A 1 percent tourism tax may appear on Leflore County ballots soon.
The Leflore County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Monday to send a request to the U.S. Department of Justice, which has to approve special elections and other voting issues in certain states, including Mississippi.
Supervisor Phil Wolfe of District 1 cast the lone vote against the measure.
Wolfe opposes any tax increase in the county.
He gives several arguments against this one. For one, he said, the open wording of the bill leaves too many avenues for spending the money generated by the tax, if it should pass.
"In my experience," Wolfe said, "the Civic Center will come up lacking."
He wants supervisors to meet with City of Greenwood officials to find other sources of income.
Willie Perkins Sr., who represents the Board of Supervisors, doesn't expect any problems with the request. He expects an answer by July, unless the Justice Department wants more information.
July is too late for the primaries, which are June 6, when voters will select their party's nomination for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. A November general election follows.
A tourism tax would add 1 percent to all restaurant and hotel bills in the county. The City of Greenwood already levies a 1 percent tax on charges from hotels and restaurants for tourism. Mississippi's sales tax is 7 percent. This means if the county referendum passes, someone dining in a Greenwood restaurant would pay 9 percent in taxes.
Supervisors originally intended for the county tax to provide a source of revenue to operate and maintain the Leflore County Civic Center.
Yet the bill also allows supervisors to invest the tax money into promoting tourism and other ventures "in the best interest of the county."
At least 60 percent of those casting ballots in the election must vote for the measure before supervisors can levy the referendum.
Supervisors President Robert Moore of District 2 supports the tax because its shifts the financial burden of the Civic Center off the county taxpayers. Moore contends that tourists use the building more often, so they should pay for its upkeep.
