Local issues on the November General Election Ballot. The villages of Elmwood, Greenwood and Murray are asking voters to decide special issues.
The Cassgram reports that in Elmwood, the yes or no question is: “Shall the sale of alcoholic liquor, except beer, by the drink be licensed in the Village of Elmwood, Nebraska?"
For decades Elmwood had been a ‘dry’ town with no alcohol sales allowed. In the primary election in 2008 Elmwood voters said yes to allowing the sale of packaged alcohol. The vote was 114 to 89.
The Elmwood Village Board placed the by-the-drink issue on the ballot during a special meeting in late August. A petition had been circulated on the issue in Elmwood and enough signatures were verified and certified by the county election commissioner’s office to cause the village board to place the question on the ballot.
---The Village of Greenwood’s resolutions concern a bond issue and paying for it.
The first question is whether Greenwood should borrow an amount not to exceed $800,000 for constructing a building for use as a Village Hall/Community Center on land owned by the Village and levy special taxes to pay for the bonds “if not paid from other revenue sources.”
Voters will vote “FOR said bonds and tax” or “AGAINST said bonds and tax.”
The second resolution concerns another way of funding the Village Hall/Community Center in the event a majority of votes cast are in favor of the first resolution.
It asks if Greenwood should modify the current sales tax by increasing it “to one and one half percent and directing three-quarters percent for use for capital improvements to the Village Streets and directing three-quarters percent for construction and/or maintenance of a Village Hall/Community Center.”
Voters will either vote “FOR said modification of the Terms and Conditions of Sales Tax” or “AGAINST said modification of the Terms and Conditions of Sales Tax.”
---Murray’s resolution is for a 1% city sales tax.
If passed, the tax would go into effect April 1st of 2013. The tax would have no sunset (ending) date. Based upon the sales and use tax receipts from the Nebraska Department of Revenue, the village board says Murray could generate up to $20,000 annually with the 1% option sales tax. (For a previous Cassgram report visit the archives 6/15/2012.)
