By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Lee Sawyer says he understands some believe having two tax issues on the August ballot might hurt their chances of passage.
“You do kind of wonder is that maybe the best practice? I don’t know for sure,” Sawyer tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline.
The Buchanan County Commission is asking voters to approve a quarter-cent law enforcement sales tax increase. Also on the August ballot will be the St. Joseph city proposal for a half-cent parks sales tax increase.
Sawyer says there has been no coordination between the county and city.
“The city maybe didn’t know that we were looking at this for sure. And we didn’t know for sure that they were looking at that,” according to Sawyer. “Sometimes, it’s just you’re both trying to solve challenges.”
Sawyer says the county commission hopes to use the $3.6 million a year the tax increase is expected to generate to help the Sheriff’s Department retain veteran officers as well as recruit up to 16 new officers.
Sawyer says the county has been struggling with recruiting and retaining quality deputies for years.
“Quite frankly, sheriff’s office pay for deputies and individuals in the sheriff’s department hasn’t kept up with other law enforcement,” Sawyer says.
The tax increase would allow Buchanan County to be more competitive with Sheriff’s Departments in Platte and Clay Counties as well as the St. Joseph Police Department.
“We have too many open positions and we’re having trouble keeping them filled and we’re having trouble recruiting.”
Sawyer says Buchanan County has had trouble filling all the positions in the Sheriff’s Department, let alone adding needed staff.
“And quite frankly, we need to have our positions filled and we need to add some positions, because the challenge continues to increase. It doesn’t stay the same,” Sawyer says. “And not only have we not really stayed the same, but we‘ve fallen behind. And that’s something that I really believe needs to be corrected.”
Sawyer says pay at the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department needs to be competitive with neighboring law enforcement agencies.
“We don’t think we have to be the highest paying; we just can’t be the lowest.”
Buchanan County voters first approved the county law enforcement sales tax in 1990. The quarter-cent increase would provide approximately $3.6 million annually in additional funding.
Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett says he plans to increase deputy pay and add eight patrol deputies, six investigators, a patrol supervisor, and another investigator if voters approve the increase in the sales tax. Other positions could be added in the future as needs arise, according to Puett.