The upcoming Marshals Museum 1 percent sales tax election is nothing short of attempted theft from the pockets of hard-working families in Fort Smith to pay for a private, special interest project.
The taxpayers of Fort Smith and local contractors are still on the hook for the last “good ol’ boys” project, the abandoned softball complex at Chaffee Crossing.
It’s disappointing our city directors abdicated their responsibility to the taxpayers by voting for a special election. Special elections are notoriously used to push through unpopular initiatives because voter turnout is extremely low.
The proponents of the special interest sales tax have made promises that proved false — they certainly can’t be trusted with taxpayer money from our citizens.
From the onset, the museum project promoters said it would be a privately funded endeavor. Shortly after proclaiming no taxpayer money would be used, museum supporters dispatched former Sen. Jake Files to scrape the taxpayer coffers in Little Rock for money to pay for the museum.
I guess the museum supporters didn’t understand that money coming from Little Rock was still taxpayer money. No doubt they’ll keep shaking the can in Little Rock for more taxpayer money for this private project.
The hard-working citizens of Fort Smith deserve better. We’ve weathered economic storms, plant shutdowns and now live under one of the highest sales tax rates in the nation. And let’s not forget about sky-high water bills that we’re now saddled with.
We pay enough in taxes — our citizens should be able to use their hard-earned money to support their families, not to pay for a private special interest project that benefits the few. I encourage the citizens to say no to raising our sales tax to pay for a private project that was sold as being a privately funded endeavor.
