Civic leaders have begun the push for the renewal of the countywide capital improvements sales tax for another five years.
Cole County voters will decide the issue, Proposition A, on the April 5 ballot.
The group to head the campaign for the measure is made up of Lori Hoelscher, Roger Schwartze and Brad Bates along with Ron Medin as treasurer.
During a Thursday morning kickoff press conference, campaign leaders cited a study done by the University of Missouri Extension Service that estimates 35 percent of the sales tax revenue comes from outside of Cole County because of the regional status of the county's shopping facilities. Using this formula, nearly $11 million of sales tax revenue should be generated by the sales tax from 2017-21 from outside the county, if voters approve the tax extension.
The Cole County Commission cannot put any county funds toward efforts to approve the measure, but it can give public support to the campaign.
In January, the commission approved the recommendations of the county Road and Bridge Advisory Committee for the half-cent tax.
The road and bridge projects, which make up 85 percent of the proposed tax for 2017-21, would total $26.35 million. That marks an increase from $22.1 million for the tax from 2012-16. Adding $4.65 million for county facility and equipment improvements in 2017-21 would bring the total expenditures for sales tax funds to $31 million, a $5 million jump over the previous span.
The break down of what road improvements would be done include:
• $2.5 million for upgrading roads from gravel to paved. Mount Hope Road and Waterford Road both meet the traffic counts for upgrades in the recommendations.
• $4.325 million for major thoroughfare. This would include the continuation of upgrades along Business 50 to the St. Martins city limits, funding for potential projects like curb and guttering on Rainbow Drive, as well as work on Militia Drive and Liberty Road.
• $1.5 million for cooperative projects in the seven villages in the county. The communities would get $100,000 each to do overlay work, but another $800,000 is included for cooperative projects.
• $6.25 million for resurfacing/concrete street replacement. Public works officials said they see an increase in the need to do such preventive maintenance on county roads.
• $3.4 million for bridge/culvert/ low water crossing/stormwater improvements. Public works officials asked for the increase after seeing an increase in that work during the current sales tax cycle.
• The amount for the cooperative projects with Jefferson City would stay the same at $5.5 million.
Facility and equipment improvements, which make up the last 15 percent of the sales tax funds, were determined by the County Commission. A total of $4.65 million would be divided as follows:
• $2.85 million for facility maintenance, modifications and renovations;
• $900,000 for computerization;
• $300,000 for capital equipment;
• $100,000 for parks; and
• $500,000 in contingency.
A website has been launched with more information on the sales tax extension: ImproveColeCounty.com.