As per a recent meeting with the Park County Commissioners discussing raising the county’s sales tax from 4 to 5 percent, my thoughts might not be worth a plug nickel, but I’ll include my 2 cents worth anyway. Make that 1 cent.

The Wyoming Legislature is cutting spending, because a big source of the state’s revenue is oil, and oil prices have dropped drastically. That means Wyoming communities will have less state funding for infrastructure we need.

One business owner at the commissioners’ meeting said an extra penny would not impact the number of people visiting his establishment.

That makes cents. How many customers are really going to carp at an extra penny on the dollar? And remember, the tourists flocking to the Big Horn Basin every summer are going to pitch a lot of pennies into that coffer.

Threatening to shop in Billings where sales tax is non existent seems a bit dramatic. For one, how many extra pennies will it take to fill the gas tank? And, while buying in Billings, how many people wind up making extra purchases because some cool looking item presents itself and later winds up collecting dust on a shelf. Of course there are always more pennies at stake stopping to have lunch before leaving the big city.

I for one, prefer spending my hard-earned money among my neighbors. Whether from Powell, Meeteetse or Cody, those downtown merchants need our business to stay in business, even more so now when times are tough. With a shaky economy, we must support our local businesses more than ever, not race up to Billings to avoid sales tax, or shop online, where sales taxes can be even steeper.

One cent is a drop in the bucket of a dollar bill. If that money can be used to improve roads or other infrastructure, why the heck not?

Some people offered constructive comments at the commissioners’ meeting, but most made it a grumble fest.

Still, people who support the 1 cent sales tax need to step up to the plate to sell it to the public. Before most people are willing to put their skin in the game, namely, their dough, they want to know what’s in it for them. Tell them.

Don’t let the naysayers kill the initiative before it even gets off the ground.