The Alliance City Council members gave new life to the half-cent sales tax ballot measure during their meeting last Tuesday after letting it die at the previous meeting.
At their meeting on Feb. 18, City Manager Jeff Sprock told council members the revisions to the measure were a result of discussion at the previous meeting during which the measure was voted down. He noted that he reached out to the Alliance Chamber of Commerce and Box Butte Development Corporation as potential partners in providing information about the ballot measure.
“Both of them, at this point, are hesitant to advocate for it, but would love to provide information, and I thought it was important for the council to know that,” said Sprock.
Mayor Mike Dafney thanked the council members for working to compromise on the issue.
“When I first brought this forward, I thought it was a good idea, we all thought it was a good idea,” Dafney said. “I wasn’t prepared for what came, but I wanted to express my appreciation to this council for coming together to look at it and coming to compromise.”
The revised ballot measure, if it is approved by voters in the primary election on May 12, will allocate 75 percent of annual revenues from the sales tax to “street improvements and additional water, storm sewer and sanitary sewer infrastructure improvements that are related to street improvement projects,” according to the council narrative. The remaining 25 percent would be allowed to be used for municipal buildings and other government infrastructure, but a ¾ vote of council members would be required to allocate those funds to those projects.
The council members voted unanimously to pass the measure. With the passage of the measure, city staff will develop an education and information packet about how the half-cent sales tax would be used if it is approved by voters.