More tax proposals will appear on upcoming ballots than contested races for the April 4 municipal and school board elections. Six tax proposals will be put before voters, three of which involve taxing sales of marijuana and related paraphernalia. There are also nine vacancies, and 11 uncontested races for various municipal elections.

Howard County Clerk Shelly Howell predicts fewer than 20 percent of registered voters will turn out for the election.

The only contested race involves the Harrisburg Board of Education, which will only appear on a handful of Howard County ballots. Incumbents Kathleen VanRoekel, Scott Eaton, and Heidi DeMuth, and challenger Josh Byrd will vie for three open seats.

The Fayette school board has three candidates, all incumbents, for three open seats. Glasgow and New Franklin school boards will not hold formal elections since the number candidates matches the number of available seats.

Two races in Glasgow were to be contested, those for North and South city council wards. But five candidates were disqualified for running because they did not file financial interest statements with the Missouri Ethics Commission by the January 17 deadline. Central Ward candidate Renna Bean, North Ward candidates Michael Carter and Susan Freese, and South Ward candidates Aaron Gouge and Jason Wright will not appear on ballots but may still be appointed by the city council.

Nine vacancies appear on municipal ballots across Fayette, Glasgow, Franklin, New Franklin, and fire protection districts. 

In Fayette, one seat on the Southwest Ward will be vacated by longtime councilman Grafton Cook who chose not to seek another term. Incumbents running unopposed are Stephanie Ford (East), Peggy O’Connell (Northwest), and Bekki Galloway (Southeast).

Nobody has filed for two directorships of the Glasgow Fire Protection District. One six-year and one four-year term remain open.

Only one of five positions in New Franklin city government have not been filed for, each of which are uncontested. Daniel Yount is the lone candidate for Mayor. He will succeed Robbie Harvey. Ricky Newell, incumbent James Painter, and Seth Hallowell have filed for Wards 1, 2, and 3, respectively. A two-year term is open for Ward 3.

Nobody filed for either city council seat in Franklin. In Armstrong, Larry Neville has filed for Mayor. Rebecca Kurtz and Austin Davis have filed for seats on the East and West wards, respectively. 

While there is a shortage of candidates, there is no shortage of taxes. Two cities and the county are hoping voters approve taxes on marijuana, which was legalized across Missouri for recreational use by a constitutional amendment approved by voters in November. Cities and counties may now impose a three-percent tax for sales of marijuana and paraphernalia. Fayette and Glasgow each have those respective taxes on the ballot, as does the County of Howard.

Currently, there are no  medical or recreational marijuana dispensaries anywhere in Howard County.

Retail sales of cannabis made inside city limits will be taxed by a rate of three percent. Sales made inside the county, but not within the boundaries of any city, will be subject to a three-percent tax. However, it is highly likely these laws will change as Missouri acclimates to the new constitutional amendment. 

The City of Fayette is also asking voters to approve a public safety sales tax of one-half of one percent to benefit Fayette police and fire departments. The tax appeared before voters in November and was rejected by just eight votes.

The current sales tax in Fayette is 7.975%. A section of town inside a special taxing district known as a Community Improvement District (CID) that includes the downtown courthouse square and extends to Dollar General and C&R Market has a sales tax of 8.99%. Missouri sales tax makes up the bulk of that rate, totaling 4.225%, followed by a sales tax rate of 2.625% for Howard County, and 1.125% for the City of Fayette. The CID adds an extra 1% sales tax. An additional half-cent sales tax would increase the overall rate to 8.025% for goods purchased inside the city limits of Fayette and a rate of 9.49% in the CID.

If approved, Fayette would have a somewhat average sales tax compared with surrounding cities. Boonville’s sales tax tops out at 9.1%, with Moberly close behind at 8.975%. Elsewhere in the county, sales tax in Glasgow is 8.6 %, and 8.85% in New Franklin. 

Nearby, Columbia has a city-wide sales tax of 7.975%, of which the city’s portion is 2%. Several districts throughout Columbia also have various added sales taxes.

The sales tax rate in Higbee is 7.975%. In Harrisburg, the rate is 6.975%.

The Fayette school district is asking for a new tax to help pay for capital improvements but will not increase current property taxes.  If approved, a new $3.4 million bond will replace an expiring bond, leaving the debt service tax levy unchanged at $0.7762. 

The new bond would allow the district to maintain its debt service levy at its current level. The district’s property tax rate is currently $4.9962 per $100 of assessed valuation. Of that, $0.7762 goes to pay the district’s debt. Should the measure fail, the debt service fund could be capped, and property owners would see a slight reduction in property taxes.

The final tax on next week’s ballots will be Proposition U, a use tax for the City of New Franklin. If approved, goods purchased over the internet from out-of-state vendors will be charged a two-percent sales tax. The new tax will match the local sales tax rate, and will be adjusted up or down to match any future changes. The tax is not earmarked for any specific uses. Funds collected from the tax will be placed into the city’s general revenue fund.

All polls in Howard County will be open from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, April 4. (A list of polling places, along with ballots and non-election notices appears on Page 5 of this newspaper). Election tallies will not be cried, but unofficial results will be available at the Fayette Advertiser’s website, www.fayettenewspapers.com, as well as the county clerk’s website as they are tabulated. Write-in votes will not be announced by the clerk but will be forwarded to the appropriate municipalities. The clerk has two weeks to certify the results.