SOAR takes off with new tax base

Voters have given the Sisters Organization for Activities and Recreation a $100,000 tax base.

The program directors went to the voters seeking stable funding to continue and expand operations.

Voters approved the the 22 cents per $1,000 value property tax rate, with 53 percent voting in favor and 37 percent opposed. However, the money for SOAR won't appear on tax bills until next year.

"We're still 16-17 months from seeing any money, so we have to continue to keep ourselves alive for that long," said Tom Coffield, SOAR director.

The tax base will only cover about half of the organization's projected budget.

Coffield noted that the organization did not want to ask too much from the voters in taxes. That means SOAR will continue fund-raising efforts.

However, according to Coffield, SOAR can use the stable funding base to match grants, which could relieve the fund-raising burden on the local community.

"Now we have to show the people that voted 'yes' that they've invested their money wisely, that we're doing good things," Coffield said. "We've got to continue to ask the community what they want and meet as many of the community's needs as we're financially capable of meeting."

For Coffield, that means expanding the program's emphasis beyond sports activities.

"(With) sports programs we have a pretty strong foundation," he said. "So we want to expand into other areas. We want to definitely get more into the arts."

Newly elected SOAR directors are Bonnie Malone, Carole C.B. Davis, Marie Clasen, John Bushnell and Ben Ehrenstrom.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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