After its failure at the polls last month, voters in the unincorporated areas of Marshall County will have another chance to renew the one percent Local Option Sales and Service Tax (LOSST), which generates about $1.7 million in annual revenue, come March 4, 2025.

During a special meeting held Tuesday morning, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved placing the item on the ballot for an upcoming special election with 913 signatures collected, easily clearing the threshold of 624 based on the number of voters in the most recent election. In November, the renewal, which requires a simple majority to pass, received just 1,534 votes in favor (39.5 percent) out of the 3,882 ballots cast.

Board Chairman Jarret Heil attributed the failure to confusion over what exactly was being voted on — it was a renewal, not the imposition of a new tax. He also reiterated that 50 percent of the revenues would go to roads and bridges, while the other half would go to property tax relief.

County Auditor/Recorder Nan Benson said city governments typically send out communications to their residents ahead of votes like the LOSST reauthorization.

“We’ll need to probably do that this time to get the word out,” she said.

As the supervisors handed the petition over to Benson, Steve Salasek said he had another page of signatures he hadn’t picked up yet, but they were already well past the required number.

“It’s good to know there’s a lot of support out there for it,” Heil said.

He added that some residents who had reached out to him believed they were voting for or against a new tax, which he could understand because of the language and the fact that the current tax is set to sunset.

“I’m glad we get a second chance, and (our attorneys) were able to draw something up that was a little bit more appropriate for us to do. So many thanks to them for getting this rectified for us, and we’re ready to get this rolling,” Heil said.

A resolution to authorize the election for Tuesday, March 4, 2025, passed by a unanimous 3-0 vote, and a subsequent motion to authorize Benson to sign the certificate to be returned to Ahlers and Cooney P.C. regarding the election carried by the same tally.

If passed, the tax would take effect on July 1, 2025 and be effective until it is repealed. Before adjournment, the supervisors fielded a few clarifying questions from the T-R regarding the election and the tax itself.

While all residents of the county were able to sign the petition calling for an election, only those who live in the county’s unincorporated areas will be allowed to vote on it. Additionally, the tax is not specifically imposed on transactions made in said unincorporated areas or even Marshall County but is instead based on a statewide formula.

“It is a convoluted process of a pool,” Heil said. “I think that’s also part of the confusion of Local Option Sales Tax. You think it’s just the money collected here, it’s dispersed back here, and that’s not the case in this situation. So that’s why this is really important that we get this passed, and it’s a benefit to all Marshall County taxpayers.”

Incoming Supervisor Kevin Goodman, communicating remotely, commended Salasek and the rest of the board for collecting the necessary signatures.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.