Mayor Canuteson: Sales Tax increase to support the Liberty Public Safety Departments

3/5/25  Will be rescheduled due to weather.  No Noon meeting today.   plk

QUESTION: Shall the City of Liberty, Missouri be authorized to increase its general sales tax by one percent for the purpose of providing funds for funding costs of public safety, including the construction of a police facility?

1.Why is this tax proposal before the voters?
Before voters approved the ½-cent Public Safety Sales Tax (PSST) in 2017, Liberty Police and Fire Departments served as a training ground for other metro agencies. The PSST was designed to address staffing and funding shortfalls at the time, allowing both the Police and Fire Departments to increase minimum staffing numbers. At the outset, the PSST revenue was anticipated to cover only three years of increased costs. With judicious budgeting and oversight, this tax has provided sufficient funding for seven years. 

An additional tax is now being proposed to continue supporting our current Police Officers and Firefighters and to help us to attract quality candidates. Liberty Police Department is seeing smaller applicant pools, as fewer people are choosing careers in law enforcement due to public sentiment and the nationwide environment in policing. With fewer applicants, it has become more difficult to fill open positions. More vacant positions can lead to additional overtime and officer burnout. Therefore, this tax is intended to provide competitive salaries and benefits, and updated facilities and future equipment purchases to make it more enticing for candidates to choose and stay in Liberty.     

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