THE TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX HAS BEEN RENEWED BY 69% of GRANDVIEW VOTERS AT THE AUGUST 3rd ELECTIONS!
TRANSPORTATION SALES TAX RENEWAL: CONTINUED STREET CONSTRUCTION, ASPHALT RESURFACING, CURB REPLACEMENT, & MAINTENANCE
For the past 24 years, the Transportation sales tax has provided the City of Grandview with a source of revenue for the construction of new roads and ongoing maintenance of existing streets. The Transportation Sales Tax was initially adopted by Grandview voters in 1986 for a five-year period and approved again in 1991 and 2001 for an additional 10 years each time. As the 2011 sunset for the sales tax approaches, the citizens of Grandview can look back and judge for themselves the projects that have been completed using Transportation Sales Tax revenues. Now, the question is whether the need for additional road projects and maintenance remains. The Mayor and Board of Aldermen recently appointed an Ad Hoc Citizens Advisory Committee to examine the need for extending the Transportation Sales Tax. After reviewing the completed projects that have been funded by the current Transportation Sales Tax, as well as considering future road projects and maintenance needs, the Ad Hoc Committee recommended to the Mayor and Board of Aldermen that the Transportation Sales Tax be renewed for an additional 10 years . As a result, the Mayor and Board of Aldermen decided to place the extension of the Transportation Sales Tax on the ballot for voter consideration on Tuesday, August 3, 2010.
The following are some commonly asked questions about the Transportation Sales Tax, which should help you become better informed about this important ballot issue.
Q. What is the Transportation Sales Tax?
A. The Transportation Sales Tax is a one-half of one-percent ( ½ of 1%) levy on all taxable items sold within the city limits. Since first approved by voters in 1986, receipts from the Transportation Sales Tax have funded many new streets and curbs. This sales tax is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2011, unless Grandview voters authorize an extension on Tuesday, August 3.
Q. Would an extension of the Transportation Sales Tax increase my taxes? A. No, extending the Transportation Sales Tax would not increase your taxes because this proposition is not a new tax – it is an extension of an existing sales tax at exactly the same rate as before.
Q. Would this sales tax be permanent?
A. No, the proposed extension of the Transportation Sales Tax has a ten-year sunset clause. If approved, the sales tax would expire in 2020 and could only be extended again by voter approval. This allows the public to once again review and evaluate the City’s transportation system, as well as the use of sales tax revenues to fund the designated projects.
Q. Why would an extension of the Transportation Sales Tax be necessary?
A. Past Transportation Sales Tax revenues have provided for numerous improvements to Grandview’s transportation system, but there are still many projects to be constructed, as well as existing roads, bridges, and curbs that are in need of maintenance and repair. The Ad Hoc Committee concluded that this tax is essential to the continued improvement of our City’s roadways and has recommended that the City present the renewal of the sales tax to the voters for their consideration.
Q. What would happen if the Transportation Sales Tax is not renewed?
A. Without the continued revenue from the Transportation Sales Tax, street maintenance would be restricted to only around $100,000 annually for contract maintenance, which would barely cover the expenses for basic maintenance needs, such as slurry sealing, crack filling, and lane striping. There would be no money available to resurface streets or to construct new roads.
Q. If the sales tax is extended, what would the revenues be used for?
A. If renewed, revenues from the Transportation Sales Tax would be used to construct the first priority projects listed below. The second priority projects may be constructed if additional funds become available. These projects were recommended by the Ad Hoc Citizens Advisory Committee members, who believe that their completion would have the greatest impact on public safety, improved access, and economic development for the entire City, while improving roads that a majority of Grandview residents use. Revenues from the Transportation Sales Tax would continue to be used exclusively for the construction and maintenance expenses of these proposed transportation projects (50% for new construction and 50% for maintenance). No sales tax earnings would be spent on equipment, personal services, or normal street maintenance provided by city employees.
Priority 1: Those projects which should be funded and constructed with Transportation Sales Tax renewal dollars:
- Main Street Corridor improvements – 10th Street to 13th Street
- Main Street Corridor improvements – 13th Street to the West Frontage Road
- KC Southern Railroad Overpass over Blue Ridge Boulevard (subject to federal funding assistance)
Priority 2: Those projects which should be given first consideration for funding after Priority 1 projects have been funded and constructed:
- Harry Truman Drive – East Frontage Road ( 71 Highway) to 125th Street
- Harry Truman Drive – Byars Road to Richmond Avenue
- Blue Ridge Boulevard widening from Truman Corners entrance to the Farm Shopping Center
- Grandview Road and Blue Ridge Boulevard Signal and Pedestrian improvements
- Improvements to Blue Ridge under the KC Southern RR (contingent upon the new KC Southern overpass being constructed)
Priority 3: Those projects which should be given consideration after Priority 1 and Priority 2 projects have been funded if additional funds become available:
- Design of the 140th Street Extension (west of Botts Road)
- Curbs and reconstruction of streets for streets without curbs (with a minimum of $750,000 in construction being done)
Q. What are some of the projects that have been completed so far with money from the Transportation Sales Tax ?
A. Since first approved by voters in 1986, receipts from the Transportation Sales Tax have funded many new street projects as well as significant preventative maintenance activities. Click here to review the major projects completed (or underway) using Transportation Sales Tax funds since 1986. These projects cost over 20 million dollars and meant the development of 10 miles of needed improvements for Grandview’s street system. Without the Transportation Sales Tax funds most of these important projects would not have been done.
Q. How much revenue would this sales tax generate?
A. A renewed Transportation Sales Tax can generate approximately $1.06 million a year for 10 years to maintain and improve our transportation system.
If you’d like additional information concerning the Transportation Sales Tax extension, please feel free to contact the Office of the Mayor or the Public Works Department at (816)316-4800.
Members of the Ad Hoc Citizens Advisory Committee, listed below, are also available to answer any questions you might have:
- Elaine Brewer, Chair
- Robert Anderson
- Ann Cook
- Dorothy Kennedy
- Kathy Meyers
- Greg Pulver
- Jay Roe
- Cheryl Seperek
- Jeff Teague
- Cheryl Wills