Rural voters have reason to vote yes

By The Gazette Editorial Board

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Cedar Rapids voters have a clear reason to consider extending a local-option sales tax for 20 years when they go to the polls May 3: protect the city from more catastrophic flooding.

Linn County residents in unincorporated areas have reason to approve the extension, too, although for a different reason.

If urban voters approve the local-option sales tax extension, voting no wouldn't save rural Linn County residents from having to pay the extra penny - it would only ensure they have no control over how that money is spent.

If rural voters sign on, they'd actually receive about 17 percent of the local-option salex tax revenues, even though they only make up about 10 percent of the county's population.

Officials estimate that if the extension passes in metro and unincorporated areas, it would mean a $100 million infusion into county projects over the 20 years.

And while Cedar Rapids officials plan to use the city's revenue for the flood protection system, as well as city street repair and some property tax relief - there are important projects in the rural areas, as well: road improvements and conservation, along with property tax relief.

To date, 90 percent of the current five-year local-option salex tax revenues for the rural areas has gone toward county road improvements, and the remaining 10 percent to conservation.

If voters extend the tax, the Linn County supervisors will use half the revenue to fund road improvements, 25 percent for conservation programs and 25 percent for property tax relief.

Visitors to the county also would pay the extra sales tax. As a result, rural property owners likely would receive a property tax break greater than they would pay in additional sales tax, county officials say.

“It's having other people outside your county finance your tax cut,” as Supervisor Brent Oleson told members of The Gazette Editorial Board.

Rural residents and business owners also have a lot to gain from improvements to bridges, farm-to-market roads and popular rural public areas that county staff have identified, should the tax be passed. Conservation funds also could be used to fund watershed management projects - helping to minimize future flooding in Linn County and down river.

Supervisors told us staff have been careful to identify projects that wouldn't be a struggle to maintain once the local-option sales tax funds run dry. As with the current local-option sales tax, the revenue would be tracked to ensure it goes for what it's intended.

Bottom line: We think the case for voting yes in the rural areas is strong.

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