By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
St. Joseph city voters gave overwhelming support to a half-cent sales tax increase to make upgrades to the city parks system.
More than 71% of the voters casting ballots in the special election Tuesday supported the tax hike.
Chair Chris Clark with the St. Joseph Committee to Restore Our Parks says he expected a closer margin.
“Personally, I’m extremely thankful and very happy that the city showed up,” Clark tells St. Joseph Post. “The folks that did vote showed that they truly care about this city and want to do better for this city.”
The unofficial results from the Buchanan County Clerk’s office have 5,378 votes in favor of the parks tax with only 2,183 voting against it; a split of 71.13% to 28.87%. Just under 17% of the registered voters in St. Joseph turned out for the special election.
Clark credits the work of his committee for the strong support, stating that the committee took seriously its duty to educate voters about how the tax increase would be used.
“Being open, being transparent, and being educational to the point where, look, we want to educate you,” Clark describes the approach of his committee. “We would love for you to vote yes, but more than anything, we want you to be more educated when you do go to the polls and know that when you make a decision you’re better educated with truthful information and not just hearsay or something you saw on Facebook.”
City officials estimate the tax would generate $50 to $60 million over its 10-year lifespan. The tax has a 10-year sunset clause.
The City of St. Joseph has a list of proposed projects on its website. [Click here for the list.] It is highlighted by nearly $12.8 million in improvements to Krug Park. The extra funds would pay for $8.8 million in improvements to the Noyes Complex, $3 million to the Bode Sports Complex, $2.8 million for Hyde Park, $2.5 million for the Northside Complex, $2.1 million for the Civic Arena, among many other projects.
Approximately $4.5 million would be set aside for parks maintenance.
Clark says his committee might have campaigned for the issue, but it will continue to work to make sure that the promises made are kept.
“Yes, we were an endorsement committee and we supported this tax. We also expect accountability from the department itself," Clark says. "We want to help them. We want to make sure they have the resources and they have the tools to get the job done, but we also want to hold them accountable and make sure they get done. So, personally myself, I expect to see these projects be done in 10 years if not sooner.”