Nine Hundred Potential Voters Sign Petition For One Cent Sales Tax Usage

900 Signatures were returned on Thursday morning to the Mahaska County Auditors Office.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – Individuals representing ‘One Mahaska’ presented 900 signatures to Mahaska County Auditor Sue Brown on Thursday morning.

The group’s petition covers 3 uses of the one-cent sales tax [LOST] most commonly discussed. Those include roads, early childhood development and an environmental learning center.

Mark Willett, spokesperson for ‘One Mahaska’, the group advocating for a new early childhood development and recreation center, spoke to gathered media after delivering the signed petition forms.

“As we went through this process, we talked to several individuals throughout the county and identified several priorities. Our petition works to bridge a gap between priorities in Oskaloosa as well as Mahaska County. We hope that by doing this, the residents of Mahaska County can reach a consensus around the future of our community,” Willett said in his opening remark.

Willett said the signatures are from rural and incorporated citizens of the Mahaska County, and that the petition was an act to show that the project does have support throughout the community, “The Mahaska County community.”

Mahaska County Auditor Sue Brown explained that the next step in the process will be to present the petitions to the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors. “They will have to act on it at a board meeting, and accept it.”

The petitions will be formally submitted to the Mahaska County Board of Supervisors on Monday at their regularly scheduled meeting at 9am.

The petition could only be rejected if the signatures on the petitions were not valid, and would drop the signature count below the required amount of valid signatures.

If another petition were to be circulating, the first correctly submitted petition takes the precedence, and will be moved forward.

The petition states:

Unincorporated Mahaska County

• 50% goes to Rec. and Early Childhood Education, after debt obligations are met for the project any surplus goes to roads.
• 15% goes to the Environmental Learning Center, after debt obligations are met for the project any surplus goes to roads.
• All additional revenue go to roads.

City of Oskaloosa

• 75% to Rec and Early Childhood Education, after debt obligations are met for the project any surplus revenue go to infrastructure & roads.
• All additional revenues go to infrastructure & roads.

All other incorporated areas

• 100% goes to roads, infrastructure, and recreation and education.