Local option sales tax has been a topic on the lips of cities throughout Dallas County, but did you ever wonder how that got started?

The answer can be found a few miles west of Perry in a town of around 130 people. The City of Dawson knew last year their local option sales tax was due to sunset at the end of this year, so they began collecting signatures on a petition to put a measure on the November general election ballot. Dawson Mayor Breanna Gonzalez says they spent months seeking signatures, but it was a trip down Highway 141 in March that would get the whole county involved.

Gonzalez spoke at a Perry City Council meeting, and her presentation struck a chord with them. Perry became fully involved after speaking with representatives from DeSoto and Van Meter who were trying to fill their own local option sales tax petitions. Perry City Administrator Sven Peterson suggested everyone join together for a countywide petition, with Perry serving as the facilitator. Gonzalez thought it was a good idea and Dawson jumped on board.

Through the spring and summer, the petition was passed around at several county events. Eventually it reached more than 2,100 signatures, well over the target of 1,929. With the measure on the ballot, it was a weight off Gonzalez’s shoulders. “It did take away a lot of stress, because I mean we were spending a lot of our free time to find events going on in the county that we would hit large numbers of Dallas County residents. So it was actually great to be able to finally hit that mark and not have to spend that time collecting signatures.”

To hear more from Gonzalez, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.