Following years of resident complaints about its chip seal method for road repairs, Overland Park is exploring a possible solution: a sales tax increase.
Residents have voiced long-standing concerns about chip seal, arguing that the finely crushed rock used as a top-layer surface often gets tracked around residential streets and can prove hazardous to children and cyclists.
Increasing city sales taxes could cover costs for a different but more expensive kind of road resurfacing, allowing the city to gradually lessen its reliance on chip seal.
At a special meeting Wednesday, the Overland Park Finance, Administration and Economic Development Committee is set to discuss whether the city should conduct a special election asking residents to approve increasing the city’s 1/8-cent special sales tax dedicated to infrastructure to 3/8-cent.
The city expects a sales tax increase to raise $16.5M
- Based on documents to be presented to the committee Wednesday, the city would earmark that extra $16.5 million toward funding city street improvements, as well as a traffic management program for repairing and replacing traffic signals.
- The increased funds would allow the city to use higher-grade road resurfacing methods and reduce the need for chip seal, which the city has acknowledged has issues but is cheaper as a cost-saving measure.
- City officials project that the additional revenue for city infrastructure would result in a reduction of up to 41% in chip seal use over the next 20 years.
A report said roads will wear out by 2024 if nothing changes
- An Overland Park infrastructure advisory group — which was created in 2021 in large part over concerns about chip seal — released a report last year that concluded the city needed an additional annual investment of $28.5 million per year in order to maintain a “good” level of city infrastructure.
- If voters were to approve a sales tax increase, then the city would still need an additional $4.5 million to make up the difference ($8 million is already earmarked in the city’s budget).
- The advisory group offered several revenue options to raise the additional funds, including increasing property taxes, increasing the city’s stormwater utility fee and increasing franchise fees.
- City staff determined that increasing the sales tax was the most preferable option.
The city council could make a final decision soon
- After the committee’s discussion Wednesday, a sales tax proposal would go before the full city council.
- If approved by the council, a special mail ballot election would take place in June.
- If voters ultimately approve a sales tax increase, it would go into effect starting April 1, 2024, according to city documents.
Go deeper: Overland Park infrastructure group says sales tax increase could reduce chip seal work
