With a 9-to-zero vote on Monday night, Springfield City Council sent a ¾-cent sales tax proposal to city voters.
Zone 2 Councilman Matt Simpson spoke out in favor of the tax proposition just before the vote, saying "I think that bill is probably the most important thing we will do as a council.”
If authorized at the ballot box on November 5, the tax wouldn’t be an increase for Springfield shoppers — but it does replace an older sales tax. That one was adopted in 2009 to fill a dramatic shortfall in the retirement pension system for Springfield police and firefighters.
Simpson characterized the current ¾-cent sales tax as a "success story."
He added, "We took a pension plan that was on the brink of insolvency, where we were not going to be able to keep our promises to those who served our city, and we brought it now to where it’s over 90-percent funded.”
The proposal for voters in November assigns 1/4-cent of the tax for the retirement pension, along with pay raises for police and firefighters. If voters approve the tax, the other 2/4 will be used on city objectives outlined in the Forward SGF comprehensive plan, including community, neighborhood and parks projects. That portion of the tax would sunset after 10 years.
In the run-up to the vote, many Springfield community advocates said they hope council allocates funding from the tax toward the city’s housing needs.
