Mayor Frese’s message As we prepare to start construction on a new Church Street bridge soon, it seemed like a reasonably good time to go over how part of it was financed. The Church Street bridge is on a “ wish list ” of the City ’ s Capital Improvements. It ’ s a list where the City keeps track of big - ticket items that the public or staff have deemed priorities but the funds are not readily available. To help finance some of those projects, voters in 2017 approved by a ⅔ margin a 1/4 - cent sales tax. Part of the tax is being used to finance the construction of our fantastic new library. The rest is being used to address the Capital Improvements list. In the past, those projects would have been financed by issuing debt. Thanks to sales taxes of residents, travelers, and others, the City is able to pay–at least in part–for some of these projects up front. From the list the City circulated during the election in 2017, Staff, Fire, Police, and Public Works have addressed several items already. A major task checked off included reconditioning or resurfacing in some way most of the major streets in town, the last being the Main and Pleasant Street resurfacing. The Tonganoxie Water Park, now already 15 years old, has needed resurfacing, repainting, and repairing. Public Works also has been able to repaint and recondition the water slides with the sales tax funds. The Church Street bridge, which can no longer sustain the weight of our heaviest of equipment, has been a priority for City Council for many years, and in 2021 we were finally able to get it on the budget for this year. We have been promised by the contractor construction will begin this fall. Of course this will mean temporary detours because Church is one of only two through streets in the central part of town. We ask for your patience as this long - needed project is completed. The Capital Improvements list is ever - growing. Some other major projects include a replacement of the Fourth Street bridge, which we hope includes a walking bridge. An important part of this funding process is to shop locally when possible. When shopping online, have your items delivered to your home in town. A municipality ’ s tax rate is what companies use to charge sales tax to customer (if a package is delivered to Lawrence, it ’ s taxed at Lawrence ’ s higher sales tax rate; if delivered to Tonganoxie; it ’ s taxed at our lower sales tax rate). It ’ s also necessary for City Council and Staff to keep Tonganoxie open for businesses, which generates more revenue for capital improvements. With some exciting new businesses opening and looking for space in Tonganoxie, in time we can reduce our dependence on property taxes. Tonganoxie has kept its mill rate at the same level for at least the last five years. It takes a mix of options to finance the City ’ s upkeep -- not just property and sales taxes but grants, awards, and other options. By approving the Infrastructure Sales Tax, voters showed how much they want to keep the City moving forward. Residential Development In addition to the single family development in Jackson Heights and Stone Creek, the City has approved a final plat for 27 additional homes in Timber Lake, adjacent to Timber Hills; and a preliminary plat for 45 new homes in Deer Creek, a new subdivision proposed for just south of Twin Cedar St on Smiley Rd with a connection to the NorthStar subdivision. Also, leasing has begun for the West Village Villas and construction on the 36 unit apartment building is expected to begin this Fall. This $7M capital investment was partially funded by a Moderate Income Housing grant from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation and from a Rural Housing Incentive District as approved by the Kansas Department of Commerce and Tonganoxie City Council.
Page 2
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker