Tax question will be on the ballot

Asotin County Commissioners listen to a presentation at Monday's meeting.

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Story Published: Aug 6, 2008 at 7:09 PM PST

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 11:10 PM PST

By Stephanie Smith

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ASOTIN - It will go to the voters

Asotin County Commissioners say since Clarkston opted into the .03 sales tax last time around, the county is left with a pool of debt and few options.

Commissioners voted Monday to add a proposition onto the November ballot. Commissioners propose to raise the sales tax by .02 percent with the money going to the struggling Aquatic Center. But they say Clarkston could still opt into this tax as well, taking 85 percent of the revenue.

Commissioners also discussed emergency medical services.

"We are reviewing this and it appears our EMS response time is about 1 minute faster than the ambulances getting here and so what we would like to do is request that the county join us in requesting an RFP from all the agencies in the Valley to see if we can improve that response time," said Vikki Bonfield, Asotin City Councilor.

Commissioners decided to wait a week to decide if they would put the 50 cents per $1,000 of property value levy on the November ballot.

In other county news, Financial Officer Kelly Dougherty gave a mid-year financial update. She said with the economy down, more people are paying their taxes late and retail sales are down, causing the county to be slightly behind it's revenue schedule.

Also on the agenda, commissioners approved putting an advisory question on the ballot about the proposed Port of Clarkston Industrial Park in the Heights. Voters will have a chance to say if they think the county should sell to the port or not.

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