Aldermen Agree to Put Transportation Tax Renewal on August Ballot

If Wentzville's transportation sales tax is not renewed, the city would take on no new building projects and likely would see its road conditions deteriorate, Public Works Director Scott Smith told the Board of Aldermen during Monday’s work session.

Aldermen agreed to put the sales tax renewal on the Aug. 7 ballot.

Voters approved the half-cent sales tax for 15 years in 1999 to fund transportation improvements and build new roadways in Wentzville. The sales tax ends in 2014.

“We could take on no new roadway construction (if voters do not renew the tax),” Smith said. “The transportation fund would be left with $1.2 million at the end of 2014.”

But a minimum of $1.7 million is needed to maintain streets in their current condition, he said.

Smith displayed the city’s $49.8 million 2011 transportation budget by revenue source:

• Sales tax - $18.2 million
• Grants - $27.2 million
• Other revenue - $8.1 million
• Capital sales tax - $5.5 million

“The thing that strikes me is that for every dollar we put in, we got $2 back,” said Mayor Paul Lambi. “We don’t get a lot of that money if we don’t have the sales tax.”

Many federal or state grants require matching funds.

Over 12 years, the city collected $59 million from the sales tax, completing projects such as:

• Wentzville Parkway
• Interstate Drive
• West Meyer Road
• Traffic signals at four locations

If the tax is renewed, Smith said the city plans to fund projects such as Wentzville Parkway from Dierberg Drive to Schroeder Creek, and Dierberg Drive to Schroeder Creek Boulevard.

“I hate it either way,” said Ward 3 Alderman Rick Stokes. “But there’s only two ways to fund road construction: through sales tax or real estate and personal property taxes. This probably makes the most sense because people using our roadways are not just the people who live here.”

Interim City Administrator Dennis Walsh told Patch the city is putting the issue on the ballot two and a half years before it expires so the city can plan ahead for its projects.

“A long planning process goes into any road construction project,” Walsh said. “The first year, you’re doing design work. A lot of projects, the construction phase is 18 months long or more."