Every community needs certain essential services to function well and provide a good quality of life that allows it to build a healthy economy.
Those services that need funding support in Fremont County include ambulance services, commercial air and public transportation. For this, the ¾ cent ballot initiative was developed.
The ¾ cent initiative, if passed by voters Aug 18, is a sales tax that will add .75 cent to every dollar purchased. That equates to 75 cents on a $100 taxable purchase. Family essentials like groceries, fuel and medicines are some of the items that are NOT taxed.
The collected funds are sent to the state who then sends them back to the seven Fremont County municipalities, regardless of where the actual purchases are made, based on proportion of population.
Accountability is important to the ¾ cent. The ballot initiative is specific about how these funds can be used – for ambulance, commercial air service and public transportation only. The municipalities have entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that spells out what they will do with the funds they receive from the state. Riverton, Lander, Hudson and the County have agreed to allocate 54% of the collected funds to ambulances, 31% to air service and 15% to public transportation, while some of the other small towns have agreed to send their funds for ambulance support.
The MOA allows for this bit of flexibility, but not much more than that. For example, changing the MOA requires public meetings with public comments and then unanimous agreement between the seven municipalities, represented by their elected officials, to make any change.
The ultimate accountability mechanism is the voter. Every 4 years the initiative will go back to voters for renewal.
Sales Tax or Property Tax? Which is more fair?
In the past, funding for ambulance services was provided through property tax, even while many other people use the services. As a sales tax, the burden is taken off the property owner and then shared by everybody that makes any local taxable purchase – no matter where they live. So, while residents contribute to the fund, so do visitors and tourists, temp workers and businesses, and folks from our neighboring counties that come here to shop.
That makes the tax collection more fair to all our towns and cities, while also ensuring the services are more equitable to our communities, regardless of how large or small, rural or remote.
Vote yes for the 3/4 cent sales tax for essential services including ambulance, air service and public transportation.
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