Poplar Bluff voters rejected a use tax for certain internet purchases by the narrowest of margins Tuesday. They also re-elected an incumbent councilman for a second term in the city’s lone contested city council race.
The use tax failed by four votes (381-377), or just over one-half of one percent Tuesday. Had it been enacted, it would have taxed certain internet purchases at the current city sales tax rate of 2.25%.
“We are disappointed in the outcome of today’s election on the proposed tax,” Poplar Bluff City Manager Matt Winters said Tuesday night. “Our city desperately needs the increased revenue to meet the growing demands on our services. While this outcome will not immediately impact the city’s financial status — as this current budget is balanced — all city departments will likely be forced to absorb additional cuts and continue to freeze costs as we move into the next fiscal year. We do not want to take this path especially as our city has such great promise for growth and prosperity.”
The use tax carried two of the city’s five wards, winning 54.55% of the vote in Ward 2 (90 votes) and 51.86% of voters in Ward 4 (153 votes). However, the tax failed to carry any other wards and was rejected by 57.7% of voters in Ward 5 (60 against to 44 in favor) and just over 60% of voters in Ward 3 (20 against to 13 in support of it).
Winters said that the four-vote margin in Tuesday’s vote was the closest he had seen in Poplar Bluff, which has made at least four attempts to pass the tax. With the use tax failing by such a close margin, Winters and city clerk Nevada Young will discuss if the city wishes to ask Butler County clerk Tonyi Deffendall for a recount.
Meanwhile, incumbent Ward 4 councilman Shane Cornman won elected to a second term on the city council by a comfortable margin over challenger Robert Durbin. Cornman received 190 votes, or 63.3% of the vote, to 110 for Durbin (36.7%).
In Poplar Bluff’s other city council race, Jerrica Fox ran uncontested for the seat currently held by veteran councilman Ed DeGaris for the Ward 2 seat.
Cornman said he is thrilled to be back on the council for another three years.
“I’m thankful for the people of Ward 4 that turned out and let me do this again,” Cornman said. “I’ve enjoyed my three years and I’m looking forward to the next three. I want to keep this momentum rolling.”
Durbin said it was a fair race.
“Nobody was doing any mudslinging and that’s good,” Durbin said. “The people made their choice,”
Now that he’s won a second term, Cornman said downtown Poplar Bluff will be a main priority of his.
“I want to go ahead and get this police station done and start focusing on downtown — get city hall figured out,” Cornman said “We know it’s going downtown, but we need to come up with a location. That’s going to be my main objectives out of the gate.”
Meanwhile, Durbin still plans to be involved in politics.
“I’m definitely not going to run away and hide,” Durbin said. “I’ll still be out there, voicing my opinion. I’ve got a voice to be heard and I’m not going to hide away.”