The Pella City Council met this week and with the city’s special election coming up next week for the referendum on the Local Option Sales and Services Tax, or LOSST, several citizens appeared at the meeting to ask questions to the council about what it is and where the revenue goes.

Mayor Don DeWaard gave a presentation to the meeting attendees and admonished what he referred to as “misinformation” that has been circulating regarding the LOSST. In the city’s newsletter detailing the election, DeWaard explained that the LOSST is not a new tax, and that it has been in place for the last 20 years in the city, with half the revenue going to property tax relief and half going to projects around the city such as improvements to Caldwell Park and the Pella Aquatic Center. If the referendum is passed and the LOSST is extended, DeWaard said that the way the revenue will be spent will not change.

The special election is scheduled for next Tuesday, September 13. The full presentation given by DeWaard at the council meeting is available on the city website here and more information about the special election itself can be found here.