Commerce residents must make payments of $1 million a year on their new high school. The question is whether they'll pay through the education sales tax or through property taxes.

The Tuesday choice: sales tax or bond tax

Posted by
Mark Beardsley
in Opinions
Friday, March 11. 2011
Comments (0)
Hopefully, voters across Jackson County will vote for the extension of the education local option sales tax next Tuesday, but Commerce voters have a special reason to approve it — their new high school.

Five years ago Commerce voters approved a $20 million bond for the new CHS with the understanding that the bond payments would be made using the ELOST — which voters approved on the same day. It’s time to re-up on that commitment.

Unless voters want to see a new line item — school bonds — on their property tax bills, they should turn out to back the ELOST extension. The annual bond payment of $1 million equates to 5.9 mills of property taxes. We’re stuck with those payments whatever happens next Tuesday, and for most people a penny-at-a-time sales tax will be preferable to that kind of property tax hike. The fact that nonresidents who shop in Jackson County contribute to retiring that bond is a factor as well.

The new Commerce High School is a beautiful, functional structure that will serve our children for a generation. Voters did the right thing in approving the bond referendum and passing the ELOST in 2006. They should renew the ELOST Tuesday as well.
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