Sales tax vote just around corner
With early voting to begin in three weeks, county voters will soon have an opportunity to decide if they want to join the city of McMinnville in raising the local option sales tax.
The referendum will ask if county voters want to increase the local option sales tax from its present rate of 2.0 to 2.75. The city of McMinnville overwhelmingly approved the measure last year and saw an immediate reduction in the city property tax rate. The new rate is in effect in the city of McMinnville.
According to Election Administrator Donna Yates, voters who reside inside the city limits of McMinnville will not be allowed to cast their ballots in the county sales tax referendum. Instead, the referendum is exclusively for those who live outside McMinnville city limits.
However, all county voters will be allowed to participate in the Democratic and Republican primaries. The primaries will include primaries for the office of United States president, and local primaries for the offices of assessor of property and 5th District county commissioner.
Early voting will begin Jan. 21 and run through Feb. 5 at the early voting office behind the administrative offices on Locust Street. The main referendum and primaries, for those who do not vote early, will be held Feb. 10.
Anyone who is not registered to vote must do so by Jan. 9 in order to cast their ballots in the Feb. 10 races. Yates said registration forms will also be accepted by mail if postmarked by Jan. 11. Forms can be picked up at the election office at the county administrative offices or at post offices and most government buildings.