CROOKSTON, Minn. - As road maintenance projects build up, tax troubles have Polk County commissioners searching for a solution.
One way or another, taxes are going up. But the Polk County commissioners’ plan has some business owners saying it could hurt their bottom line.
Bob's Lawn Care is Bob Prudhomme's backyard business. He's worried sales a tax increase will place an extra burden on him and his employees.
Prudhomme: "It'd be in the thousands of dollars probably."
Business owners are not only worried about items costing more, but say the change makes a lot of work for them behind the scenes.
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Prudhomme: "It takes a lot of paperwork to collect the tax and a lot of work to calculate it and to get things paid off to the state and do it."
But a ¼-cent sales tax increase that would last for nearly the next 70 years could be the best option.
Chuck Whiting, Polk County Administrator: "Well the number of projects that we have and the amount of revenue that would come in, if the sales tax was the only revenue used to improve this list of projects, it would take about 67 years to do."
Without it, the county has another option leaders fear may have less support.
Whiting: "Well the property tax and that's what we're all trying to avoid is increases to the property tax."
The road projects could start as early as next year, but business owners hope there's a solution that doesn't burden them.
Prudhomme: "There's a tremendous amount of cost and it'll affect every little businessman in the county and every little store too."
The projects would generate about $650,000 each year for road maintenance. County leaders plan to vote on the proposed sales tax increase next month.
