Erby pushes sales tax vote to raise funds for radio equipment
Erby
St. Louis County Council Chairwoman Hazel Erby, D-University City, plans to introduce a bill on Tuesday in the council for a countywide election on Nov. 3 for a 0.1-sales tax to finance a countywide emergency communication system.
The tax would generate $13.6 million a year, said a fact sheet the St. Louis County Emergency Communications Commission recently gave to the council.
The council has until Aug. 25 to put the proposal to a November vote, but the commission asked the council to place the proposal on the ballot now so supporters would have time to prepare and conduct a campaign and raise money for it.
Erby on Friday asked County Counselor Patricia Redington to prepare the election bill. She said Council members Kathleen Kelly Burkett, D-Overland; Mike O’Mara, D-Florissant, and Barbara Fraser, D-University City, would cosponsor of the measure.
A county resident purchasing a vehicle costing $20,000 would pay an additional $20 in sales taxes if the proposal passes. Total sales tax rates range in the county from 6.325 percent in the unincorporated area to 8.075 percent in St. Ann. The proposal calls for exempting food from the 0.1-cent tax.
The commission’s sheet says the tax would finance:
> An $80 million radio system that would allow all police, firefighters, ambulance and public works personnel and other emergency service workers to communicate with each other at a disaster scene. The commission would spend $50 million for towers, base stations, switches, computers, antennae and fiber optic and microwave connections for the communications system, the fact sheet says. The group would use $30 million to replace every police and fire radio in the county and all dispatching consoles, the fact sheet says.
> $10 million upgrades for the 911 emergency call and countywide siren system. The 911 upgrades to allow dispatchers to locate people calling them on cellphones would cost $3 million and the siren work, $7 million, the fact sheet says.
> $10 million for project management and and engineering work — $6 million for management and $4 million for engineering.
The commission would spend $9.6 million each year to retire debt for the system and $4 million for an annual maintenance and reserve fund, the fact sheet says.
The new system would allow emergency services in the county to comply with a federal requirement with a federal requirement to narrow their frequencies by the end of 2012.
The commission noted it is obtaining frequencies for a new system, But the group says it would lose them in June of next year if the county took no action towards using them.
Voters rejected last November a 1.85-cent countywide use tax which included money for the communications system. On April 7, voters in Jefferson County approved a half-cent sales tax that includes money for a communications system that would be compatible with the one for St. Louis County.
What part of NO does she not understnd? Sounds like she has Dooleyitis. She better be careful or she will be swept out when we turn him out next election. Those tax bills are coming in a few weeks and brother then it is going to hit the fan.
“The new system would allow emergency services in the county to comply with a federal requirement with a federal requirement to narrow their frequencies by the end of 2012″
If the federal government wants to mandate it, why don’t they pay for it with more stimulus money? We seem to have plenty to throw around.
The existing radio systems are as old as the Philco TV’s many of us watched as kids. Like the digital TV issue, the Federal government is requiring all radio systems to become modernized by 2013. Our police and fire fighters can not communicate with each other just like NYC on 9/11. Something has to be done soon before a major disaster occurs and lives are lost because of antiquated or broken down communication systems. This is about giving our first responders the tools they need to do the job right.
Whether or not this is a sales tax for a worthy purpose, I am a little surprised that they would try to have a November election. As of now, that might be the only thing on the ballot. Of course, some school and fire districts might also jump in with some measures. But, while we have free elections, they are not free in the sense of the budget. I think that cost needs to be examined when going forward with putting this measure on the ballot.
Why haven’t they been setting back a few bucks every year so they could afford this without a tax increase? Now, we’re going to see a big dollar campaign about how we need to vote yes to support our hard working firefighters and police officers … when in fact, what we’re really doing is just shoveling more money to an irresponsible county government which spends every dime that comes its way, and is always looking for a new revenue source. Only thing is, every new revenue source is ME.
> Total sales tax rates range in the county from 6.325 percent
> in the unincorporated area to 8.075 percent in St. Ann.
Actually, the highest tax rate in the county is in the special taxing district at Buzz Westfall Plaza in Jennings, which includes Target and Schnuck’s - 8.325%.
The St. Louis area would be crippled police and fire radio-wise if a Minneapolis-like bridge collapse happened here. Forget about a 9/11-like situation. Only the city of St. Louis and the Metro East have modern networks. Everything else is Flintstones era and barely works under normal conditions.
-
The federal government HAS given money to East West Gateway for the area, and East West Gateway has applied millions of dollars to communications throughout the area to REDUCE some local costs. That’s still only a part of what is needed. The tax would go for maintenance and budget for replacement of equipment on a regular cycle, rather than allowing it to fall into disrepair or get obsolete over time, as the existing networks have.
-
The federal government also gave Missouri stimulus money which our Legislature gave you a $250 check for instead of investing it in infrastructure projects like this (or building a cancer center with). Pay up front, or pay later, I think this is an important project.
-
You always get what you don’t pay for.