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Supporters at Cass County meeting say sales tax would spread road costs and help retain crews
Summary
At a public-comment period before the Cass County Commission, residents argued a 0.25¢ sales tax would broaden the funding base for roads, help pay wages and improve maintenance; supporters said the tax would capture revenue from pass-through traffic as well as local consumers.
Proponents of the proposed 0.25¢ county sales tax told commissioners the levy would spread the burden of road funding across a broader base than property taxes alone and help the county retain skilled road workers. Herschel Young said the sales tax would let everyone who spends in the county, including pass-through traffic, contribute: "If it's a sales tax, every time they spend their money, the county's gonna benefit, the citizens are gonna benefit."
Hugh Spence said he favored the idea of user-based funding and described sales tax as the "broadest base tax you can get," acknowledging sales taxes can be regressive but arguing they are easy to administer and understand. Supporters also said higher wages for county crews would improve retention and maintenance quality. The commission voted to place the sales-tax question on the August ballot but did not adopt an allocation or wage plan at the meeting.
