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St. Louis Metropolitan Area and surrounding Missouri and Illinois counties

ELECTION: County voters approve sales tax for emergency communications

By more than a 2-to-1 margin, St. Louis County voters on Tuesday approved a one-tenth percent sales tax increase to modernize emergency communications.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 1:54 PM CST


In unofficial results, 92,919 people, or 68 percent of the total, voted for Proposition E-911. A total of 44,291 people, or 32 percent of the total, voted against the proposition. Fewer than 20 percent of voters cast ballots.

The tax would raise $16 million a year, or $13.6 million if the state legislature agrees to exempt food from the tax.

The tax would pay off a $100 million bond issue to buy improved communications equipment. That equipment would allow dispatchers to pinpoint locations of people making 911 cell phone calls, replace outdated radio systems and allow first responders from different agencies to communicate through shared frequencies.

It would meet federal requirements that public safety communications be improved by 2012 and bring emergency sirens up to date.



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