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Boone County National Bank | Parks Group Plans Advocacy

A campaign committee with two former mayors, a former state senator and several other prominent Columbia residents met last night to kick off the effort to renew a sales tax for city parks.

The Friends of Columbia’s Parks will be led by former Mayor Mary Anne McCollum and Vicki Russell, associate publisher of the Tribune. Other members include Steve Erdel, president of Boone County National Bank, who will serve as committee treasurer; former state Sen. Joe Moseley, now vice president of public affairs at Shelter Insurance; former Mayor Darwin Hindman; and former city Councilman Karl Kruse.

The proposal will appear as Proposition 1 on the Nov. 2 ballot. If approved, it would extend an eighth-cent tax for five years and produce about $12 million for major construction projects and buying parkland. The city also has a permanent one-eighth-cent tax that funds operations. If approved, the city’s overall sales tax rate would remain 7.35 percent.

The committee was appointed by Mayor Bob McDavid and had its initial meeting in the City Hall Addition at Eighth Street and Broadway. Future meetings will be held at Boone County National Bank.

Winning renewal will send a signal that Columbians aren’t backing away from their commitment to improving the quality of life in the city, McDavid told the group. The park improvements made during the 10 years the tax has been in effect are just a start, he said.

“We know it makes Columbia a great place to live,” he said. “It helps define our city. It helps show people what our

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