This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Dec. 18, 2012 - A bill authorizing a countywide vote on a proposed sales tax hike to help pay for improvements to the Gateway Arch grounds and county parks has been formally introduced by the St. Louis County Council.
But the seven-member body won’t take a vote on the proposal until January, when it returns from a holiday break. Tuesday afternoon’s meeting will be its last of 2012.
St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley called the proposed tax “a great investment in the St. Louis region.”
The bill seeks a proposed sales tax hike of 3/16 of a cent, which backers say would raise $38 million for the improvement and upkeep of the Gateway Arch grounds and area parks, many of the latter in St. Louis County.
The city of St. Louis' Board of Aldermen also are considering the proposal, which needs to be on both jurisdictions' ballots in April.
In the county, Dooley had come under fire in 2011 over a now-scuttled plan to close some of the county’s parks.
This time, Dooley demurred when he was asked if he would actively campaign for the sales tax hike, saying that task is largely to be left to area civic and business groups.
Council president Mike O'Mara, D-Florissant, said he does plan to go public with his support, should the proposal get on the ballot.
The bulk of the projected income from the sales-tax hike would come from county residents.
O'Mara called the proposed sales-tax increase "good for the region" and good for the county. He said he had yet to discuss the tax-hike proposal with other council members, and emphasized the measure would simply put the idea before voters -- who would make the final decision.
"When you talk to people around the country, they recognize the Arch,'' he said. Making the grounds' attractive helps the region, O'Mara said. He added that county residents -- and their parks -- also would benefit from the sales-tax proposal.
