ROCK SPRINGS — A firm hired to help promote and educate residents about the special purpose tax is working hard to have a survey ready soon for residents to take.
During the Rock Springs City Council meeting, the Council heard an update from Turn Corps Co-owner Sarah O’Keefe. Turn Corps has been retained by the Sweetwater County Commission to conduct a community survey, and move forward with paid promotions and community outreach for the special purpose tax.
O’Keefe said the company is in the process of creating a survey for residents to complete about the special purpose tax. They are also working to provide more information about the tax on Sweetwater County’s website. Eventually, all of the projects and information on how much each will cost will be listed on the website.
The idea behind the survey is to get an idea on where the community sits on the tax. They are hoping to launch the survey and close it by the end of the month, however this will depend on just how many residents complete the survey. O’Keefe said if they do not have a good turnout, they can always leave the survey up longer.
“We’re just looking to all of you to help get the word out,” O’Keefe said.
Once the survey is complete, the company will turn its attention into setting up public forums for residents to meet with elected officials and learn more about the tax and the projects on the list. O’Keefe said the time frame for this is set for April and May.
During the summer months, the firm will take all of the comments and feedback from the surveys and public forums and let the Special Purpose Tax Committee take it from there. The Committee is comprised of county and city representatives who will work with each community to finalize project lists.
Councilor Rob Zotti questioned just how accurate a survey would be because only people who have strong opinions one way or the other would take it and therefore it would be biased.
O’Keefe said the survey is just a way to get a pulse on what some of the community wants, not the whole. “It does give you a little bit of insight,” she said.
She said this is just one way to obtain information on the issue, but public forums and visiting with the public will be an important part of the process.
O’Keefe said they will also make sure to educate residents on the differences between a general-purpose tax and a special-purpose tax.
Basically, a special purpose tax is for specific projects identified as needed by the community, such as street repairs, water and sewer improvements, and water mitigation projects. This tax is temporary. General-purpose taxes don’t have to be earmarked for anything specific. Those revenues usually go toward funding ongoing operations like fire, police, and ambulance services, which is what the failed tax on November 2021 would have been spent on.
Mayor Tim Kaumo said all of the communities are providing project lists. He said determining how long the tax should be in place and what dollar amount it should be capped at will be critical in deciding which projects can be done. That’s something the whole group will have to come to a consensus on.
