Grain Valley Board of Aldermen to vote on local use tax ballot issue, would fund roads, police

GRAIN VALLEY, MO — KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.

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Grain Valley's Board of Aldermen will vote tonight on putting a use tax before voters this fall.

The push for the tax comes as more residents buy online instead of locally — leaving the city without that tax revenue.

The proposed tax would apply a 2.5% rate to out-of-state purchases, which includes Amazon and other online retailers. The rate matches Grain Valley's existing local sales tax. Residents would not pay both taxes — the use tax functions as an extension of the same rate already applied to in-person purchases. The use tax would not increase the overall sales tax rate.

City officials also point to a fairness argument: currently, purchases from local brick-and-mortar businesses are subject to local sales tax, while out-of-state online retailers do not carry those additional fees. A use tax would apply the same 2.5% rate to qualifying out-of-state purchases, creating greater parity between local retailers and their online competitors.

Revenue generated by the tax would fund road improvements and support police staffing and services. The meeting agenda stated that city roads are getting more wear and tear from delivery vehicles. Meanwhile, two additional police positions are currently being paid for from the general fund reserves. The city said that is unsustainable while costs for public safety measures increase.

Grain Valley's Board of Aldermen meet Monday at 6:30 PM inside city hall. If the Board of Aldermen approve the measure Monday night, it will go before voters for a final decision in the November 3rd General Election.

Blue Springs City Council approved a similar move last week.

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