Your Voice Your Vote

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

UPDATE 8:50 p.m.: Callaway County voters turned out at about a 15 percent clip Tuesday to approve two sales tax increases to pay for law enforcement.

Voters approved Proposition 1, a half-cent increase to pay for sheriff's department staffing and salary raises, 3,099-1,129, or about 72 percent in favor.

They approved Proposition 2, which could pay for a new county justice center and other government facilities, 2,616-1,697, or about 61 percent in favor. Proposition 2 will pay for a new Callaway County Justice Center, expand the Callaway County Law Enforcement Center and transition the existing courthouse into a County Government Center.

The county's tax rate will rise to 6.725 percent with the approval of the two increases.

UPDATE 8:35 p.m.: Osage County voters approved a half-cent sales tax to fund law enforcement by a 613-492 margin, or about 55 percent in favor.

UPDATE 8:25 p.m.: New Franklin School District voters in Howard and Boone counties approved a measure to increase the operating property tax levy by $1.

School district voters approved the tax increase 287-184. The increase will make the levy more than $4.42 per $100 assessed value, meaning the owner of a $100,000 home would pay about $15.83 per month more in taxes.

This is the district's first operating levy increase since 1994, school district officials say.

UPDATE: 8:15 p.m.: Miller and Morgan county voters who live near the Lake of the Ozarks roundly rejected an increase to the lodging tax meant to help fund a regional soccer complex.

Voters went against the 1 percent increase in the tax on motel and hotel rooms 361-139, or 72 percent to 28 percent.

Lake-area voters in Camden and Morgan counties were also voting on lodging tax increases tonight to help fund the complex. In Morgan County voters rejected the tax 795-152. The Morgan County measure would have increased lodging taxes by 3 percent there.

With 14 of 15 precincts in Camden County voters in the lake area also rejected the tax by a margin of 3,471-1,312, or 73 percent against the 3 percent increase.

UPDATE 8 p.m.: Voters in Hallsville said yes to selling the city's sewer system.

Hallsville voters cast 133 in favor of selling the city sewer system and 63 votes against the proposal. City leaders now must choose between three suitors to sell the system.

Officials say rates are likely to go up with or without a sale. The current rates are $19.35 for the first 1,000 gallons and $5 for every additional 1,000 gallons.

The city also has a more than $1.3 million debt from the system after an improvement project that it will be paid off by 2033 if the city continues to maintain the system.

UPDATE 7:50 p.m.: With absentees and three precincts counted Morgan County voters living near the Lake of the Ozarks came out resoundingly against a lodging tax increase.

A 3 percent increase to the tax on hotel and motel rooms on the ballot in Morgan County would help pay for a lake-area soccer complex. Early on the vote was 254-50 against the tax increase.

UPDATE: In Randolph County, Huntsville voters shot down the sale of their sewer system to Missouri American Water for $500,000, 257-47.

Monroe City voters said yes to issuing bonds to improve the sewer system 211-30. The city plans to borrow $7.7 million to build a new sewer system.

ORIGINAL: Polls closed at 7 p.m. across Missouri.

Voters in Mid-Missouri cast ballots on a variety of issues, including sales tax increases to fund law enforcement in Callaway County, lodging tax increases in the Lake of the Ozarks area and the possible sale of the city sewer system in Hallsville.

In Camden County, absentee votes were released at about 7:20 p.m. Those voters were heavily against the 3 percent increase to the lodging tax. Lake-area voters in Miller County saw a 1 percent increase on their ballots, while Morgan County voters living in the lake area were also deciding on a 3 percent tax increase.

Those increased taxes on hotel and motel rooms would be used by local tourism authorities to pay for a new soccer complex.

Camden County absentees voted 412-203 against the tax, while in Morgan County absentees went against the tax 52-30.