Howell County Voters Go To Polls Today

There are two tax issues on the ballot for today’s special election for voters in West Plains and in the Southern Howell County Ambulance District.

Voters in the city of West Plains will decide on a tax question approved by voters across the county in April concerning vehicles, boats, and outboard motors that are purchased outside of the state of Missouri. A “no” voting on the issue today will allow the city to continue to collect taxes on those purchases, which officials say will give local vendors preference and continue to bring roughly $80,000 to the city, or the equivalent of the salaries of two police officers.

Voters in the South Howell County Ambulance District will decide if the district should implement a sales tax of one-half of one percent, and then eliminate the district’s property tax, to help fund the district’s operating costs. The current tax on purchases made in West Plains is 7.16 percent, with an increase to 7.66 percent if the issue is passed. The current property tax rate in the district is 19.97 cents per dollar of assessed property value.