County commissioners happy with tax increase

Thank you to the voters for helping us to better serve the public safety needs of Lincoln County! The modest public safety sales tax increase was approved by 58 percent of the voters and will greatly help us to serve you better. We are very appreciative of your vote of confidence in us and will continue to do our best to manage the money that we have.

Speaking of voters, Lincoln County had the second highest percentage of voter turnout of all 39 counties in the state at 83.64 percent. Great job Lincoln County. That is just awesome!

We are currently working to set up a separate fund to receive the new revenue. Even though we will not begin receiving that money until mid-2017, we still need to create a budget for it. That fund will be set up with a modest reserve account and will be managed so that anyone can come in and see exactly where and how this new tax is being spent. It will all be spent on things that enhance the safety of you, the public.

Crime in Lincoln County has not decreased, and the cost associated with arresting, prosecuting and incarcerating bad guys just keeps rising. Although this sales tax increase does help, it is certainly not the ultimate solution to the problem. Costs continue to rise faster than revenues. Shared revenues from the state for things such as public safety, public health and indigent defense services continue to dwindle as the state struggles to balance its budget. That, compounded with the one percent property tax limitation, has created a situation where small taxing entities just can’t keep providing the same level of service. This will help. Thank you!

Board of Lincoln County Commissioners: Rob Coffman, Scott Hutsell and Mark Stedman.