Transportation sales tax headed to Mo. voters

With the General Assembly's stamp of approval in place, a 3/4-cent sales tax designed to address a transportation shortfall in Missouri is headed to voters statewide.

The 10-year sales and use tax, proposed in House Joint Resolution 68 and a similar resolution in the Senate, would directly fund the Missouri Department of Transportation's faltering budget. The House approved the measure yesterday, following earlier Senate approval.

The tax proposal now heads to the Nov. 4 ballot. If approved by voters during the general election, the tax would go into effect Jan. 1, 2015.

The measure would provide some $500 million annually for the transportation department. Without the tax, by 2017, it's estimated MoDOT's funding would drop to $325 million, according to a news release from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“Transportation is a vital asset in Missouri. Our central location and access to roads, rail, rivers and air is a key selling point in our work to attract jobs and investment in our state,” chamber President and CEO Daniel Mehan said in the release. “The Missouri chamber and transportation stakeholders statewide will now work to help Missouri voters understand the stark future ahead and how this funding measure can help.”

Between 2005 and 2010, the transportation department's construction budget averaged $1.3 billion, but it has fallen to $685 million this year, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

"We are working with planning partners around the state and representatives from every mode of transportation to determine how this new revenue could best improve our total transportation system," MoDOT Director Dave Nichols said in a statement yesterday. "We are ready to deliver the projects and services that Missourians expect and deserve.”