Midterm elections are typically plagued with low voter turnout. Next Tuesday, Joplin residents will decide whether to impose two new taxes to pay for salary increases for police and fire. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more

Nine million dollars. That’s the annual amount that backers of Joplin’s Proposition Public Safety say is needed in tax collection if the city is going to pay competitive wages to current police and fire staff.

The city would also hire 22 new police officers, 18 new firefighters, and a Deputy Fire Marshall. Former Joplin Mayor Mike Siebert is co-chairman of the committee in support of the proposition.

“You’re looking at about a nine million dollar annual increase in spending from the city, and currently we are a sales tax driven community, and our sales tax revenues have been relatively flat.”

Siebert also highlights that Joplin has one of the highest sales tax rates in the area and is subject to the ebbs and flow of the economy. Proposition Public Safety would add new personal and property taxes at $1 for every $100 of assessed value. To learn more, visit safterJoplin.com Primary day in Missouri is Tuesday, August 2.