By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
It is a renewal…NOT a new tax. City of Great Bend administration wanted to make that clear Monday night as the city council approved placing the half-cent sales tax renewal question on the November ballot. The tax went into effect in 2000 and has been utilized for the past 24 years.
Renewed in 2014, the 10-year sunset will be up in 2025. Great Bend City Attorney Allen Glendenning said the sales tax has provided an important source of revenue for the city.
"If we didn't have this tax, there probably would have been increases to property tax mill levies, but that has been held down by this tax," said Glendenning. "It's been done without raising this tax at all. It's been the same for a quarter of a century now, and it would remain so under this."
Revenue generated from the half-cent sales tax is distributed to public safety upgrades at 45%, 35% for property tax relief and 20% for economic development.
City Administrator Brandon Anderson said a “yes” vote will not increase the tax, just renew the existing tax. The overall sales tax in Great Bend will remain 8.7%.
"If the 'no' vote wins in this election, we will need to make significant cuts for public safety upgrades and improvements and economic development projects," said Anderson. "Without this sales tax, the city will have to significantly increase property tax or make cuts to public service, fire and EMS."
Great Bend residents will vote on the half-cent sales tax in the Nov. 5 General Election.