PORTLAND, Tenn. (WTVF) — A proposed half-cent sales tax increase in Portland could generate $1.4 million in new revenue per year to fund city services, ranging from parks to fire trucks. Voters will decide on the measure on May 5.
Mayor Mike Callis said the new proposal could shift who pays for city services to those who benefit from them.
"My wife and I have lived in our home over 30 years. We are happy to support this community but it just seems like a fair way to pay for the needed services along the way" said Mayor Callis.
Erin Wharton said she does not live in Portland, but she brings her kids to Richland Park when the sun is out.
"This is one of our favorite parks and we also use the library, the Portland library, we go weekly and I really like that they have this new splash pad it looks like they are building over there" Wharton said.
Mike Groves walks the park path from his home in Portland every day.
"People around here, you know, they have a hard time. They'll just go across the border and buy stuff in Kentucky. There is no tax on food there" Groves said.
The tax hike would mean a half-cent sales tax increase which means 50 cents extra on every $100 people spend, bringing Portland in line with other Middle Tennessee cities.
"We’ve not passed one, it’s a half percent increase, which equates to a half penny per dollar. Gallatin, Hendersonville [have] it, Nashville has it, but we have a trade area of over 50,000" said Mayor Callis.
Mayor Groves said rising costs for public safety and equipment drive the need for new revenue.
The referendum adds a smaller burden to each sale in city limits instead of raising the burden for homeowners.
If it passes, Mayor Callis said it could add $1.4 million in new revenue per year.
"Public safety costs continue to rise. We just took possession of a 100-foot ladder truck that was 1.9 million. If we bought that truck today it would be 2.6 million," said Mayor Callis.
The revenue goes a long way for a small community of 14,000.
What do you think about the proposed sales tax increase in Portland? Will it change your shopping habits? Watch the full video report above to hear more from your neighbors, and share your thoughts directly with our Sumner County reporter by emailing kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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