Voters to decide on Business Loop CID sales tax Thursday

A small group of Columbia residents will vote on a new sales-tax levy Thursday.

The half-cent levy would affect businesses on a portion of Business Loop 70.

Originally, there was thought to be only one voter in the district. But it was later found out about 15 people live within the voting boundaries to vote.

Their mail-in ballots are due by 7:00 p.m. Thursday. If the levy passes, it will generate thousands of dollars a year for improvements.

Some residents who fall inside the voting district tell ABC 17 they do not think a tax levy would be fair.

“The costs to paying for this really seem like they’re going to get passed down to the people actually buying things,” voter Tim Whalen said.

The Business Loop Community Improvement District is a group made up of dozens of properties from I-70 to College Avenue. An area some business owners say is falling into disrepair.

“The business loop’s been neglected for years,” Gary Ennis with Ennis Appliance Center said. “All the years we’ve been here, I don’t know of any upgrades that they’ve done. You know we have dividers on the road out here that grow weeds instead of trees.”

The half-cent levy on retail sales would bring in about $200,000 a year for improvements. Those could include infrastructure, accessibility, public safety and cosmetic changes.

“Most retail areas already charge that tax and that’s why they look so much better than we do,” Carrie Gartner, the Loop CID Director, said.

Right now, the CID is getting about $50,000 a year for improvements from a special property tax on the businesses. But Gartner said that is not enough to tackle all that is needed in the area.

“Since this is such a depressed area, it’s been neglected by the city for decades, property values are so low we just don’t pull in a lot of money that way,” Gartner said.

But some voters said they think the property owners should pay the whole cost of improvements themselves.

“The costs aren’t the issue,” Whalen said. “It’s not actually the little bit of money. It’s the idea that the property owners are gonna benefit and the property owners are gonna pass the costs onto other people.”