If It Was Up to Marion Voters, Sales Tax Would Have Passed

If Marion voters had their way, they would have passed the local-option sales tax.

According to numbers from the Linn County Auditor’s office, nine out of the 14 Marion precincts voted for the sales tax, while only 10 of the 44 Cedar Rapids districts went for the tax. Overall, approximately 53 percent of Marion voters cast their ballot in favor.

It’s safe to say Marion voters were much more enthusiastic than their Cedar Rapids neighbors.

"I voted for the tax because I know it would go towards the library," said 75-year-old Marion resident, Ronald Raim. "I use it everyday."

Raim was disappointed in the outcome of the election, as he said he preferred Marion getting the funds for road, sewer and municipal improvements this way, rather than issuing a bond or raising property taxes.

Raim isn’t the only one who’s disappointed.

"It is sad," said Marion City Council member Paul Draper. "I think we had an opportunity to do a lot of good things with another ten years of the sasels tax. A lot of street work and a lot of things are going to take a lot longer than ten years now."

Draper said that over the ten year lifespan of the proposed tax, it would have taken Marion ten years to do street and sewer improvements that may now take 20 years.

City Manager Lon Pluckhahn said the extra funding from a sales tax, much of which would come from shoppers that don’t live in Marion, would have helped combat the increasing cost of construction.

He said the cost of construction for roads have risen alongside the city of Marion’s ambition to build them. So even though they attempted to raise money for more sweeping street repair, the city ends up with same amount of construction.

At this point, it’s fair to wonder why Marion votes alongside the much less enthusiastic Cedar Rapids metropolitan area instead of trying to raise funds as an individual city.

Pluckhahn said that’s because as a metropolitan block that includes the much larger city of Cedar Rapids and Marion, they would get more in tax revenue than they would alone. 

The current sales tax expires in June of 2014 and it is possible for residents to petition another vote before then. Pluckhahn said the earliest he thinks this could take place is August or September.