Des Moines to vote on local sales tax increase in March

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Des Moines voters will have to decide again in March whether to raise the local sales tax by a penny.

The Des Moines Register reports that the City Council will vote Monday on a spending plan for the estimated $37 million the 1-cent tax could generate in its first year. The money would be split evenly between property tax reductions and a handful of quality-of-life initiatives.

The city will set a March 5 referendum date early next year.

Last March, a majority of the city’s voters approved a 1-cent increase, but the measure failed after a majority of suburban voters rejected it. But in May, the Iowa Legislature canceled a state rule that required cities with contiguous borders to vote together on local option sales tax issues.

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Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com