News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
White County polls will open Tuesday for the vote on the proposed sales tax referendum.
County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson said the election comes after the town of Sparta increased its sales tax rate from the state’s 9.25 percent to 9.75 percent several years ago. He said the vote will allow county residents to decide if they want the sales tax to become the same throughout the county.
“The responsibility of the citizens to set that rate for how they want to divide it and if they don’t want it that’s fine,” Robinson said. “But I felt like I needed to, and the county commission felt like it needed to, let the people speak on it.”
Robinson said the increase would bring the total revenue collection to about $120,000 annually. He said some $85,000 of that is already being collected by the city.
Robinson said the additional revenue would go toward the White County School System and the City of Sparta.
Robinson said the money received from the original increased rate in Sparta was earmarked for road improvements. He said while Sparta has made good strides on that work, he believes it is time for all White Countians to see the benefit he believes they are paying into.
“The goal behind it is that we have people that are County residents that are paying a tax that doesn’t have a say so in how it’s spent, they’re just having to pay it and not seeing the fruits,” Robinson said. “This way half of that money comes back to the county, particularly the school system, and then at that point the county citizens have some say so in how it’s spent.”
Robinson said this will help to simplify the sales tax rates by making them the same across the board. He said residents would see the impact at their local stores and markets based in the county. Robinson said Sparta’s sales tax would not change.
This referendum only permits county residents to vote. The two precincts in the Sparta city limits will not be open for voting. Polls are open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
