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Two new sales taxes to be proposed |
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Tuesday, 19 August 2008 |
Saline County initiatives would fund animal shelter, 911 center
Saline County residents may decide on a pair of sales tax initiatives during the general election.
The Quorum Court tonight will address proposed ordinances calling for a pair of 1/8-cent measures that would appear on the Nov. 4 ballot.
One of the taxes would fund a county animal control service, including construction of an animal shelter. The other tax would fund maintenance and operation of a consolidated 911 public safety communication center.
The cities of Benton and Bryant have animal control service, and numerous county residents have lobbied the Quorum Court to establish a similar system in the county.
An animal shelter is operated in Bauxite by the Saline County Humane Society, but the nonprofit society operates a no-kill shelter. A county-operated shelter would euthanize animals.
Several Quorum Court members have indicated that they are in favor of establishing animal control in the county, but how to fund and maintain such a program is the point of contention.
Officials presented a minimum operating budget of approximately $300,000 earlier this year, but the Quorum Court voted it down. A 1/8-cent sales tax would generate approximately $1.2 million a year, County Judge Lanny Fite said.
He said the Quorum Court is working on a presentation that breaks down the costs to operate an animal control service. He said the figures would be shared with the public before the election.
If a tax for a consolidated 911 public safety communication center is approved, the 911 Public Facilities Board would move forward with plans to build one 911 center for the entire county.
Currently, Benton dispatches its emergency service out of the county 911 building in Downtown Benton. Bryant dispatches its police department in Bryant, but Bryant fire and medical services are dispatched by the county from the Benton location. The county also dispatches for smaller municipalities like Haskell and Shannon Hills.
Fite, who serves on the 911 Public Facilities Board, said a reason for consolidating the county and municipal 911 offices would be to offset revenue lost from a declining number of people using land lines.
“The revenue is shrinking because more people are just having cell phones, and five percent of 911’s revenue comes from hard lines,” Fite said.
Saline County is one of two in Arkansas without a countywide sales tax. A temporary sales tax for the new jail expired in spring 2007.
The Quorum Court meeting will begin at 6:30 in courtroom 1 at the courthouse in Downtown Benton.
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