Voters handily approved a proposal Tuesday to extend a quarter-cent sales tax for capital projects in Columbia.
With 100% of votes counted, 71% of voters supported the sales tax extension and 29% were opposed, according to the Boone County Clerk’s office.
The proposal, known as Proposition 1, is projected to raise $126 million for the city to spend on capital projects over the next decade or so. The tax, which amounts to 25 cents for every $100 a consumer spends on goods or services in Columbia businesses, is expected to remain in place through 2035.
Two proposed amendments to the state Constitution were also on the ballot for voters statewide to decide.
A proposal to exempt child care businesses from property taxes failed. But the proposal to require the city of Kansas City to spend a minimum of 25% of its general fund on its police department narrowly passed.
Locally, the Columbia City Council plans to designate 75% of funds earned from the sales tax extension on public works projects such as sidewalk and street renovations, while 25% would be spent to maintain the fire and police departments.
The money is expected to be spent on more than two dozen projects, including improvements to Clark Lane, the State Farm Parkway-Nifong Boulevard intersection and New Haven Road.
Renovations to Columbia Police Department facilities are estimated to cost around $16 million, Police Chief Jill Schlude said.
Fire Department maintenance is estimated to cost $15.5 million, Deputy Fire Chief John Ambra said.
Mayor Barbara Buffaloe endorsed Proposition 1 and said she was confident that 10 more years of this sales tax would benefit Columbia residents.
“The thing I am most excited about is being able to shape the next 10 years of transportation and infrastructure,” Buffaloe said. “We are investing in making it safer for people to move around town in their preferred mode of transportation. I also hope that voter turnout will be higher in future elections. Everybody has an opinion and you need to vote in order to have that opinion heard.”
The Chamber of Commerce also endorsed the proposition. Lily White, vice president of external affairs for the chamber, said she believed the city would follow through with the list of projects on its agenda.
“The board of directors endorsed Proposition 1 in this election and in the previous election,” White said. “The full list of projects the city presented in 2015 has been completed, with the final two underway. We appreciate that the city has kept their word in completing these projects and trust that they will do the same for the next 10 years.”
