ELLINWOOD — Ellinwood residents will vote on an additional half-cent sales tax in November.

Looking to address rising material and equipment costs for critical infrastructure issues in the city, the Ellinwood City Council Tuesday night passed a resolution to place the question of an additional city sales tax on the Nov. 2 ballot.

When the city began discussions on the topic in July, originally the plan was to specifically include street repairs in the resolution question which will go before voters. Ellinwood City Administrator Chris Komarek said Tuesday that after further discussions, the council opted to remove this wording from the question.

The city already has a half-cent sales tax, Komarek said, and is looking at an additional half-cent. Komarek had previously estimated the increase would bring in about $80,000 per year. If passed, the sales tax in Ellinwood would rise from 8% to 8.5%. Ellinwood’s current 8% rate includes a 6.5% statewide sales tax, a 1% county-wide sales-tax, and a 0.5% city sales tax.

The city began looking at a sales tax increase as a means to increase revenue without increasing property taxes. The purpose, he said, would be to use the additional funds to address general maintenance, construction and repair of several critical areas of the city’s infrastructure. In particular, Komarek said, the city would like to use the additional funds to address curb, gutter, and stormwater drainage issues, but he said the funds could also be used for other purposes, as well.

The question that will go before the voters in November reads as follows:

“Shall the City of Ellinwood, Kansas levy a retailer’s sales tax in the amount of 0.5% to take effect April 1, 2022. The proceeds of which shall be used for the purpose of funding construction, maintenance and repair of general infrastructure and for such other governmental purposes as may be in the best interest of the City of Ellinwood.”

A “Yes” vote would indicate support for the additional sales tax, while a “no” vote would be a vote against the additional tax.

Addressing other infrastructure issues

In addition to the sales tax question, the city also moved to address other infrastructure issues at its meeting Tuesday night.

First, the council approved a contract for $40,000 with B&H Contractors, based in Scott City, to complete a street sealing project that will cover 12 blocks of asphalt streets, or about a quarter of the streets in the city which need to be sealed. Costs have increased from the city’s most recent street sealing project due to a larger scope and rising material costs, which are affecting several city departments. Komarek said the work on this project should be completed by the end of September.

The council also voiced support for a county-wide neighborhood revitalization plan to replace existing citywide NRPs in the county’s four major communities – Ellinwood, Great Bend, Hoisington and Claflin. As part of this support, the council voted to make the city of Ellinwood one primary district for purposes of the plan. The city was previously split into two districts, and the change will allow all residents to be eligible for eight years worth of tax rebates under the county-wide plan.

The council also voted to pursue a Moderate-Income Housing grant after completing necessary housing studies. Komarek said the council will address the specifics of the grant application process at its meeting in September.

The council also voted to table action until its September meeting regarding the structure at 101 N. Main, to give property owner Alicia Straub an additional 30 days to address issues with the poor condition of the brick facade and windows on the structure.