Area groups raise money to seek voter approval for sales tax renewals

A group in Fort Smith and one in Crawford County have raised a reported $19,000 and $3,050, respectively, as part of an effort to seek renewal of a sales tax in their respective areas. May 12 is the election for renewal of the taxes.

The “Keep Your Penny Rolling, A Project of Citizens for Continued Progress” committee filed papers Dec. 19, 2014 with the Arkansas Ethics Commission as part of its effort to seek voter renewal for another 10 years of a 1% sales tax for streets. The committee updated the filing on Feb. 13 to note that it “will also be advocating for approval to use 5% of that revenue for trails and bikeways on the same election ballot.” Committee members listed on the document filed with the Arkansas Ethics Commission are Mayor Sandy Sanders, chairman; Michael Hadley, co-chair; Sam T. Sicard, treasurer; Marty Clark, John Cooley, Dwight Curry, Tim Hearn, Alex Nguyen, Alex Sanchez, Sherry Toliver, Rocky Walker and Robert Young.

The Fort Smith Board of Directors approved Jan. 20 a May 12 election in which city voters will be asked to vote for renewal of the 1% sales tax for street, bridges and drainage improvements. Part of the ballot will also include a voter question on directing 5% of the tax collections toward the multi-use trail system. A Trails & Greenway Committee, chaired by Drew Linder, an officer with First National Bank of Fort Smith, developed the plan that seeks to add 35 miles to the city’s trail system. The Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Smith Regional Council have endorsed renewal of the tax and the 5% portion for trails and greenways.

The street tax generates $18 million to $20 million each year. The tax, first approved by voters in 1985, has a sunset clause that requires voter approval every 10 years. The tax was renewed by voters in 1995 with 87.2% voting yes, and in 2005 with 66.3% voting yes. A renewal vote is planned for May 12.

The first report of donations and expenses for the Keep Your Penny Rolling committee was in the Feb. 9 report, which provided info on January activity. During January the committee collected $12,250 in donations and spent $34.08. The expense was noted under the “Direct Mail” category.

Following are the donors on the Feb. 9 report, in the order listed on the report.
Stephens Production Co., $1,000
Harry Lewis, $250
Beshears Construction, $500
Brown Hiller Clark, $250
Coca Cola Bottling of Fort Smith, $500
First National Bank, $1,000
Forsgren Inc., $5,000
Hawkins Weir, $1,000
Philip Leraris, $500
Beall Barclay, $500
Mickle Wagner Coleman, $1,000
Farrell-Cooper Land Co., $250
Traffic Engineering Consultants, $500

The February report, filed March 10, showed another $19,000 collected in the month, with expenses of $7,500. Following are the donors on the March 10 report, in the order listed on the report.
Morrison Shipley Engineering, $500
Weldon Williams & Lick, $500
Regions Bank, $1,000
Smith Chevrolet Cadillac, $500
Flintco, $1,000
Stephens Production Co., $2,500 (boosting total contribution to $3,500)
ArcBest Corp., $500
Hanna Oil & Gas, $500
Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corp., $1,000
Fort Smith Regional Council, $10,000
APAC, $1,000

VOTER OUTREACH
The $7,500 expense was to hire Fort Smith-based Williams Crawford & Associates to handle campaign marketing. Chip Paris, with Williams Crawford, said the marketing effort has included identifying the 13,000 voters who frequently vote in special elections. He said direct mail and other traditional outreach efforts will be made, with the likely voters to be part of a more refined effort.

“You will be reaching out to the entire population, to all the voters, but you really focus on those who have shown a predisposition to vote in a special election,” Paris said, adding that yard signs and other visual aspects of the campaign will be seen in the next few days and weeks.

He also said the database would be used to better target neighborhoods for door-to-door campaigning. Paris said groups who have a vested interested in trails – bicycle groups, running groups, etc. – have said they are willing to campaign in neighborhoods.

Jerry Fleming is leading a grassroots effort to oppose the 5% being portioned off for trails. His group, “Save Our Streets in Fort Smith,” has a Facebook page but does not have a filing with the Arkansas Ethics Commission. Filings are not required for groups that collect or spend less than $500.

CRAWFORD COUNTY VOTE
Also advocating for a tax renewal is the “County-Wide Sales Tax Renewal Committee” in Crawford County. That election is also set for May 12, with voters asked to renew the tax for another eight years.

The Crawford County sales tax was first approved in 1999 by a narrow margin of 2,571 for and 2,502 against. It was renewed in 2007 by a much wider margin of 3,592 for and just 884 against.

Serving as co-chairs of the committee are Sheila Bell, Cathy Gifford, Rusty Myers and Brett Peters. Other members are Neal Moon, Gary O’Kelley and Tina Shores. The Crawford County tax generated $7.733 million in 2014, according to the Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration.

Documents provided by Myers to The City Wire show that the tax generated $49.49 million in the previous eight years. The money is distributed to cities within the county based on population. Following is the eight-year distribution total to the cities and county.
Alma: $4.09 million
Cedarville: $1.092 million
Chester: $109,040
Dyer: $822,048
Kibler: $832,566
Mountainburg: $572,963
Mulberry: $1.411 million
Rudy: $70,980
Van Buren: $17.758 million
Crawford County: $22.728 million

“Continuation of county-wide sales tax means it would be in place for another eight years, until 2023. Most important, it means the County and the cities can continue to support needed and essential public services that contribute to the county being a good place in which to live and to operate a business,” Myers told The City Wire.

There is no known organized opposition to the renewal effort in Crawford County.

As of the latest report filed March 10, the committee has raised $3,050, with no expenditures listed. Following is a list of donors to the committee.
Sheila and Charles Bell, $100
Keith Hefner, $500
Brett Peters, $500
Clovis and Pat Satterfield, $100
Jim White Realty, $200
Crawford Construction, $200
J.R. Young Construction, $250
Robert Barrett LLC, $500
Terry Carson, $100
Ed Yeager, $500
Philip Bagby, $100