By Krista Duhon
news@joplinglobe.com
MIAMI, Okla. — Miami City Council members shot down a proposal Monday night that would have put a sales tax increase on the April ballot.
Mayor Brent Brassfield seconded a motion by Councilman Scott Trussler that called for asking voters to increase Miami’s sales tax from 8.85 percent to 9.5 percent. The additional revenue would have paid for street work.
Trussler and Brassfield were the only members of the five-member board to vote “yes” on the measure. Both said they wanted to put the choice in the hands of voters.
Opposing council members John Dalgarn, Rudy Schultz and Terry Atkinson said they want to see improvements to city streets, but that now is not the time to further burden the taxpayers.
“The timing is not real good for increasing sales tax,” Dalgarn said. “We just put a burden on our citizens at the last meeting of 2009 when we implemented a structured utility-rate increase over the next 10 years.”
Dalgarn also noted that city sales tax receipts have continued to decline since July.
“It is never a good time to raise sales tax,” Trussler said. “But I want citizens to be able to choose.”
Atkinson echoed Dalgarn’s concern about the timing, and said the proposed sales tax, if approved by voters, could put business owners at a disadvantage as it would push Miami’s sales tax higher.
“I would like to see the sales tax level out before we attack the streets,” Atkinson said.
Schultz suggested last week that the council wait to bring a proposal before voters until it has a clearer picture of an economic development project being cultivated by Northeastern Oklahoma A&M; College.
“I want the sales tax proposal to succeed,” Schultz said, noting that the council has a failed sales tax proposal behind it. “If we fail twice, it is really going to make it hard to be successful in the future.”
In other business, the council:
n Recognized Marcia Johnson, administrative librarian at the Miami Public Library, as the city’s manager of the year.
n Approved a $9,500 purchase order for the new ballroom project at the Coleman Theatre. The money will be provided through private donations by businesses and residents.
