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Commissioners debate 60/30/10 sales‑tax split and whether to ask voters for 1.5% to fund hard surfacing and cleanup
Summary
The board discussed ballot language to allocate sales‑tax revenue 60/30/10 (transportation/hard‑surfacing/cleanup) and debated asking voters to increase the rate from 1% to 1.5% (some favored 1.5%, others urged caution); staff will coordinate survey wording and test two numbers if possible.
Commissioners held an extended discussion about proposed ballot language for a county sales‑tax measure to support roads, hard surfacing and a new cleanup/tipping‑fee assistance program.
The chair outlined a proposed allocation of 60% for general transportation, 30% for hard‑surface road projects and 10% to fund county cleanup assistance (tipping‑fee support and operational help for property cleanups). Commissioner exchanges focused on whether to ask voters for a 1% increase (the prior request) or a higher rate — 1.25% or 1.5% — to give more funding capacity for hard surfacing and drainage work. One commissioner argued for 1.5% to address a growing list of road and infrastructure needs; others cautioned that asking for more than 1% might prompt rejection at the polls and recommended testing options in a voter survey.
Commissioners emphasized the importance of clear ballot language that restricts uses to paving, drainage and related preparation (not repurposable for other needs) and discussed excluding farm equipment from the tax base. Road and Bridge staff recommended including drainage and prep work in the hard‑surface eligibility language and stressed the need for updated annual traffic counts to prioritize projects.
Staff and counsel said they would consult a survey vendor about presenting two rate options in polling and return recommended ballot language for review. No final decision was made; commissioners asked staff to move the survey and drafting forward quickly to meet scheduling constraints for a ballot question.
