Council Approves $68 Million One-Cent Spending List
Casper City Council has approved a $68 million city of Casper optional one-cent sales tax spending list for the next four years.
The list indicates that $48 million in one-cent sales tax revenue will go toward water, fire, streets and police – once again, in order, the four areas that ranked the highest in recent surveys.
Following that, $12 million will be divided among 14 lower-ranked areas.
In order, those 14 lower-ranked areas were: Senior citizen services, community health services, parks, playgrounds, trails and outdoor sports facilities, human services, flood control and river restoration, strong local economy, providing for the one percent operation and maintenance savings account, swimming and recreation, library books, public building repairs, public transportation, energy conservation, technology support, and the arts.
The final $8 million will be set aside for community projects.
The list, of course, assumes passage of the sales tax again this November, which is not exactly a certainty at this stage. Casper mayor Paul Meyer says, if the tax doesn't pass, the city could find itself in a rough spot.
“It would have a real dire effect on everything but the operation of the city,” Meyer said. “It would institute changes that I don’t believe anybody in the city or county would appreciate – I know I certainly wouldn’t.”
The tax has been passed 14 consecutive times by county voters since 1974.