By now, most residents of Grant County have received a ballot in the mail, asking for your opinion on a .25% Gross Receipts Tax Increase on tangible goods sales (excluding food and medical services). If the increase should pass, a $10 million bond will be allocated in Grant County to fund five community enhancement projects.
According to the press release, these projects include: completing renovations to the Grant County Veterans’ Memorial Business and Conference Center; expanding and restoring the WNMU swimming pool, as well as constructing a second indoor pool for community use; improving the Bataan Park baseball field and bringing back WNMU’s baseball program; improvements at the Silver City golf course; and building a multiplex movie theater.
The proposed tax increase will expand the current WNMU swimming pool to make it comply with NCAA standards, as well as build a second pool more ideal for recreational and family use. Bataan Memorial Park improvements are intended to revitalize the baseball program at WNMU and bring recreational opportunities to the area. The hope for building a movie theater is to keep money in Grant County by giving people something to do, which should, in the future, allow us to “provide more services and a better quality of life for everyone.” Improvements made to the golf course paths should attract tourists and future residents, as well as give local golfers a true community golf course.
WNMU President Joe Shepard explained “while each individual project can be debated, it is the whole package that is appealing. This proposal offers us an opportunity to have a positive impact on our community and boost the quality of life for all residents of Grant County.”
If the proposal should pass, the tax increase is scheduled to come into effect January 1st, 2014. The .25% increase will be equivalent to $1 of every $400 spent. For more information regarding the proposed changes and benefits, visit www.abettergrantcounty.com.
