MOSCOW MILLS – A third try for the Moscow Mills 1.5 percent use tax or Proposition U on the April 8 ballot was a success.

According to unofficial election results, 280 voters in total turned out to vote on the measure with it passing 175-105.

“We are so pleased that the voters came out to show their support for the tax,” said Moscow Mills Mayor Lisa Meyer. “It means the world to us. We definitely need it for our police department and to help maintain our streets.”

Previously, the majority of Moscow Mills voters voted no twice on the issue to collect city sales tax on all out-of-state purchases including online ones. According to the county clerk’s office, 67 voted in favor of a use tax in April 2022 and 116 opposed it. Then in August 2022, it was defeated once more with 226 voting no and 134 supporting it.

This time around though, Moscow Mills Alderman Board President Cody Quist said the approach to get the word out about the use tax was more systematic.

“I think the reason it passed this time was just because we put a lot more effort into making sure the citizens understood what it meant,” he said.
“We went about it in a much more methodical way, instead of just putting it on the ballot and hoping that it passed. I know that we spent more time posting on our city Facebook site about it. I know that all of the aldermen, myself included, went around and did canvassing door-to-door. I just wanted to make sure that everyone understood how much the city needed it so they could make an educated decision.”

The use tax will apply to all online and catalog purchases and be used for funding City street improvements, maintenance repair, the hiring of additional police officers, and getting safety equipment.

Monetarily, according to Meyer, the City doesn’t know at this point how much people are spending on the Internet. Until the use tax is in place, likely starting in November, the City won’t know specific numbers.

“Until we actually start seeing numbers come in, we honestly don’t know what this means for us but we do know it means an increase for us,” she said.