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A group of Springfield residents has presented an alternative plan to the one-cent sales tax increase that was rejected by Springfield voters earlier this month. KSMU’s Nathan McVay was at Tuesday morning’s press conference and reports.
The Save Our Springfield citizen coalition proposed its solvency plan to raise approximately $10 million dollars for the struggling Police and Fire Pension Fund, without raising taxes.
Darren Chappell, a Missouri State Political Science instructor and Mark Wright, a former State Representative announced their plan at Big Mommas Coffeehouse on Commercial street.
Wright believes there is a pressing need to fix the under funded retirement plan.
“The City has a responsibility to fully fund the pension fund”
The new plan calls for the city to allow the current quarter-cent sales tax increase for Capital Improvement projects to run out in February of 2010. This would allow for a quarter cent sales tax increase to go solely to the Police and Fire Pension Fund beginning at that time.
The Capital Improvement projects tax goes toward funding transportation systems, traffic signals and other improvement efforts.
Evelyn Honea is the deputy city manager. She chose not to comment on the alternative plan, but she did stress that the capital improvement tax is very important.
“We have no other funding source to do the major things we do in Springfield. This is a major source of revenue to maintain our roads and transportation system,’ she said.
Chappell acknowledged the concerns over getting rid of the Capital Improvement tax, but he says these uncertain times call for decisive measures.
“The situation has changed, the priorities must as well. There has got to be another option. There has got to be another way,” he said.
Some of those in attendance of the press conference were members of the police and fire departments. For KSMU News, I’m Nathan McVay
