WEST POINT, Miss. (WTVA) -- It sounds simple enough on the surface: a one-percent sales tax increase on restaurants and lodging.
For West Point Growth Alliance Director Cynthia Wilson, it represents a way the city can showcase what it has to offer for those who are curious.
"We've already had some meetings with some planning groups to look at what they felt like were some of the priorities, where we needed to be spending that money, and what's going to make the [biggest] impact the quickest," Wilson said.
Already the first two checks from the Mississippi Department of Revenue -- more than $34,000 thus far -- have gone toward print and radio advertisements that will emphasize the city's strong points.
It also paid for two billboards adorning the north and south borders of West Point on Highway 45 Alternate.
Wilson said she hopes this will show people passing by that there's more to West Point than what most see from that highway.
"Once you turn down there and come a few blocks down, you find a very well-kept secret that's been kept camouflaged from the general public in our downtown, because we do have an awful lot to offer in West Point," Wilson said.
Anthony's Good Food Market restaurant manager Tara Dickson says it's good for the city.
"I think that any positive promotion for any city, let alone a city I'm attached to, is a great thing," Dickson said.
Some say it's needed, but for other priorities as well.
"I think the money could go toward bringing more stuff to the community, like jobs for the young people," West Point resident Brianna Edwards said.
"It could be used for other things, but if we can get an increase for people coming into our city to enjoy, purchase and buy, it could help the city in a positive way," resident Gabriel Shaw said.
Others who declined to come on camera say they're concerned about a tax increase of any kind because they maintain one can never be too sure where that money's going if it's not specifically designated.
