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Board moves to put local use tax question on ballot after debate
Summary
The board gave first reading to a proposition to submit a local use tax to voters; proponents said it captures online sales revenue and helps city operations, while an alderman opposed adding taxes to residents.
The Garden Prairie Board of Aldermen advanced Bill 25-63 for first reading, an ordinance authorizing submission of a local use tax proposition to the ballot to tax remote/out-of-state purchases at the same rate as the city's sales tax.
Staff explained the measure is intended to require residents who make qualifying purchases from out-of-state vendors to self-report and remit local use tax, a change many cities have enacted to recapture sales tax revenue lost to online purchases. "It's online sales and Amazon orders are gone through the roof," a staff member said, describing the revenue rationale.
Alderman Johnson strongly opposed imposing an additional tax, saying residents already pay for parks and events and objecting to the timing and scale of potential expenditures. Other council members said the tax is a clarification of an existing state-level requirement and that some cities already collect similar tax revenues and that placing the question on the ballot would let voters decide.
The item was presented for the board's direction to place the proposition on the ballot; staff and council discussed timing and next steps for ballot submission. No final ballot date or implementation details were set at first reading.
