Gainesville, MO. – A recent communication from the Missouri State Department of Revenue has left governmental figures in Ozark County in a state of surprise. It stated that the half-cent sales tax that voters passed in November cannot be imposed.
This information comes to us as a part of a statement issued by the Ozark County Commission yesterday afternoon.
“It has come to our attention, after notification from the Missouri State Department of Revenue, that the Law Enforcement Sales Tax passed by the voters of Ozark County in the November 8 General Election cannot be imposed. This was a massive shock to us at Ozark County, and we are currently working with Legislatures to navigate through our options to provide the funding so sorely needed for the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department.
We want to thank the voters of Ozark County for their support in passing this sales tax and pray that the support so graciously shown will continue as we find the best option to move forward.”
The statement is signed by Terry Newton, Presiding Commissioner, as well as other Ozark County Officials. This includes Cass Martin, the Sheriff of Ozark County, who campaigned in the latter half of last year to show the importance of this sales tax to their department.
This puts Martin’s plan to replenish his workforce in jeopardy, as the funds were being worked into budgets for 2023. Ozark County Prosecuting Attorney, Matt Weatherman, stated in a previous article that “without the sales tax, it is expected that service will have to decrease across the county, possibly leading to only 1 Sheriff and 3-4 officers providing services to one of the biggest counties within the state.”
More updates will be made available as they are received.
