The majority of Abilene voted for the city of Abilene’s 0.25 percent street maintenance sales tax not to be renewed in the 2022 general election Nov. 8. Ron Marsh, city manager, said city staff and the Abilene City Commission will discuss how the city will move forward before the end of the year. Marsh said his recommendation to the commission will be to approve a special election for the same ballot question.
“As the city, we need to do a better job at promoting it. We have to be careful. We can’t expend funds to promote it, but we need to get letters to the editor, we need to get information and social media out,” Marsh said. “I’ve heard some people say there was no promotion. Well, we did what we could. It takes more then just us in this office pushing it.”
During the Nov. 14 Abilene City Commission regular meeting, city commissioners Brandon Rein and Trevor Witt said they had people make comments to them that the ballot question was confusing. Aaron Martin, city attorney, and Marsh in a later interview said the ballot questions was worded almost exactly as the initial ballot question when the sales tax was first introduced in 2013.
Another possible solution to replace the funds the sales tax would generate would be to raise property taxes. Marsh said, however, that the city does not want use that tactic. The city could also cut funds from other parts of its budget, but cutting will only pay for part of one project due to how expensive the projects are, Marsh said.
Without the tax, a minimum of seven street projects scheduled for 2024 in the city’s five-year capital improvement plan will not be completed. Seven of the known projects Marsh listed are 1st Street from Elm Street to Washington Street; Cedar Street from W. 1st Street from SW 4th Street; NW 10th Street from Vine Street to Walnut Street; Charles Road; N. Olive Street from NE 14th Street to NE 16th Street; NE 15th Street from Jayhawk Street to Brown Street; and N. Kuney Street from NE 14th Street to Charles Road. The projects will be kept on the plan, but pushed to future years until the city has the funds.
“Up until that sales tax was put into affect, that’s what we did, is we Band-Aided everything, and now we’re trying to catch up on that,” Marsh said. “Unfortunately, there is a life span on infrastructure. Roads don’t last forever. I don’t care how well you build them. Between trash trucks, extreme weather and other traffic, the roads get torn up.”
The sales tax, which has been in place since 2013, has generated over $2.5 million, according to Lon Schrader, Public Works Department director. Marsh said tourists and visitors pay about 30 percent of the tax’s revenue.
“Why not utilize that? Let other people pay for our roads,” Marsh said.
The 0.25 percent street maintenance sales tax sunsets March 31, 2023.
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