The Jefferson City finance committee on Thursday approved an amendment to the 2022 city budget that would include funds from a half-cent capital improvement sales tax voters approved in August.
Collection of the sales tax, which is earmarked for constructing or improving city infrastructure or equipment, will begin in April. The tax, which will expire in five years, is estimated to bring in $5.6 million annually.
This is the seventh five-year extension of a sales tax for capital improvements.
“When we’re going through the budget committee hearings, the vote (on the sales tax) hadn’t happened,” Finance Director Margie Mueller said Thursday. “Even though when they (council members) did vote on the budget the sales tax H had passed, it was too late in the process to add it.”
Because the sales tax starts halfway into the fiscal year, the amendment for the current budget is for $2.8 million.
The budget amendment included $1.65 million for public works, $291,000 for the fire department, $269,000 for the police department, $280,000 for parks, $56,000 for IT and $252,000 for contingency.
In the previous sales tax cycle, the city spent $174,759 on the streetscape, sidewalks and lighting around Capitol Avenue with the funds. It also included $2.8 million for fixing the Dunklin Street bridge, which Cole County also
contributed to.
Mueller said the only thing really different with this plan is that the police department’s allocation will all go toward communication equipment, which is a new Intrado system for the 911 center.
“They’re going to need that money for that this fiscal year,” Mueller said.
The amendment will need a vote by the full City Council.
