2% restaurant tax increase passes

By Randy Bell

Clinton will soon be collecting the money it needs for improvements at the city’s parks. Voters on July 12 approved a referendum to increase the sales tax at restaurants by two percent. It’s expected to generate about $1 million a year, which the City hopes to double by using the money to match grants.

“That’s what we plan to do as much as we can—depending on what the priorities are,” said Mayor Phil Fisher. “We really need to make sure that we stretch this as far as we can and get as much as we can.”

The City hopes to start collecting the tax in August but won’t use any of it for the first year, to make sure the revenue estimate is accurate and to give the public a chance to provide some input before the parks and recreation projects are identified.

“During the year that we’re accumulating [the tax revenue], we’ll be getting with groups of people, as transparent as we can possibly be, and talk about what the people want to do,” the mayor said, “and then have them prioritize it, so that this time next year, we’re ready to go.”

The vote was 680 (66.7%) for the tax, and 340 (33.3%) against the tax.

Sixty percent approval was needed under the bill the Mississippi Legislature passed this year to authorize the referendum. The tax will be repealed in four years unless there’s a vote to extend it.