Among the many issues on the ballot this November, Missourians will vote on whether to renew the state’s tenth-of-a-cent parks, soils and water sales tax. The sales tax was first approved in 1984 and reapproved by voters in 1988, 1996 and 2006. It is currently set up to have a renewal vote every 10 years. The tax splits its revenues 50-50, with half going to fund the state’s parks and half going to fund the Missouri Soil and Water Conservation Program, which provides cost-share money for conservation practices implemented by landowners. According to the ballot language, the sales tax would generate $90 million annually. Butler says in 2011, Missouri had 18 million visitors to its state parks and historic sites, generating an estimated $778 million for the state’s economy.