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COMBAT goes to a vote
Lydia Strong
Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: News
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Jackson County residents will head to the polls Nov. 3 to decide if COMBAT, a 1/4 cent sales tax, should be renewed.
"Every seven years the community gets to say up or down (on this tax)," Stacey Daniels-Young, director of COMBAT, said.
The debate over the special elections and the tax itself came to UMKC earlier this month.
Officials described the tax and its uses during an Oct. 13 forum in the UMKC School of Law Courtroom. Opponents of the tax also attended.
"It was first passed in 1989," Mike Sanders, county executive, said. "It was re-passed in 1996, in 2003 and, ultimately, is up for re-election next year."
But rather than waiting, the county legislature decided to hold a special election this November. Some voters have said they are uncomfortable with the decision.
"It deeply concerns me that they are trying to do special elections when there aren't other issues on the ballot that would attract more voters," resident Jeff Helkenberg said.
Some members of the press also question the logic behind the election.
"This election is going to cost $800,000 more than it would cost next November," said Steve Kraske, political reporter for the Kansas City Star. "Why not wait?"
Sanders replied that waiting another year would be irresponsible.
"We responded to the people we serve," Sanders said. "They want to know whether these funds are going to be there."
COMBAT gives 15 percent of its funds to drug treatment agencies, 15 percent to corrections programs, 9.5 percent to the Kansas City Police Department, 9.5 percent to the Eastern Jackson County Drug Task Force and 9.5 percent to the county prosecutor's office.
"A third of my budget comes from this tax," Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar said.
Drug prevention agencies get 7.5 percent of the funds, D.A.R.E. gets 6 percent, the Circuit Court gets 12 percent and 6 percent goes to drug courts.
"We (the drug courts) have 94 percent success rates," Kanatzar said.
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Frances
posted 11/02/09 @ 6:25 PM CST
Either way, there's a TON of money being used to pass this tax.
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