Community members who support raising Bayfield's sales tax rate to pay for street maintenance and storm drainage infrastructure are invited to an organizing meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in the town hall upstairs conference room. There will be a session at noon and another at 6 p.m. A light lunch and dinner will be served.
The meeting will start with an overview of the issues - why the additional revenue is needed, and other options the town board has discussed recently, as reported in the Times. After discussion, there will be a review of the process and timelines to get the sales tax increase on the November ballot. Then the group will look at campaign strategies, including how Bayfield School District has passed its bond issues with the help of volunteer support groups.
The sessions will conclude with actual organizing - officers, recruitment, outreach, branding/ messaging, and fundraising.
Town officials want to raise the sales tax rate from 2 percent up to 3 percent to pay for street and drainage-related projects. The increase would bring in an estimated $260,000 per year. Town voters rejected the increase twice by narrow margins last year, but town trustees still consider this the best option to pay these costs.
