From a historical standpoint, the sales tax vote looms as an important turning point for McCook, hopefully setting the stage for a new era of growth.

Overly optimistic? Perhaps, but -- if you're like me -- you're getting tired of doom and gloom and feel it's time to unite to help McCook grow.

If we're going to turn the tide in this town, we need to take action ... and we need to take action quickly.

The McCook area is at a crossroads. Despite many outstanding developments -- such as Valmont, Parker, Trenton Agri Products, Timber Creek. the Work Ethic Camp and the new ethanol plant in Cambridge -- the number of people in Southwest Nebraska is declining.

In the last five years, McCook has lost 5 percent of its population, and the decrease has been even greater in several surrounding counties.

There is not one single, great cure-all for all that ails us. But, thankfully, there is a strategy that has worked successfully in scores of Nebraska towns ... and it can work here as well.

The strategy is this: adopt a sales tax for economic development. By doing so, every man, woman and child who lives and shops here contributes directly to economic efforts to uplift the town and area.

It won't cost each of us much. As an example, let's say that your family spends $5,000 a year on taxable goods, such as clothing, gifts and supplies. At one and a half percent -- McCook's sales tax share if the local issue passes -- your contribution to community projects would be $75. And, remember, this will not only go for economic development, it will also go to reduce the water project debt and fund other city projects, such as street improvements.

As an added bonus the sales tax receipts will help reduce property taxes, which -- here as elsewhere in Nebraska -- are way too high.

All these things are important, but I believe the most crucial thing we will be doing is investing in our town's future.

The economic development sales tax money will allow us to finalize important local developments, such as the renovation of the Keystone Hotel into a center for commerce and industry.

Already, the McCook Economic Development has a commitment from 21st Century Systems Inc. to become the anchor tenant of the Keystone project, and other McCook businesses are waiting in the wings to become part of the new Keystone.

As a community, we have a choice. We can say yes to the sales tax questions, or we can say no.

We will get by either way. Life will go on, just as it has for the first 125 years of the community's existence.

But why should we leave our future to fate, depending on others to make investments in our town? Let's take matters into our own hands. Let's each do our part. Let's invest in McCook's future by approving the sales tax to reduce the water debt, avoid property tax increases, pay for street improvements and invest in an active and extensive program of economic development.