The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce and the Jackson Community Parks and Recreation Group held an informational breakfast Monday to address questions about Proposition One.
If passed on the November ballot, Proposition One would increase Jackson’s sales tax by .25% to raise funds for local park improvements plus maintenance of a donated $5 million community center building.
Steve Elefson is President of Southeast Missouri Medical Center Incorporated, a major donor for the community center. Elefson says Proposition One addresses multiple community needs.
“You’ve got to stay progressive within a community to have a good place for people where they want to live, where businesses want to come and relocate,” Elefson said. “I think a community center is vital to doing all those things. The parks are in desperate need of better operation funding and so it also fills that void.”
While the community center would be a dynamic change for the city, Elefson says the city’s parks system would see the greatest benefits.
“If you’re going to have a beautiful parks system, you’re going to have to create funding for the parks system. Right now, with 211 acres, our park department has literally three full time people to try and take care of 211 acres. They need a better revenue base instead of every year trying to minimize how far they go in the hole,” Elefson said.
If Proposition One does pass, Elefson says Jackson will still pay lower sales taxes than all surrounding cities.