Not that many weeks ago, the Pine Bluff City Council voted to hold a special election on two ballot items with an eye toward a May 9 special election. That time has come.
The two items are both sales taxes. One is a five-eighths-cent tax, the proceeds from which would fund initiatives put forth by Go Forward Pine Bluff. Pine Bluff is already paying a five-eighths-cent sales tax now, and that tax, passed in 2017, will expire late next year. This vote is to renew that tax for another seven years, meaning a newly passed sales tax would expire in 2031.
A second tax vote is new to the landscape. It would install a three-eighths-cent sales tax, with the proceeds earmarked for public safety. That tax would not sunset, unless, of course, the public at some point voted to rescind it. This newspaper has carried a number of stories highlighting the successes and failures of Go Forward, as well as opinion pieces, both the voice of the newspaper and the voices of numerous individuals who expressed their deep support or deep loathing of the Go Forward tax. We will not rehash any of those pro or con points today.
What we will urge is for you to take the time to vote today. Perhaps a better way to say that is to urge you to vote, if you have taken the time to educate yourself on the subject in a way that allows you to make an informed decision. That is ideal. As for blindly checking the “For” or “Against” box when voting, well, that is your constitutional right, but it is less than ideal. This, as we said, is a special election. Special elections are notorious for attracting few voters. Sometimes that works to the advantage of one side or the other.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Back in August, the Watson Chapel School Board called for a special election on a 5.7 mill increase in the property tax in that school district. It passed by a vote of only 220 to 209. Had that vote been held during a general election, many more people from the district would have voted, but that is not what happened. When all was said and done, 220 votes supported the millage increase, and now that is the new millage in Watson Chapel. Twelve more nay votes and it would not have passed.
Pine Bluff has more than 20,000 eligible voters, but fewer than 6,000 voted in 2017 during the special election that installed the Go Forward-sponsored sales tax. If you did not like the tax then and did not bother to vote, you have paid the tax because your neighbors who supported the tax and voted made it happen. Our point is that, if you do the math, your vote counts a great deal more during a special election than during an election when several thousands of people vote. If you vote, and your side loses, you did all you could do. At least you did all you could do on election day. Today is supposed to be a pretty spring day, so no excuses there. If you have a thought on the taxes, do us all a favor and vote. Both sides have worked hard to get their points across. Grab your neighbor, even the one that will vote the opposite of you, and get to your precinct and cast your ballot. It is the American way, but the American way only truly works if you take time to participate.