The St. Joseph City Council voted 4-1 to spend up to $10,000 to hire a lobbyist to advocate on behalf of area cities in their request to the Minnesota Legislature for more time to consider a sales-tax extension.

Specifically, the lobbyist would help area communities, including S. Joseph, pass an extension of the local-option sales tax that will expire in 2018, according to city documents.

The proposed lobbyist would work on behalf of the cities of St. Joseph, Sartell, St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Waite Park and St. Augusta. St. Joseph is the first city to vote on a joint resolution requesting the Legislature approve a special law authorizing extension of the existing one-half cent local-option sales tax to 2038 for certain regional infrastructure as approved by local voter referendum.

St. Joseph City Council members voted the city would support moving forward with the resolution if all six area cities also pass the resolution of support for the hire. City Council member Bob Loso voted against the move, citing concerns about the need for a lobbyist and where the city’s portion of the cost would come from if the hire was to take place.

The Minnesota Legislature first authorized the collection of the half-cent local-option sales tax in the St. Cloud area cities in 2003. Voters had to approve that measure, which they did twice since then – the original sales tax and later an extension of it.