Early Voting Available in Sartell on Food and Beverage Tax

(KNSI) – Early voting has started in Sartell to decide the fate of a proposed 1.5% food and beverage tax to be paid by customers of bars, restaurants, and delivery services. Sartell estimates it would collect around $300,000 a year from the tax.

According to Sartell, the tax would let them get more money from the thousands of visitors who come to the city for various events. The tax would cost .75 cents on a $50 bill at a restaurant or bar. Establishments not collecting the tax include grocery stores, off-sale liquor stores, gas stations, and general stores.

If passed, the food and beverage tax can only be used to fund capital and operating costs for current and future recreational amenities in Sartell. Some of the proposed uses for the tax include a future North Side Park with soccer fields, a grandstand, parking, and an upgraded frisbee golf course. The city would also like to use the money for a state-of-the-art Pinecone Central Park facility that would include soccer fields, basketball courts, playgrounds, and a splash pad. Other possible amenities include a skate park, all-inclusive playground equipment, an aquatic center, mountain biking trails, Nordic ski, and snowshoe trails.

The special election on the proposed 1.5% tax is on February 8th. Early voting is available at Sartell City hall between now and February 7th.

St. Cloud has had a 1% tax on food and a 1% tax on alcoholic beverages sold at bars and restaurants in the city for nearly 30 years. No other area city has a food and beverage tax.

Sartell, St. Cloud, Waite Park and Sauk Rapids all have a .5% sales tax that is collected and shared among the cities using a formula. That money can only be used for regional projects.

KNSI News reached out to Sartell for more clarification on how the sales tax would be used but hasn’t heard back.

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