Early voting started Tuesday in Cabot for a sales tax extension that supporters say is the remedy to some of the problems that have prevented the city from being the biggest and best bedroom community it can be.
By extending the existing one-cent sales tax, residents will get a new library; a new baseball park with an outdoor pool so nice it was initially described as a water park; a new freeway interchange between Cabot and Austin, and additions to the community center that will finally give Cabot a space for large banquets as well as an adequate fitness area.
Those are the parts of the tax extension that will be the most visible. But Mayor Bill Cypert has always contended that the part that won’t be seen, the improved sewer collection system (especially the part planned for the area around Highway 5 where the city still has room to grow) is the most important part.
That is the part that will do the most for economic development, the part that will allow more stores and restaurants to locate in Cabot. The other parts – the library, ballparks and interchange – will make living in Cabot more convenient and more attractive to potential residents and even businesses. But without an improved sewer system, real growth isn’t possible.
So the question becomes: Do you want Cabot to grow?
Some say no. But the mayor says what those people are missing is that growth means more revenue for improvements like street repairs all over Cabot.
And that logic seems sound to us, especially considering that although Cabot’s growth slowed with the downturn in the economy, it never stopped. The people are still coming because they want Cabot’s schools. So why wouldn’t Cabot residents vote “yes” to extend the same one-cent sales tax they’ve been paying for the past 12 years to make life better for themselves and their families and at the same time attract more people and businesses to help pay for those new amenities?
We recommend that they vote yes. Election Day is Tuesday.
