Transportation districts collect your money with little oversight

You pay an extra 0.5 percent sales tax at certain stores, but you didn't vote on it. Transportation development districts collect that tax at stores within the districts to work on road improvements, but there is little oversight.

Click here to read a Missourian special report, completed over an eight-month investigation, including these stories:

• Some Columbia transportation development districts have collected sales tax for years without building anything, which calls into question whether and how anyone is policing them to make sure they follow the law.

• An eight-month long Missourian investigation found instances in which transportation district policies are in direct violation of the Missouri Sunshine Law and instances in which they are less than open about their meetings and records.
• The control of five transportation districts in Columbia, and the tens of millions in sales tax revenue they will collect over the districts’ lifespans, rests in the hands of only a few people, all of who stand to benefit from the streets the districts are expected to build.
• The city of Columbia has changed its tune on TDDs because they might be hurting its ability to levy sales tax for citywide projects. In addition, Columbia TDDs are rethinking their plans because of the dire economy. This is particularly interesting when considering that one-third of total taxable sales in the city come from stores within TDDs.