Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Sales Tax Money Divided Different For Coming Year

By Ricky Ragsdale

There will be fewer slices to the $350,000 one-cent sales tax collected by the City of Prescott in 1998 than there was in 1997.

Council members approved changes to the expenditures of the sales tax monies during its regular meeting Monday, January 15, when they also approved the 1998 operating budget.

Economic development will get the largest slice of pie with 72% of collections or $253,000 to be spent on improving the industrial park. The park was purchased during 1997 and sits on Highway 200 next to Interstate 30, between US 371 and Highway 19 north.

City officials will continue spending about $20,000 or six-percent of the tax on education and another $20,000 on health services.

City beautification will get $56,000 or 16% of the tax monies.

Beautification work will continue on the corner of East Main and East First where the Sterling Store used to be.

Officials hope the work at the industrial park will include a concrete driveway, a sign and road work getting to some of the predetermined sites.

Other work in the area were completed in 1997 as city officials incorporated the highways up to I-30 into the city limits.

Sewer and water work has been completed into the areas also, and officials are hoping state money can be used to develop those services in the parks once a company decides to locate.

A possible speculation or spec building will be considered in the park, though council members agree the building needs to be paid for in full and not built with payments to be made from the tax money until it is leased for a company locating in the park.