I’m not a big fan of special elections.
While they would never admit this, politicians usually set special elections on tax issues with the idea there will be low voter turnout.
Though it doesn’t sunset until 2023, voters will go to the polls Aug. 10 to consider renewing the ½-cent economic development tax.
The tax was originally approved by patrons in 2003 and extended in 2010.
With folks taking final vacations before the imminent school year, early August is not an ideal time to have an election, but proponents argue they need to hold the election two years before the tax expires, so they will know if there will be money to fund future projects.
They contend companies plan years in advance for such ventures, which is a fair point.
However, instead of spending $10,000 of taxpayer money for a special election, leaders could have put the issue on the General Election ballot last November, which would have provided for a higher voter turnout and given them an additional nine months to potentially show companies there would be money available for another 10 years through 2033. Also, because it is a special election, there will be one week of early voting (Aug. 3-9) rather than two weeks as is accustomed in general elections.
Crunching the numbers, the tax has been extremely successful, so why not choose an election date conducive to a big turnout.
Since its passage in 2003, the tax has helped create 4,100 jobs —with 3,600 still in existence today — and an annual payroll of $130 million.
The county investment in job creation is about $40 million and federal and state investment in those same projects is around $300 million.
“Jobs created by the same projects is $2 billion,” Mississippi County economic developer Clif Chitwood said in the spring. “That’s a rate of return on county investment of 5,000 percent.”
Those are staggering numbers and a big reason I support the tax.
I just don’t like the timing. And the optics.
Hopefully, if the tax passes, the next tax extension will be on a general election ballot and not during the dog days of summer.