On behalf of Citizens for Proposition 1, Ken Hussey took to the microphone Friday at the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce’s Friday Coffee
Hussey spoke to a crowd of nearly 50 people in the local business community about voting in favor of a 10-year sunset on the capital improvement sales tax
This matter goes to the ballot Aug. 4, where Jefferson City residents will decide whether they want to implement a half-cent sales tax for 2027-37, expected to generate approximately $79 million in local community investments during the decade
The revenue will go toward projects in public works, public safety, parks and recreation, technology and information services, and any contingency and emerging needs
This includes street repaving, stormwater projects and public safety vehicles, while the contingency fund helps offset the rising cost of materials for projects, with any underutilized money being put toward more improvement projects
Public amenities that the tax has funded or maintained include the Wildwood Drive extension, Capital Area Rail Terminal, the Washington Park Pickleball Complex and the basketball court at Memorial Park
“Our park system is second to none in this state,” Hussey, who used to be a city councilman, said about JC Parks, which benefits from the capital improvement sales tax. He added that Jefferson City residents are proud of the quality of the local parks and often brag about them
“Families and individuals have access to safe, usable spaces, the trail system … parks, they’re for everybody and they cut across a lot of class lines, too,” he said. “If a kid doesn’t have means to access other things and participate in stuff, our parks system can be a re
Past revenue from the tax has also allowed for updated law enforcement and first responder equipment like body cameras, safety apparatus and updated vehicles
“If you remove (the tax) and take that money out of the city budget, the Jefferson City that you would see is one that isn’t repairing streets every year, it’s not able to address the stormwater issue,” Hussey said. “We’d have to push our fire trucks a little bit further in their use and hope for the best that they don’t have maintenance issues
“That is not exactly a community and a vision of what we want to see in the future. So I highly encourage you to make sure you get out and vote.”
Find out more about Proposition 1 at improvejeffcity.com
Jefferson City Mayor Ron Fitzwater speaks about the progress of various city projects during Friday’s Chamber Coffee at the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce.
Kyle Bruemmer, right, talks about the cost of asphalt per ton versus only a few years ago and how much the price has increased. Bruemmer is the director of Jefferson City Public Works and Hussey was speaking on behalf of Citizens for Proposition 1, the one-half cent sales tax on the August 4 ballot.
