They'll kick off a public awareness campaign in the upcoming weeks, hoping to spread the word on the importance of the increase. If passed, the tax will allocate revenue to flood protection and improvements to city infrastructure.
"I think we're all in the same boat — Wahpeton, Fargo, Grand Forks — anyone that's along the Red River," said Alderman Martin Schmidt. "We need to protect our citizens and one of the ways we can do this is flood control and in [our] situation it's diking."
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"I'm hoping we have a larger representation of our population, because this is very important to everybody," said Alderman Renelle Bertsch.
Wahpeton's vote on whether to put into place a 2 percent sales tax is set for Tuesday, Aug. 11. If passed, the half-cent increase is estimated to produce $436,000 annually, in addition to previously collected revenue.
"The city really is looking for the community to come out and let us know what their thoughts are on raising the sales tax for infrastructure and flood mitigation. This is their chance to say what they want to say," Bertsch said.
Alisa Mitskog, vice-mayor, thinks Fargo's vote sends a positive message to Wahpeton's residents and affirms the importance of flood protection in our region.
With levee construction already underway in Wahpeton, Mitskog said it's important to put the tax increase through in order to finish the job.
"I think we're doing the right thing by proceeding and looking at the additional half-cent," Mitskog said.
Schmidt, expressing a similar sentiment as Mitskog, said a positive vote will produce better flood protection, in turn making Wahpeton more marketable to businesses searching for a new home.
"They'll realize we're on top of things, they'll see that we're doing everything possible to protect our citizenry from floods," Schmidt said.
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