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Mayor: Sales tax would help the community of Laurel

A Letter to the Editor from Mark Patefield

To the Editor:

Laurel citizens will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed local sales tax next week, so I want to make sure people are able to make an informed decision.

The first thing to know is anything that is currently exempt from sales tax would also be exempt under a local sales tax.

We already pay many taxes; federal and state, but those dollars leave our community, and most often do not come back in equal measure.  This tax is different, in that the dollars spent here, stay here, to benefit Laurel directly.  Also, the funds are tied to a specific use for local infrastructure, and the main project currently envisioned for the use of these funds is the street and sidewalk on downtown Main Street.

As everyone who uses the street is well aware, the sidewalk slope is an issue, requiring a step to get into many buildings, or an extremely high curb.

For the sidewalks to be changed to have a better slope without the use of steps, it would require the street itself to be changed.  This is a major project, and because of its cost, it has been an issue for many decades.

Although most people would like to see improvements, it has been cost prohibitive. A local sales tax is the opportunity to finally make this project a reality, not only improving what our main street looks like, but making it easier for everyone to travel up and down the sidewalks, and to get in and out of our downtown businesses.

The local option is a way for the project to be funded without all the cost being dependent on the citizens.

Anyone coming through town purchasing taxed items would be helping to fund the project.

Currently, most area towns our size have a local option sales tax that they use to help fund projects within their community.

If you ever buy anything that has sales tax in Norfolk, Sioux City, Wayne, Wakefield, West Point, Wausa, Randolph, Ponca, Plainview, Pierce, Hartington or Pender, you have paid their sales tax and helped their community.   

For Laurel to pass the sales tax, it would be capturing funds for the benefit of our own community.

Voting for this resolution in the upcoming election is important for the future of Laurel.

To remain a vibrant community, we must maintain and improve what we have to offer, and a big part of that is periodic infrastructure improvements.

Large projects like this have an impact that will last; they are not only for our benefit, but for those who will live in Laurel in the future.

The time for this project, and future ones like it, is well overdue, so I ask you to strongly consider voting for the sales tax for the benefit of Laurel for today and future generations.

— Mark Patefield

Northeast Nebraska News Company

102 W. Main
Hartington NE 68739
402-254-3997