Residents in Cotter and Harrison will go to the polls today to decide sales tax proposals.
In Cotter, residents are being asked to approve an extension of an existing 1% sales tax to finance improvements to the city’s sewer system. In Harrison, residents are being asked to approve two sales tax measures that would finance the construction of a community/aquatic center and fund the operation of the city’s park system.
Voting for the Cotter election will be available at Wesley United Methodist Church between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Votes will be counted at Cotter City Hall once the polls close Tuesday night.
Harrison will open two polling places Tuesday, the Boone County Election Center and at Woodland Heights Baptist Church. Both polling places will be open from 7 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. Votes will be tabulated at the Election Center once the polls close Tuesday night.
Harrison residents are being asked to approve a total of 0.5% in sales taxes — a 0.25% tax to fund a $20 million bond issue to construct the Creekside Community Center and another 0.25% tax to fund the maintenance and operation of the city’s park facilities. A 0.5% increase would result in an additional 50 cents in taxes on every $100 spent.
The 0.25% percent sales tax to build the Creekside Community Center would sunset in 18 to 20 years, based on sales tax projections. The other 0.25% tax would be permanent addition to the city’s sales tax collections.
This will be Harrison’s second attempt at passing sales tax proposals to build and fund a community center. Voters in 2019 rejected a larger, $40 million proposal that included an outdoor water park in addition to the proposed aquatic/community center. In that election, the city was asking for a 0.75% sales tax for construction and a 0.25% sales tax for operations and maintenance.
The 2021 proposal has dropped the water park but still includes an indoor competition swimming pool, a therapy pool and a children’s pool as part of the community center design.
If approved by voters, the community center would be built on the old Harrison Junior High School property and incorporate some the existing school buildings, including the gymnasium. The project would also include 2.5 miles of paved, lighted trail extensions and improvements to the city’s sports complex, which has four baseball fields.
On March 9, Mountain Home voters approved a 0.5% sales tax to build a $38.6 million multipurpose/aquatic center and improve the city’s parks. At the same special election, it also approved a permanent 0.25% sales tax to fund the city’s parks department.
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