Lafayette County began collecting a new half-cent sales tax Wednesday, Oct. 1, supporting countywide 911 dispatching services.

The tax came into effect following a 65-percent vote in support of the measure on last April’s ballot. Ahead of its implementation, a new board was established to manage the tax funds. That board recently entered into an agreement with Higginsville to operate dispatching services, which Higginsville has handled since 2018. City administrator Jeanette Dobson says the contract was approved at Monday night’s Board of Aldermen meeting.

As part of the transition to a new board, Higginsville has separated the dispatch center into a separate city department. Dobson says aldermen also hired a head for the new department Monday night.

Also at Monday night’s meeting, Higginsville’s Board of Aldermen approved a one-year agreement with the Missouri EMS Agent Corporation, allowing the city to obtain funds for behavioral health claims, and also welcomed a new reserve police officer to the city’s force, Sean Morgan.