LUMBERTON — The Robeson County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Monday to give voters a chance to decide whether they want to pay more in sales tax in return for lower property taxes.

The commissioners passed a resolution asking the Board of Elections to hold a quarter-cent sales tax referendum on Aug. 3.

Increasing the sales tax as a way to generate revenue to fund capital projects was discussed by the commissioners last week during their annual retreat in Ocean Isle. At that time, County Manager Ken Windley told the board that August was the earliest a referendum could be held. Windley said the state and U.S. Justice Department has 60 days to approve any request for a referendum. It takes at least another 30 days to set the referendum up, he said.

If approved, the increase would bump the current 7.75 percent tax on most goods to 8 percent, and the 2 percent tax on groceries to 2.25 percent.

To make the tax more palatable to voters, the commissioners have committed to lowering the county’s property tax rate by two cents. The current tax rate is 80 cents for every $100 of property, but that is expected to drop for the next fiscal year because of the current revaluation of county property.

Windley estimates that the additional one-quarter percent tax would generate about $2.1 million annually. The reduced property tax rate would cost the county about $1 million, so the net gain would be about $1.1 million for the county. The commissioners say the additional revenue would mostly come from people passing through the county on its major highways.

“I hope we can get this passed so we can give some real property tax relief to our property owners,” Commissioner Raymond Cummings said Monday night. “There is a genuine need to reduce the property tax burden on our residents.”

During a referendum in November 2007, Robeson County voters rejected a one-quarter percent sales tax increase by a margin of 58 percent in favor to 42 percent against.

County officials attribute the defeat to residents not understanding that there would be a reduction in their property taxes if the sales tax had been increased. They say that this time the county will launch a major campaign to educate county residents.

Board Chairman Noah Woods said that people need to see exactly what the county will do with the additional revenue.

“There are a lot of capital projects out there. We need to come up with a list and prioritize them,” Woods told the board. “We need to prioritize these projects so that the citizens can see where we are going to spend the money.”

Some of the major county expenses that commissioners say the money could be used toward include expansion at the county jail, recycling, parking lot improvements in downtown Lumberton, and easing the space crunch at the courthouse..

The commissioners on Monday also heard a presentation from Karla Carter, manager of New Life Veteran Home in Lumberton. The home, located at 801 E. Seventh St., serves as a residence for homeless veterans.

Carter, who is operating the facility as a nonprofit, told commissioners that she had three residents when the home opened in October. She now has nine and others on a waiting list, she said.

Carter said that she personally sees that the needs of homeless veterans are met, including food and shelter, medical treatment, and transportation to Veterans Affairs medical clinics and administration offices.

“This is a passion with me,” Carter said. “I try to give these veterans the dignity and respect they deserve.”

Carter told the commissioners that she would like to open similar homes in each commissioner’s district. She said she envisions refurbishing a hotel in Lumberton to house veterans, as well as expand her program to surrounding counties.

“I’d like to see Robeson County be the home for this network,” she said. “I know we can’t get rid of all homelessness, but we can help ... . We need to stand up and take charge. Let other counties know that Robeson County is standing up and taking care of their veterans.”

In other business, the commissioners approved pursuing a contract with GOGAS Universal for fuel supply and management services. The services provided under the contract are expected to save the county money in fuel purchases as well as the cost of maintenance and management of county vehicles.