To the editor:

Another attempted taxpayer ripoff will be on the Nov. 3 ballot as Proposition E-911.

It is a 0.1-cent sales tax increase for emergency communications equipment in St. Louis County. The main proponent is former County Councilman Skip Mange, the chief architect of the county’s trash program and big supporter of trash-transfer stations.

This would be the second sales-tax hike in two years in St. Louis County. A sales tax for the Children’s Fund was just approved last year. Metro also wants another sales-tax hike on the ballot next year. If all are approved, it would then mean three sales-tax hikes in three years.

There is no reason why county and local governments cannot fund the communications system without a tax hike. The $110 million of county tax dollars being sent downtown for the new baseball stadium would have been much better spent on a new communications system. Of course, Skip Mange and County Executive Charlie Dooley were both supporters of subsidizing the billionaire owners of the Cardinals.

The Mehlville Fire Protection District was able to upgrade its communications system without a tax hike. There is no reason why other districts and cities can not do the same.

Don’t give any more tax dollars to St. Louis County. Vote “no” on Proposition E-911.

Tom Sullivan

University City