Minot voters may be asked to vote a second time on a half percent sales tax for parks.

The Minot Park Board intends to approach the Minot City Council at the council’s Feb. 2 meeting with a proposed ordinance to levy the sales tax for general operations of the Minot Park District. If agreed to by the council, the ordinance would be placed on the June 9 city election ballot.

The sales tax collections, estimated at about $6 million, would be accompanied by a property tax reduction from 38 to 26 mills. The 26-mill cap would sunset June 30, 20246, while the sales tax would remain in effect indefinitely unless repealed or amended. The sales tax cannot be repealed or amended until after June 30, 2046, under the proposed ordinance.

A similar measure went down in defeat in a special June 3 election last year by only 25 votes. That measure included a proposal for a new turf facility, which no longer is connected with the newly proposed sales tax.

“While the turf facility is high on our priority list, we want to make sure that people understand this is about maintaining our current facilities, future capital improvement projects and operating the Minot Park District,” said Elly DesLauriers, executive director of the park district.

DesLauriers said the decision to place a measure on the ballot a second time was in response to a June 3 election that saw a low voter turnout with just under 2,000 electors.

“We just don’t feel like that is representative of the opinion of the entire city of Minot,” she said.

The park board voted 4-0 on Tuesday, Jan. 20, to pursue the half percent sales tax. Board member Mike Schmitt was absent, but DesLauriers said he has supported the plan and served on the committee that drafted the ordinance language.

If the council approves the ordinance on first reading and it moves to the ballot, DesLauriers said, the park district will again educate the public through presentations and other channels regarding the tax request.