Economic developer backs taxes

The City of Maryville has the distinct pleasure of charting the course for Mozingo Lake Recreation Park. In just a few weeks the residents of our community will be asked to consider two important ballot questions, which I would like to address with Maryville Daily Forum readers.

The first – the continuation of the half cent sales tax which has funded Mozingo for nearly 20 years.

Let me take you back a bit.

Many of you reading this article know me; I grew up in Maryville.

I was quite young when Mozingo Lake was nearing a reality in the early 1990’s. I remember being angry and opposed to the lake development.

At that time, in my youthful heart, I saw, in the simplest of terms, farmers losing their land; I didn’t understand. I’m 20 years older now, perhaps a bit smarter and I can see and appreciate from the economic development view how impactful Mozingo Lake is to Maryville and Nodaway County; its return to the community goes beyond dollars and cents and includes family memories.

Maryville City Council, Mozingo Advisory Board along with our city administrators, both past and present are charged with charting a course for the future of Mozingo. Look how far we have come in the last 20 years – RV & camping sites, trails, youth camp cabins… the list goes on.

Look what it has become … our Mozingo … it’s not a body of water surrounded by rolling hills; but a destination for anglers, equestrians, hunters, golfers, campers, picnickers, hikers – it is a destination for many, it is our source of water and it is a revenue generator for Maryville.

In two months time, Tom Watson will cut the ribbon on one of the premier youth golf courses in the United States, providing yet another attraction to the growing list of amenities at Mozingo.

Mozingo is moving in the right direction and to support these tremendous developments and to further enhance the regional appeal of Mozingo, Maryville needs your vote to extend our existing half cent sales tax.

The second question Maryville residents are asked to consider is the establishment of a 1/8 cent sales tax for the construction of a convention center at Mozingo.

This is a tough question because it is about the future of Mozingo. I ask you to consider, as you did 20 years ago on the passage of the half cent sales tax, to look beyond today – look toward the future and the long term impact a convention center will have on our community.

Mozingo has moved beyond a source of water for the city and has become a regional recreation draw that has successfully coupled a developed south end with the natural beauty of the north end.

Maryville has the opportunity to look to the future and make an investment in our community that will have a long term impact and will help to elevate Mozingo to the next level.

Each step we take investing in our community brings us another step closer to creating jobs, building our economy and insuring that Maryville continues to be a great place to live.

Maryville was named one of the top performing small cities in the United States; this designation was thanks to continued investment by our existing manufacturers. These businesses have determined that the community is worth investing in; these ballot questions are a chance for the community to show it agrees with our employers.

Quality of life is a key component to economic growth; the more opportunities and amenities our community provides the better positioned we will be for future growth.

This relatively small personal investment by each tax payer will provide our community with an asset that will generate long term returns for the community.

Please carefully consider your vote this April; I believe both issues are important to our community and will contribute to Maryville’s future.

I will be voting yes on both.

— Josh McKim

Nodaway County

Economic Developer