By Scott Meeker and Will Blanchard
news@joplinglobe.com
MIAMI, Okla. —
There’s little disagreement when it comes to the condition of Miami streets.
Potholes and cracks with grass growing out of them are not an uncommon sight, whether one is driving down Main Street or through residential neighborhoods.
“My vehicle has been torn up millions of times on these streets, hitting all the holes,” Miami resident Patty Westpfahl said.
What Miami residents don’t agree on, however, is how to fix the problem.
On Tuesday, voters will decide the fate of a 0.65 percent sales tax increase earmarked for street improvements.
Mayor Brent Brassfield said that, if passed, work would begin this fall, and there would be a 15-year sunset on the tax increase. He estimated that it would raise between $10 million and $12 million over its life — perhaps more if the economy improves.
Previous effort
A proposed 1-cent sales tax for street repairs was rejected by voters in 2009.
Brassfield said that a survey taken during last year’s Customer Appreciation Banquet led the city to believe residents strongly supported the sales tax. That may have resulted in overconfidence on the part of city leaders, who took a “stealth approach” to promoting the initiative, he said.
“We wrongly assumed that it was going to pass with flying colors,” Brassfield said.
The vote was 327 in favor of the 1-cent increase, 380 opposed.
That vote followed a study in 2006, when the city hired a Utah-based firm, Iworks, to do an analysis of municipal streets — all 112 miles of them, Brassfield said. At the time, the estimated cost for improvements on all of them was $18 million. Four years later, he said that estimate is now $20 million to $22 million.
The penny tax proposed last year would have addressed all the work that needed done, he said; the current proposed sales tax would only address about 65 percent of the work.
Brassfield said that if passed, the city would follow priorities set out during the 2006 study.
Last month, the Miami City Council also adopted an ordinance setting aside $500,000 for street maintenance in future city budgets, with one councilman referring to it as a show of good faith by the city.
Brassfield said that those funds would be used to maintain the improvements that would be made if the issue passes — and likely wouldn’t be needed for several years after work gets under way.
‘Serious situation’
On June 20, Brassfield held a question-and-answer forum at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College for several dozen residents who wanted to learn more about the issue.
Randy Jones was among those on hand, coming prepared with questions about costs.
Afterward, he said he was in full support of the tax increase and feels that city officials are working to find the best solution.
“I feel like the city recognizes that we have a very serious situation, and a very expensive situation,” he said. “We need to have (the road work) done.”
Still, Jones said he has concerns about how much the effort will really cost taxpayers.
“The cost (for the work) will be large, and the cost will be large to maintain what is done,” he said.
Jones said that while people view taxes as “troublesome,” they serve their purpose.
“Taxes are considered to be onerous,” he said. “No one wants to pay taxes, but everyone wants to ride around on nice streets. Unfortunately that’s not the way it works.”
Pat Creech, who also attended the forum, agreed that the sales tax may be the best solution.
“No one is ever in favor of a tax increase, myself included,” Creech said. “But you do what you have to do. I know our streets need repair and if this is what we have to do, it’s what we have to do.”
Should the plan be rejected by voters, Brassfield told those attending the forum that he’s unsure of what the city’s next move will be.
“I can’t tell you that we really have a plan (if it fails),” he said. “By law, we can add on a utility assessment for each customer (and use those funds for road improvements). But the council chose not to do that, although it’s perfectly legal. I feel that is taxation without representation.”
‘Missing the point’
If approved, the city’s sales tax would rise to 3.65 percent. Combined with county and state sales tax rates, the sales tax within Miami city limits would be 9.5 percent.
Some residents say they believe the sales tax is high enough already.
Gary Brown, a 15-year resident of Miami whose wife owns Brown’s Forget-Me-Not Collectibles, said there’s no question as to the condition of many of the city streets.
“The roads are just terrible,” he said.
But Brown said that he doesn’t believe the city has been doing enough over the years to maintain them, and he wasn’t satisfied with the plan outlined by the mayor during the forum.
“(The plan) sounds good, but they’re missing the point,” he said. “The economy is upside down right now. Middle class and low-income people are going to be hurt and it will cause even more people to drive to Joplin or other areas to shop. The local economy won’t stand for what it is they want to do.”
The total sales tax in the Jasper County section of Joplin, Mo., is 7.825 percent, and in the Newton County section it is 7.725 percent. It is 8.517 cents in Tulsa, and 9.25 cents in Fayetteville, Ark.
Brown said the best plan would be for the city to do some “belt-tightening” with the current budget to devote more money to road work.
Bonnie Day, owner of the Antique Mall and Flea Market on Main Street, echoed Brown’s worries.
“Our sales tax is already higher than most of the surrounding towns,” she said. “I don’t think our community can handle more taxes on the goods we sell.”
Brassfield acknowledged during the forum that the city’s sales tax is already high, but hopes that residents will consider the “big picture” before taking their business to Joplin or other surrounding communities.
“Our cost of living (in Miami) is really low,” he said. “Gas prices are up, there’s the toll costs and the wear and tear on your car. I don’t know if people are getting the bargain they think they’re getting if they drive 60 miles round trip.”
Chamber weighs in
Cindy Morris, director of the Miami Area Chamber of Commerce, said that the chamber has endorsed the city’s plan.
“Part of our job is that we ensure that we grow our community and that we add businesses for our area,” Morris said. “One way to achieve that growth is having pride in our community, good streets and infrastructure.”
High taxes are a concern, she said, but it’s an issue that reaches further than just Miami’s city limits.
“It’s a concern for every community across the nation,” she said. “We’re urging people to continue to buy local. We know sometimes there are needs that can be met elsewhere, but we don’t believe (the proposed sales tax) will cause people to do more shopping (outside of Miami).”
Family of four
Miami Mayor Brent Brassfield estimates that the 0.65-cent increase in the city sales tax would cost a typical family of four less than 20 cents a day, or less than $73 a year.
