County commissioners favor sales tax increase

We, the undersigned members of the Warren County Commission, individually approve and endorse the proposed increase in the local option sales tax as described in the referendum question which Warren County voters residing outside McMinnville city limits will decide Feb. 10, 2004.

We strongly recommend our fellow citizens carefully consider this proposal, seek authoritative and well-informed answers to any questions or concerns, and to vote “yes” when they go to the polls.

We are supporting the local option sales tax increase for these reasons, among others:

1) New revenue from the added sales tax (estimated at $2 million per year) will relieve pressure to increase property taxes. It would not be responsible, in view of economic and fiscal realities, to promise there will not be a property tax increase at some point in the future. But the additional sales tax will certainly reduce the likelihood and amount of any such increase.

2) The sales tax extends the burden of government finances to many more consumers of government services. The property tax, historically the primary source of local government funding, is paid by fewer than half of the Warren County citizens who use such services as our schools, road maintenance, solid waste disposal, emergency medical and public health systems, law enforcement and recreation programs.

3) In accordance with general Tennessee law, the portion of the added sales tax allocated to the county school system would alleviate some of the pressure for property tax increases for education. It could also create new opportunities for funding much-needed school system improvements without resorting to the property tax as the sole source of funding. Unless the extra local option sales tax is realized, the entire cost of these projects would have to be borne by property tax payers – with no help from many of those who would benefit.

4) For most of our retail purchases, we’re already paying the additional tax. The voters of McMinnville, where the vast majority of retail sales are made, have already adopted a similar increase in the local option tax. As things stand now, all of the new revenue, much of which is contributed by Warren County citizens residing outside McMinnville, is going in the coffers of city government.

Teddy Boyd
Carl E. Bouldin
H. David Smartt
R.J. Pierce IV
Kenneth Rogers
Terry Bell
Bill Zechman
Bryan Denton
Wayne Pryor
David Grissom
Herschel Wells
Sally Brock
Carl Hulett
George Smartt
Bill Yancy
David Hill
Ken Martin
Bobby Turner
Gary Prater
Herbert Wright
David Vandagriff
Donnie Caldwell
Bessie Smithson
Les Trotman