The committee spearheading efforts to seek voter approval of the Cole County Half-Cent Capital Improvements Sales Tax for another five years has begun to meet.
At Tuesday's Cole County Commission Meeting, commissioners gave approval to the group made up of co-chairs Lori Hoelscher, Roger Schwartze and Brad Bates along with Treasurer Ron Medin.
The commission cannot put any county funds toward efforts to approve the measure, but they can give their public support to the campaign.
Late last month, the county's Road and Bridge Advisory Committee presented the recommendations to the commission.
The recommendation for road and bridge projects, which accounts for 85 percent of the proposed tax for 2017-21, would total $26.35 million, compared to $22.1 million for the tax from 2012-16. Adding in $4.65 million for county facility and equipment improvements in 2017-21 would bring the total expenditures for sales tax funds to $31 million, compared to $26 million for 2012-16.
The upgrading of gravel roads will be used on the two roads that meet the traffic counts for upgrading: Mount Hope Road and Waterford Road.
The money for major thoroughfares would include the continuation of upgrades along Business 50 to the St. Martins city limits and funding for potential projects like curb and gutter on Rainbow Drive as well as work on Militia Drive and Liberty Road area.
Money for cooperative projects was increased for the seven villages in the county. The communities would get $100,000 each to do overlay work, but in this tax $800,000 is included to be used for cooperative projects.
The resurfacing/concrete street replacement category saw an increase because public works officials are seeing an increase in the need to do preventive maintenance on county roads.
The money for stormwater improvements was increased after seeing an increase in that work during this current sales tax cycle.
The amount for the cooperative projects with Jefferson City stayed the same.
The uses for the facility and equipment improvements, which make up the last 15 percent of the sales tax funds, would be determined by the County Commission.
The language for what has to be on the ballot has to be finalized by Jan. 26.