Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday approved by City Council

Going green is something that the Rolla City Council is backing up with action as they demonstrated at Monday’s Rolla City Council meeting. The City Council unanimously approved an ordinance allowing the 2010 “Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday” to apply to the local sales taxes of the City of Rolla between April 19 through April 25.

In essences, the Show Me Green Sales Tax Holiday encourages the purchase of certain qualifying energy efficient appliances by exempting them for sales tax, and thereby reducing the consumer’s cost for such appliances. By offering incentives that reward consumers for being energy efficient, it is hoped that consumer awareness will help reduce energy consumption across the state, and have the added benefit of promoting retail sales activity in the Rolla area.

Qualifying appliances, which must be Energy Star certified, include clothes washers and dryers, water heaters, trash compactors, dishwashers, conventional ovens, ranges, stoves, air conditioners, furnaces, refrigerators and freezers. An Energy Star certified appliance is any appliance approved by both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The ordinance, however will not apply to any retailer when less than two percent of the retailer’s merchandise offered for sale qualifies for the sales tax holiday. In such instances, the retailer will offer a sales tax refund in lieu of the sales tax holiday.

After five months of sales tax remittances (October 2009 through February 2010), the City of Rolla has a positive sales tax growth of .31%, which is in the black, but off budget by.7% year-to-date, as the City Council set a goal of 1% growth in sales tax revenue for the current fiscal year budget.

Improving energy efficiency throughout our community, including City facilities, is something the City of Rolla is very committed to. To be successful, a green community needs to consider a variety of ways its citizens and businesses can reduce its carbon footprint, and promote an environmentally friendly way of living. Engineers from Siemens Technologies, Inc. are currently conducting an energy audit, consisting of the mechanical and electrical systems at Rolla City Hall, the Rolla Police Department, the Rolla Fire Stations #1 and #2, The Centre, SpalshZone, and the City’s three wastewater distribution systems. The assessments will range from lighting and water improvements to aeration system upgrades, and new energy efficiency systems, equipment and technology.

While all of the above mentioned energy saving initiatives are related to indoor activities, the City is also co-sponsoring outdoor energy saving programs such as the upcoming “Healthy Yards for Clear Streams” FREE workshop series. The City of Rolla’s Public Works Department and Phelps County Extension will host the workshops during the first three Mondays in March (March 1, 8 & 15) at 6:30 p.m. at The Centre (1200 N. Holloway Street). For more information or to register, please call Phelps County Extension at 573-458-6260.

In closing, I’d like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the members of the Public Works Department who have done a yeomen’s job clearing our streets of snow over the past four weeks. Rolla has received its fair share of snow this winter, and the members of the Public Works Department are to be commended for their diligence, hard work and efficiency. We appreciate all you do!