiative than most of the recent that have or attempted to move state funds around. This one is mostly funded by the potential beneficiaries that host children programs just like the successful “highways lock-box” proposal of a couple years ago was funded by corporate types and the highway lobby. Likewise, there does not seem to much evidence that anyone better prepares a region for sustained economic growth. Our region has been sprawling for years–partly as a product of our public policies–and as a result on every indicator our economic and social progress is lagging. Yet, the selected indignation of so-called conservatives kicks in only when it is poor people and children benefitting from public funds.
At the same time, it would be a mistake to think that the children services fund is a panacea or even a decent solution. The poor system of social services that exists in most parts of our region is a function of their persistent under-funding as well as the ideological attack of conservatives. Paradoxically, it is the failure to take seriously the need for systematic social initiatives–expressed above in the absurdly simplistic notion that “schools are there for children to learn”–that undercuts the capacity of local governments to orchestrate a coordinated response. At best, the children services approach that St. Louis County is pursuing will provide more funds, but not the better public leadership that chidren and parents need.
As many Republicans as Democrats support this measure. Progressives like it becasue it directly helps over 10,000 St. Louis County children gain necessary shelter and protections from physical, substance, and mental abuse. Conservatives like it because it keeps St. Louis County tax dollars here at home where they belong — it doesn’t send the money to state or federal programs that don’t work.
The only people who oppose this measure are the County Executive and a few developers. They wrongfully think it will interfere with their attempt to do twice the tax hike for Metro Link. This debate isn’t conservative vs. liberal or Republican, vs. Democrat. It’s about real need vs. developer (and politician) greed.