by Caleb Jones
I’m normally the guy who says, “Vote no on all taxes.” I get a burr in my saddle whenever I’m asked to pay a tax and can’t see where the money actually goes.
But there’s one tax I’ll gladly pay: Missouri’s Parks, Soils and Water tax.
This tiny one-tenth of 1% sales tax has a three-fold purpose. First, it provides 75% of the funding for Missouri’s State Parks and Historic Sites. It’s the reason we can visit any of Missouri’s crown jewels without paying an entrance fee. Few other states can brag about that.
Second, it funds soil conservation efforts that keep valuable topsoil from washing downstream, helping farms remain productive for decades.
Third, it protects Missouri’s water resources. Cleaner rivers and streams provide better drinking water, healthier habitat for fish and wildlife and better places for families to enjoy the outdoors. The work is done by local Soil and Water Conservation Districts, ensuring conservation practices fit the needs of each community.
Back in 1989, when I was 9, my dad announced we were building a pond on our farm in Moniteau County. My brother and I couldn’t have cared less why he was building it. We immediately started arguing about who was going to catch the biggest bass.
I remember watching the bulldozers push dirt for what seemed like forever. Every day we’d ask Dad when it would finally fill with water. Once it did, we rushed out with our poles. I’ll never forget catching that first bluegill. To a couple of farm boys, it might as well have been a state-record fish.
The bass were a different story. Dad explained it would take a few years before they grew big enough to catch — a lifetime to us boys.
It wasn’t until years later I realized the pond wasn’t built just for fishing. Dad worked with our local Soil and Water Conservation District, which helped fund the project. The pond slowed erosion and improved the land for future generations. The fishing was a pretty good bonus.
Today, my kids think that pond has always been there. They don’t know it used to be just a hillside on our farm. That’s the beauty of good conservation. When it’s done right, the next generation doesn’t have to think about the work that went into it. They simply enjoy the the land that was left a little better than it was found.
The other half of this tax has helped create one of the finest state park systems in the nation. I’ll always cherish our family’s opening day tradition at Bennett Spring State Park. Missouri State Parks has improved the trout fishing there. Heck, even I can land a decent trout now.
In true Missouri fashion, voters decide every 10 years whether to continue this tax. Thanks to the benefits it provides, Missourians have renewed it by overwhelming margins every time it’s appeared on the ballot.
A “Yes” vote will keep our state parks free and leave Missouri a little better than we found it. I’ll see you at the polls.
Caleb Jones is the CEO of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. He is a member of Boone Electric Cooperative. Email him at cjones@amec.coop.