SFC asking voters to continue sales tax

Members of the St. Francis County Quorum Court this week voted to hold an election asking voters to allow the county to continue collecting a portion of a tax approved in 2019 to construct a new county jail. The county is asking that one-half of the penny voters approved for the jail’s construction be extended indefinitely. The original one-cent tax set aside 5/8ths for construction, 1/8th for juvenile services and the remainder for jail maintenance. During a meeting of the Court’s budget committee Monday, members discussed the possibility of presenting the proposal to the public to be voted on in May. According to St. Francis County Judge Craig Jones, this proposal would remove one-eighth of a cent of the current sales tax, leaving one-half cent on the books. "What I want to do is put a vote to the people," said Jones. "A few years back, the Quorum Court approved putting a vote on the ballot to approve the sales tax for the construction of a new jail. That was passed by a vote of the people and the jail was constructed. The sales tax of this jail construction was five-eighths of a cent. Everyone I have talked to expects the sales tax to sunset in July or August. The remaining quarter-cent sales tax for the operation and maintenance of the jail will stay on." Jones explained that he would like the new tax proposal to be included on the ballot for the school election. "I am requesting that the Quorum Court pass two ordinances at the meeting of the full Quorum Court," said Jones. "The ordinance will ask them to approve a half-cent sales tax and the other will ask the Quorum Court to hold an election for the people to vote on the tax. It would be on May 13. The sales tax I am requesting is not raising the sales tax." Jones told the group that the one-half cent sales tax would generate approximately $1.6 million each year. "What I would like to do, is take one-eighth off of the five-eighth cent sales tax and keep the half cent on indefinitely," said Jones. "If the sales tax passes in May, I will propose that we lower the millage rate one mill on personal and real property. That will affect everyone who owns land or a car in this county. A half-cent sales tax would generate $1.6 million a year. You have all of the authority and power to do what you want to with this." Jones recommends that the tax revenue, if the tax is approved, be placed go into general services so that the money is not "pigeon holed" for one purpose. "I would like this money to go into general services, just off the top of my head," said Jones. "That way, this money is not pigeon holed and can be used by any department. It can be used at the road department, 911, solid waste. We are going to have issues in the 911 department down the road. If you pigeon hole this money, we end up with funds we can't use how we see fit." Jones said one example of this "pigeon holing" is the $1.3 million in the industrial development fund that can only be used for business recruitment in the county. "Some years ago, for example, the county passed a sales tax for industrial development," said Jones. "For paving a parking lot at CoreMark. The sales tax generated more than enough to pay for that parking lot and left $1.3 million in that industrial development fund. That $1.3 million cannot be used for anything other than to help recruit a business or factory that employs more than 50 people. That money that accumulates every year cannot be used for anything but that. It is not like we can take that money and put it in the county general account." According to Jones, St. Francis County has the highest sales tax currently in the state, but noted if the county could lower its millage rate one mill on real and personal property taxes, the county would have the lowest millage rates in the state. "It is going to be a hard sell," said Jones. "The first thing that is going to happen is because this tax is not specific. A lot of times, voters don't like to vote for something that would be writing a blank check to the government. That is where it will lead. I believe the voters have trust and faith in the Court to do the right thing. They would not be giving it to me, they would be giving it to the county and the county would be deciding what to do with it. You all are going to know what is a good idea and what is not a good idea. "St. Francis County has the highest sales tax in the state," continued Jones. "Three-fifths goes to sales tax. If we lower the millage rate, we would still have a highest sales tax but the lowest millage rate. Having the lowest millage rate is a good thing, having the highest sales tax is not." SFC Justice and committee member Regan Hill said he would not be voting in favor of this new tax. "Let me say this," said Hill. "I am not getting really involved in this. I am not voting for this. I will tell you why and some of you sitting here I would think would feel this way, but that is fine. We went to the public and we did everything we possibly could to show them we needed a new jail. I know that I, the judge at the time, the sheriff, we made nighttime visits in the communities of St. Francis County. We promised those taxpayers faithfully that when that jail was paid off, that tax would drop off." According to Hill, while Jones has a legitimate reason to ask for this tax, he just cannot ask his constituents to come back and vote on another tax. "You have a very legitimate reason for putting it on there," said Hill. "I am not saying you don't. That is the Court's business, but there is no way I can go back to the people three years later and say well we have got this and that and they need to come back and make a decision again. I can't do that and that is just me. I just can't go back to the public and ask them to change what I said three years ago. I understand that this is business and I see what it is." "We all know when it comes to taxes, it is not popular," said Justice Charles Jones, who chairs the committee. "But, unless someone has something better, a better way to address the problems we are facing, we need to give it a try." During the regular meeting of the Court on Tuesday, Jones explained that since the Court promised in 2020 or 2021 that the tax would come off, this would essentially go back against their word. "I am telling you, everybody knows this tax will eventually come," said Jones. "I have made it a habit since I have been up here to buy locally. I don't go to Sam's. We buy local because local people pay the taxes. I try my best to shop locally and borrow money locally. Another con to this thing is that the Court voted for this in 2020 or 2021, with the promise that it would come off. You all pretty much said that if it passed, it would sunset. This would basically go against what you said. However, you are not raising the tax, you are letting the people decide if they want to keep it or not keep it." Jones said that lowering the millage rates on personal and real property taxes would help to lessen the blow of adding an indefinite tax to the books. "This will levy a one-half cent sales tax," said Jones. "Right now, it is at five-eighths of a cent so it will lower it by one-eighth of a cent, but it will stay on the books and not sunset. The other tax is suspected to sunset in August or September, maybe July, according to everyone I have talked to in Little Rock. It has been paid off a lot faster than they thought it would be paid off because it is generating so much money. It will go to a vote of the people. I recommend lowering personal and real taxes by one mill if this tax passes during the election in May." "Do we have an election in May?” asked Hill. "Yes, on May 13, if there is opposition on the school board election," said Jones. The Court voted 8-to-1 in favor of adopting the ordinance, allowing the tax proposal to be added to the May ballot. Hill was the only justice to vote against the ordinance.

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SFC asking voters to continue sales tax

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