Davenport voters weigh plan to subsidize tuition with sales tax

The Linn County sales tax vote isn’t the only thing to be decided by voters Tuesday.  Davenport residents are deciding whether to use a third of the profits from the city’s local option sales tax to pay college tuition for local students in an effort to draw more families and businesses to the eastern Iowa city.

The plan, according to The Des Moines Register, amounts to $1.9 million a year of taxpayer money and up to $20,000 in tuition breaks for each student. As long as the student is from Davenport they can attend any school in the nation.

Supporters hope offering free college tuition will draw people to the town of 99,000. Davenport has gained population in recent years but its work force shrank by nearly 10,000 between 2000 and 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. plan is modeled after a similar program in Kalamazoo, Mich. But, a donor put up the tuition money for the kids in Kalamazoo.

Critics say it is unlikely families will uproot to move to Davenport simply to participate in this plan and that the money could be more wisely spent on other needs, like streets and sewers.

The Quad City Times is reporting that turnout is on par with a typical city primary. Polls close at 8 p.m. and officials are expecting about 10,000 residents to cast a vote.