ARKADELPHIA — ARKADELPHIA - With six of seven polling places reporting Tuesday night, a 1 percent sales tax on prepared food and lodging appears defeated.
The advertising and promotion tax was estimated to raise $150,000 a year.
With 6 of 7 precincts reporting, unofficial results are: For. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 514 Against . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .623
Arkadelphia, a Clark County town of 10,000, already collects a 1 percent sales tax for economic development.
The tax would have been used to pay Arkadelphia’s share of the operating costs of a regional welcoming center and to complete and maintain the city’s recreational field.
“It’s a disappointment,” Arkadelphia City Manager Jimmy Bolt said.
“We’ll have to evaluate the issues and move forward to better Arkadelphia,” he said. “No time is a good time to ask for a tax, but we couldn’t stretch our budget any further. We had toask for it.”
The city first proposed collecting the tax in November. Some residents opposed the tax, however, and collected petitions asking for a public vote, resulting in Tuesday’s election.
Henry Wilson, president of the Clark County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, opposed the tax measure, saying he only would favor a tax that repaired roadsand sidewalks.
“I’m not against taxes,” Wilson said. “But I feel there are other needs that supersede promoting the town. We have some areas in Arkadelphia that don’t have sidewalks, curbs or drainage. When it rains, children have to walk in the streets.
“I don’t think people come to Arkadelphia that much to eat and sleep,” he said. “The majority of the tax would have been paid by our residents, not visitors.”
Arkansas, Pages 19 on 05/23/2012