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Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG
Mo. Digital News
Missouri Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Mo. Digital News
MDN.ORG:
Missouri Digital News
JEFFERSON CITY - An emerging rural-urban clash in the upcoming legislative session is threatening the future of a state tax that funds state parks and soil conservation efforts.
The 1/10 cent sales parks and soil tax expires in 1998.
During the last legislative session, metro legislators complained residents in their areas did not get any benefit from the tax. Urban interests proposed that part of the tax money should be allocated for city storm-water systems and local parks.
David Shorr, director of Missouri's Natural Resources Department, said he expects the same debate to arise in the 1996 session.
"I expect special interests to suck off the parks and soils sales tax just like they did last year," Shorr said.
Sen. William Clay, D-St. Louis, is a member of the Senate's Conservation, Parks and Tourism committee. He said that during the last legislative session questions were raised as to whether the soils money was being used appropriately.
"In last year's debate it was shown that several counties misused soil funding," he said, "and with the proper phase-out of the soils program there is enough money."
Clay said he supports reconfiguring the tax so that local and state parks will benefit. He says the soil program is almost completed and the money should be redistributed to benefit other programs.
Sen. Jerry Howard, D-Dexter, the committee's vice chairman, disagreed.
"There's only enough money now to support the soil erosion project," he said. Without the soils tax, he added, Missouri streams and farmers would suffer.
Sen. Bill Kenney, R-Lee's Summit and a member of the Senate's Agriculture and Local Government committee, said the urban interests simply aren't getting their money's worth from the current tax.
"The city of St. Louis and Jackson County figure if they make up 67 percent of the tax base, they should get money for their sewer systems," Kenney said.
Sen. Bill McKenna, D-Barnhart, who chairs the Conservation, Parks and Tourism committee, said he hopes to see a legislative compromise on the revision of the tax to accommodate other interests.
"I hope it gets debated because I'm afraid the initiative petition will fail," he said. "I think there will be a concerted effort by other interests to show how they're paying most of the money and not getting anything back."
Because of the legislative resistance to extending the tax in its present form, a coalition of agricultural and environmental organizations is circulating an initiative petition to extend the tax.