Jefferson residents are being asked today to decide on a proposed change to allow for more areas for City officials to spend the 1% Local Option Sales and Services Tax on.

Mayor Craig Berry says this isn’t a new tax, but one that has helped to improve the City’s streets, sewer and water infrastructure.  The City Council is proposing that they would like to expand their coverage of the LOSST funds to improve its parks, cemeteries, swimming pool and the Greene County Community Center.

He points out that the 1% sales tax is on anything that’s not food or medical-related from goods and services that people use in town.  LOSST funds generate about $360,000-$400,000.  Mayor Berry talks about what residents had to pay for before LOSST fund were implemented about five years ago.

“The big thing that I want to point out to the listening community is that previously before this tax was there, if there was a problem-like with the street-the individual property owners that were affected by that problem, they were specially assessed.”

He explains that if the LOSST referendum isn’t passed by voters, then the City would have to do special bonding on its residents to fix any streets, sewer, water or other infrastructure repairs.

Berry hopes the total amount of the LOSST funds will increase with the addition of the Wild Rose Jefferson facility and the attached Cobblestone Hotel establishment for them to do other maintenance projects to their current infrastructure.

If passed, the new LOSST fund language would be in effect for the next ten years.