An extremely low voter turnout is expected in Tuesday’s election.

According to Buchanan County Clerk Mary Baack-Garvey only a 10 to 12-percent turnout is expected.

She said that turnout figure very low.

St. Joseph Voters will be asked to vote on only one measure in Tuesday’s election, a tax on out-of-state purchases.

According to St. Joseph City Manager Bruce Woody there is already a use tax in the state of Missouri and a use tax in Buchanan County but not in the city.

To read more about the use tax click here.

If passed, the tax would generate an estimated $700,000 a year to be used to repair and maintain city streets.

Wording on the ballot for Tuesday’s election reads as such, “Shall the City of St. Joseph, Missouri, impose a local use tax on out-of-state purchases for a period of 10 years at the same rate as the local sales tax rate, currently Two and Eight Hundred Seventy-Five One Hundredths of One Percent (2.875%), in order to preserve existing general fund revenues and provide revenues for streets maintenance activities and to eliminate an inequity between in-state and out-of state businesses due to a recent Missouri Supreme Court decision, provided that if any local sales tax is reduced or raised by voter approval, the respective local use tax rate shall also be reduced or raised by the same action? A use tax return shall not be required to be filed by persons whose purchases from out-of-state vendors do not in total exceed Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) in any calendar year.”

Election Day is Tuesday, April 7th. Polls will be open from 6:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.