Bollinger County road tax fails, Leopold approves fire district

MARBLE HILL, Mo. — The proposed half-cent sales tax to fund Bollinger County road work went down to defeat Tuesday with 794 people voting against it and 575 voting in favor.

“I’m disappointed but not surprised with all the false information about where the money was going to go,” commented Presiding Commissioner Travis Elfrink.

Elfrink provided a copy of a flier the Concerned Citizens of Bollinger County had distributed around the county. The Concerned Citizens was much more low-key about its work against the road tax than the group was a year ago when it led the effort to reduce by half the tax that supported the library.

In the flier, the Concerned Citizens claimed the Missouri Legislature raised the assessed valuation on all agriculture and forest land in the past year, and stated in 2017-2018 there will be another valuation increase ranging from $20 to $50 to bring the assessed values to $425, $677, $893 and $1,087. The proposed road tax was not a property tax, but a sales tax.

Even the Bollinger County Commission was divided on the tax. At the commission meeting Monday morning, Associate Commissioner Steve Jordan said he did not support it, but voted to put it on the ballot to support Elfrink and Associate Commissioner James Null, who did.

Elfrink said the margin gave him hope another try at another time might be successful.

“I don’t know when that will be,” he said.

Passing a new tax in Leopold proved to be easier. By a count of 208 to 77, Leopold residents established a fire-protection district with a tax of 30 cents per $100 valuation. The five-member fire protection board also was established: Marty Calvert, Tom Jansen, Alan Elfrink, Larry VanGennip, and Heather Jansen.

Project Keep Meadow Heights Safe was approved 320 to 187. The vote allows the school district to increase the current district debt service to allow the district to borrow $650,000 to provide funds for a new security system at building entrances, repair the gymnasium roof, construct a new driveway east of the parking lot, install backup generators and do other remodeling and repair improvements as funds allow. The debt service levy is expected to remain unchanged at 35 cents per $100 assessed valuation.

In Marble Hill, Jerome Gaines was unopposed for mayor after Clint Lacy dropped out of the race. Kevin Ward was unopposed in the second ward. In the first ward, Jackie Jenkins Jr. defeated former alderman Roger Burr 17 to 9.

As usual, the village of Zalma had five vacancies on its board, depending on write-in votes to fill them. There were no write-in votes.