Pittsburg Seeking New Sales Tax

From today’s Joplin Globe:

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Members of the Pittsburg City Commission on Tuesday night decided against adding sidewalks to the uses of a proposed sales tax increase that will be up for a public vote Aug. 3.

The purpose of considering such an addition was what City Manager John VanGorden called an effort to address the city’s pedestrian safety, quality of life and health.

The issue drew comments from one resident in favor of the addition and one against, and a good deal of discussion among commissioners who all saw the need for sidewalks but who ultimately weren’t comfortable putting the matter to a popular vote.

Last month, the commission approved an election question that would increase the city sales tax by a quarter-cent. Officials say it would generate about $500,000 per year for the next 10 years for street maintenance and repairs in neighborhoods throughout the city.

Sales tax revenues are down 3.5 percent, and the road coffers — $95,000 this year, compared with the $250,000 to $400,000 annual budget several years ago — already are depleted after a winter of more-than-usual snow and ice removal, and an abundance of potholes.

Coupled with that, Public Works Director Bill Beasley said, the price of asphalt has gone from $75 per ton to $525 per ton.

Adding language to the ballot question would have called for any funds generated beyond the $500,000 estimated for street repairs to have been used for adding sidewalks on main artery streets.

VanGorden said doing so would mean a complete pedestrian circle from 23rd Street on the north to Centennial Street on the south, and from Broadway on the west to Rouse Street on the east, and an additional two-block sidewalk on Fourth Street to accommodate students walking to and from Pittsburg High School.

Don Runyon, a resident and business owner, in seeking answers from the commission related to road repairs and the sales tax increase, said: “Today you want to add sidewalks? Are we going to come back next month and add something else to it?”

George Weeks, a resident, thanked the commission for considering adding sidewalks to the ballot proposal.

“I’m generally a grateful taxpayer,” he said. “We get good things for our tax dollars. This would improve safety, quality of life and health. Pittsburg needs to keep moving forward, and this is a way to do that.”

Commissioner Marty Beezley spoke for adding sidewalk language to the tax question and made a motion to do so; the motion stalled for lack of a second. She said she has seen more and more communities adding sidewalks and hiking/biking paths, and that she gets frequent calls from young families who want such amenities in Pittsburg.

“At least putting this on the ballot would give voters a chance,” she said, adding that a recent study ranked Crawford County 97th out of 105 counties in Kansas for health.

Commissioner Bill Rushton spoke against adding such language to the ballot.

“If we’re looking at a (quarter-cent) increase to do streets, let’s do streets,” he said. “Let’s take care of those first. If we keep adding things to the question, it will water it down. We can’t continue to change things as we go along. We tell them, and we stick with it.”