Osage County sheriff asks for April sales tax increase
The Osage County sheriff has asked the Osage County Commission to put a half-cent sales tax on April’s ballot.
If the ballot measure is approved, the sales tax would raise approximately $500,000 for law enforcement services in the county, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
Osage is not competitive enough in staff pay with surrounding counties, Sheriff Mike Bonham said in a news release.
“In Osage County, officers would start at $31,800 and they would top out around $34,100,” Bonham said. “As soon as they cross the river and go to Cole County or Callaway County, they’re starting around $37,000. There’s a huge pay gap and the result is that we don’t have enough officers to fill the current positions that we have available.”
Based on a report from Bonham, money generated by the sales tax will be used for training, equipping and hiring sheriff’s deputies. Cole County has a similar sales tax, which provides funding for the sheriff’s department and jail.
