Peculiar Looking to Raise Taxes
Posted By J.T. on October 12, 2009
The City of Peculiar will be asking voters to approve tax increases and business license fees on the upcoming November 3 ballot.
Question 1 is asking voters to approve a $.20 increase in property tax levy to fund maintenance problems for the sewer system that have been “deferred”. This will come out to an additional $200 per year for someone with a $100,000 home. A recent study revealed that there are areas of the sewer system that are at full capacity and will need to be addressed in the “near future”.
Mayor Ernie Jungmeyer said this ballot measure is “greatly needed due to part of our system now failing after a heavy rain event”. He compared Peculiar’s tax levy ($0.6371) to surrounding cities. Peculiar has a lower levy than Belton, Raymore and Harrisonville, as well as having a lower population and less infrastructure.
Question 2 is asking voters to approve a motor vehicle fuel tax of $0.01 per gallon for city roads and streets. Currently the State of Missouri distributes gasoline tax revenues to cities based on the 2000 census. This new tax would be on gas purchased in city limits and would solely be used on city roads.
Jungmeyer mentioned that 80% of gasoline bought in city limits is from trucks and other vehicles using 71 Highway.
Question 3 would approve a business license fee of $1000 per year plus a fee of $.40 per ton for limestone sold or physically removed from the rock quarry or mine property within city limits.
Hunt Martin Materials (previously Martin Marietta Materials) has lost their lawsuit fighting annexation to the City of Peculiar. Residents voted by 87% to bring them into the city, but the quarry doesn’t feel it should pay business license fees since it did not want to be part of the City to begin with.
Jungmeyer said “If the quarry would continue business these fees would pay for the damage to our roads due to the trucks”.
You can view the official ballot language and facts provided by the City HERE.
I feel the gas tax is a backdoor tactic. If this issue was raised after the 2010 census, I may feel differently. The newsletter (and the last one it seems due to cutbacks) mailed to my home spoke of the same things said here. A lot of road construction has been going on all around Peculiar, from road scraping to minor resurfacing, but what I notice the most is the way the city has left the bridges. They’ve exposed the bridge from the road leaving very nasty bumps when going on and leaving bridges. I’m thinking these jolting reminders are left to deal with until AFTER the votes are cast. If anyone should be taxed for fuel it should be diesel consumers, for we all know the majority of the 80% are truckers using the fuel stop on the east side of town.