The Byrnes Mill Board of Alderpersons may vote next month on whether to place a 1 percent sales tax increase on the April 7 ballot.
The city currently has a 1 1/2 percent sales tax.
City officials said revenue from the proposed sales tax increase, called Proposition Safety, or Prop S, would be used to improve safety in the city by beefing up the police and public works departments.
“Our primary focus is police, but there are other pieces of safety,” Mayor Rob Kiczenski said.
He said the funds generated by the tax would go to increase police officer pay and to hire additional police officers, to hire another Public Works employee and to change the code enforcement officer position from part-time to full-time, Kiczenski said.
Right now, the city’s Police Department has about five full-time, three part-time and two reserve officers, and the Public Works Department has three employees, city officials said.
City Administrator Debbie LaVenture said if the proposition passes it would generate approximately $200,000.
She said the board may possibly vote to place “Prop S” on the ballot during the Jan. 8 meeting, which will be held at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 141 Osage Executive Circle.
Kiczenski said he would like to see the city increase police officer pay so it would be competitive with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and other local police departments.
The starting pay for a police officer in Byrnes Mill is $37,674 a year, and the starting pay for a Sheriff’s Office deputy is $50,300 annually.
The Byrnes Mill board held a workshop Dec. 4 to discuss the proposed sales tax increase. Byrnes Mill resident Galen Harrison attended the meeting and said the proposition was a good idea.
LaVenture said Ward 3 Alderperson Mary Scheble proposed the idea of asking for the tax increase.
In April 2017, the city asked voters to approve a 40-cent property tax levy increase for the police department, and the measure failed with 206 “yes” votes and 350 “no” votes. The measure needed a two-thirds majority to pass.
The Byrnes Mill Board of Alderpersons may vote next month on whether to place a 1 percent sales tax increase on the April 7 ballot.
The city currently has a 1 1/2 percent sales tax.
City officials said revenue from the proposed sales tax increase, called Proposition Safety, or Prop S, would be used to improve safety in the city by beefing up the police and public works departments.
“Our primary focus is police, but there are other pieces of safety,” Mayor Rob Kiczenski said.
He said the funds generated by the tax would go to increase police officer pay and to hire additional police officers, to hire another Public Works employee and to change the code enforcement officer position from part-time to full-time, Kiczenski said.
Right now, the city’s Police Department has about five full-time, three part-time and two reserve officers, and the Public Works Department has three employees, city officials said.
City Administrator Debbie LaVenture said if the proposition passes it would generate approximately $200,000.
She said the board may possibly vote to place “Prop S” on the ballot during the Jan. 8 meeting, which will be held at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 141 Osage Executive Circle.
Kiczenski said he would like to see the city increase police officer pay so it would be competitive with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and other local police departments.
The starting pay for a police officer in Byrnes Mill is $37,674 a year, and the starting pay for a Sheriff’s Office deputy is $50,300 annually.
The Byrnes Mill board held a workshop Dec. 4 to discuss the proposed sales tax increase. Byrnes Mill resident Galen Harrison attended the meeting and said the proposition was a good idea.
LaVenture said Ward 3 Alderperson Mary Scheble proposed the idea of asking for the tax increase.
In April 2017, the city asked voters to approve a 40-cent property tax levy increase for the police department, and the measure failed with 206 “yes” votes and 350 “no” votes. The measure needed a two-thirds majority to pass.