The Ward County Commission passed the first reading of a ballot measure for a 1/2 percent sales tax during a special meeting Tuesday morning.
The sales tax would be for the purposes of constructing an office building, Ward County Courthouse renovations, Ward County Jail expansion, and infrastructure repairs due to the Souris River flood of 2011 and rising ground water in the county. As currently written, the tax would take effect Nov. 7 this year and expire Nov. 5, 2022, unless all necessary funds are collected earlier.
No specific dollar amount was included in this first reading.
Final wording, which can be changed and further refined, will be worked on during a special meeting that has been scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 15 at 9 a.m. in the Commissioners Chambers at Ward County Courthouse.
The second reading will take place at the commission's regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 21.
-Dan Feldner