Excerpt
IN 1984 Missouri's voters approved a constitutional amendment establishing a dedicated parks and soils sales tax. This unique five-year tax—one-tenth of one percent on retail sales—now provides funding for both state parks and soil conservation, two of the state's prized resources.
An idea evolves
What factors led to the approval of the parks and soils sales tax in Missouri?
The 1970s were a significant period for soil and water conservation in Missouri. The Omnibus State Reorganization Act of 1974 created the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and brought the independent Soil and Water Districts Commission under the administrative umbrella of this new department. The commission thus became part of a formal state department, with the unforeseen administrative, organizational, and fiscal benefits of such an association.
Two important milestones were then achieved in 1977. The state legislature authorized the Missouri Cooperative Soil Survey, giving the commission administrative and fiscal responsibility for the state's involvement. State field surveyors joined Soil Conservation Service personnel in soil mapping efforts. The University of Missouri College of Agriculture complemented the program with new research.
Also in 1977 the federal Soil and Water Resources Conservation …
Footnotes
Donald K. Wolf is program director and Sarah E. Fast, Samuel J. Orr, Gene Stark, and Patrick R. Trevathan are staff members for the Soil and Water Conservation Program, Division of Environmental Quality, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 176, Jefferson City, 65102.
- Copyright 1986 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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