By City Manager Norton Bonaparte

We are pleased the citizens of Topeka have voted to fund the repairs of existing streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters through revenues provided by a half cent sales tax. It is not lost upon this City administration the importance of using these funds wisely and judiciously.

City staff will immediately begin the process of formulating a comprehensive infrastructure repair plan for City Council approval. While the tax will go into effect October 1, the City will not begin receiving tax revenues until the end of the year.

We will do our best to meet the public’s expectations in rebuilding our deteriorated streets and adjacent infrastructure and to provide accountability for all funds collected.

Letter to the Editor of the Topeka Capital-Journal

Topeka, through its city government, provides basic services that private firms cannot reasonably render. They include police and fire protection, parks, a zoo and a Public Works Department to establish and maintain streets and sewers and to provide clean, safe water.

In recent years our streets, curbs, gutters and alleyways have deteriorated significantly and need to be repaired. The problem has been difficult to address for several reasons, including the loss of revenue from termination of two state programs that returned dollars to local governments, a phaseout of local authority to tax machinery and equipment and a dramatic increase in the cost of materials and labor for street repair. Additionally, the city council has been reluctant to increase local property taxes, and the city mill levy today is essentially the same as it was in 1998.

These are dollars that could be used for street repairs but are no longer available, and increased appropriations from the city’s general fund to public works cannot be made without reducing funding for other services. We should remember that much of the city’s $207 million budget is dedicated to specific purposes such as the operation of parks, the zoo, payment of debt, water operations, etc., and cannot be used for other purposes.

The funds available for street repairs come largely from the state collected gasoline tax and appropriations from the city’s general fund, where sales and property tax revenues are deposited. Those deposits total about $73 million annually and provide basic funding for the police department ($30 million), fire department ($20 million) and a transfer to public works of $10 million annually. That leaves $13 million to fund other programs and departments — information technology, purchasing, city attorney, etc. — while retaining a 10 percent ending balance as a reserve. But to reduce spending in any of these areas would not be wise.

So the first question before the council, as regards infrastructure repair, was simply this: Should we do something or should we do nothing? The council and I believed we needed to do something. The second question was how to pay for these repairs, and there were four options: raise property taxes, issue bonds, cut spending in other areas or raise our local sales tax by 0.5 percent.

They chose the sales tax option, 40 percent of which is paid for by persons who use our streets and other services but don’t reside here. They rejected issuing bonds (debt) because it more than doubles the cost of road projects, they rejected reductions in funding of other vital services and they rejected an increase in property taxes.

The tax can only be used “exclusively for cost of maintenance and improvements to existing streets, gutters, curbs, sidewalks, alleys and street lighting” and expires in 10 years. It will cost a family spending $800 per month on taxable items $4 a month.

No one is eager to raise taxes, but the problem must be addressed at some point in time and delaying it will not make it go away.

I’ll be voting yes on Tuesday.

BILL BUNTEN, Topeka mayor ]]> http://www.fixtopekastreets.com/?feed=rss2&p=168 http://www.fixtopekastreets.com/?p=171 http://www.fixtopekastreets.com/?p=171#comments Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:00:36 +0000 admin http://www.fixtopekastreets.com/?p=171

Downtown Topeka Inc.

League of Women Voters

Kansas United Group of Unions

The naysayers are out again. They don’t want Topeka to pass the proposed sales tax to fix our streets. Much of the opposition seems to be coming from people who do not even live in the city.

We should all be working together to take responsibility for a problem that won’t go away until we do something about it.

If Topeka continues to deteriorate, we all lose.

As a lifetime Topekan, I believe that it is past time to fix the streets. The problem is getting worse, and will cost us more if we continue to put it off. I don’t like a tax increase of any kind, but we would be foolish not to pass this now. The alternative is further decay and more cost. I do not want a property tax increase, and the sales tax will let people outside Topeka who use our streets share in the cost.

I did the math on the proposed half-cent tax increase and it is only pennies a week. This is affordable and a good investment in our future. This sales tax is only for 10 years, while a property tax increase would never go away. No matter what the politicians who are trying to get elected are saying, we will have to pay for this one way or another.

Fixing our streets will result in safer streets. The economic benefits of the jobs created for the repair work will have a positive impact on Topeka and the surrounding area and will make Topeka more attractive to private investments that bring jobs to Topeka.

We all know the saying, pay now or pay more later. I, for one, do not want to pay more later. I am voting yes to fix the streets now.

DON COOPER, Topeka

The construction and pot holes on Topeka streets aren’t only affecting cars, trucks and buses. Martha Pohl, a resident here, had her wheel chair get stuck in a pot hole.

“But my wheels were totally blocked by these big piece of curbing that had been knocked off.. And I could not go forward I could not go backward and I began to panic.”

She was eventually helped by a man that saw her stuck on the side of the road. But while she was alone she felt helpless.

“I was just to the point where I.. You know.. I thought I might have to call 911…and it was something that I felt very angry about…It should never have happened.”

There is a campaign that might prevent that from ever happening again. On April 7th, Topekans will get to vote on whether or not they want a sales tax increase and Fix the streets is asking people to vote yes. The cost would spread to everyone who travels in Topeka so 40 percent of funds raised would be coming from outside of Topeka.”

City spokeman David Bevens says there are really only two options when it comes to our streets.

“The bottom line is the streets need to be repaired. And they will be repaired or they will continue to deteriorate so those are really our two options… How we pay for that depends on uh the voters.”

On April 7th will get to decide whether the cost of roads justifies the means of paying higher taxes.

• Total sales tax revenues for the City of Topeka are projected to be $131,647,000 over a ten year period thus averaging $13,164,700 per year.  This is less than a county wide sales tax by 7%.  Furthermore, current economic conditions also impacted projections.
• $6.6 million is needed for “Existing Street Maintenance” per year.  This includes asphalt mill and overlay, concrete repairs, crack sealing and other pavement repairs.  Improvements to medians, intersections and pavement markings also may be required.  This projection was based on 2006 street conditions adjusted to 2008 prices.  This estimate may vary over the 10-year period depending on material prices and availability of materials and contractors.  Streets have continued to deteriorate since the 2006 street condition study, particularly after the extreme winter in 2007-2008, and will continue to deteriorate until repaired during the 10-year period.  Furthermore, some major streets may need to be addressed more than once during the 10 year period since asphalt has an average expected life span of 7 years.
• $1.6 million is needed for “Gutters, Curbs and Sidewalks” per year over the ten year time frame.  Like the “Existing Street Maintenance”, these types of improvements will be for existing streets only.
• $573,000 is needed for “Alleys” annually.  Alley improvements may include asphalt chips or full concrete repairs.
• Depending upon the degree of deterioration, revenues needed may vary.  Revenues not utilized for the items above will be directed to total street replacements, reconstruction or widening of major arterial roadways.  If revenues remain stable, there will be approximately $4.4 million available per year for this activity.   These projects will be included in the Capital Improvement Program and are subject to City Council approval on an annual basis.  Furthermore, these revenues can be used as match funds for state and federal funds when eligible. A current example is the widening and improvements on SW MacVicar from SW 6^th Street to Interstate 70.
• Motor fuel tax revenues will be used for replacing equipment and normal maintenance such as snow removal, street sweeping, traffic control and minor street repairs.

See a breakdown of all of Topeka’s revenues and expenditures here: TopekaBudget.PDF (4MB)

The City’s street maintenance and repair activities are funded by the Special City and County Highway Fund (motor fuel tax), which have averaged $5.3 million for the past few years.  Most of the major street projects have multiple funding sources: special assessments, state transportation funds, trafficway improvement funds, ½ county wide sales tax proceeds and general obligation bonds which are which are repaid by the City’s general fund (property and city sales taxes).

Bridge maintenance and repair also receives general fund support in the amount of about $330,000 annually.

Though I live out in the county, I consider Topeka my home.

I notice opposition to the proposed sales tax increase coming from people who, like me, do not pay Topeka property tax, so I was compelled to give my opinion.

If Topeka is not successful, it will affect us all.

I don’t like taxes of any kind, but I know the streets of Topeka are neglected and in serious disrepair. I drive on city streets at least 10 times more than county roads. The streets are very bad throughout the city, regardless of where one drives. Many parts of town have such bad streets that they can easily damage tires and knock one’s vehicle out of line. That has to compromise the safety of travel in our community.

I hear talk on both sides of the argument about the sales tax. I believe we are being very short-sighted to disagree with the proposal.

If we don’t pay for the needed fix soon, it will cost all of us more, one way or another. The streets are in dire need of repairs and there is a need for more money to get it done.

If the supplemental tax passes, my family will pay as much as $1 a week more sales tax on purchases. Rather than play the blame game let’s just do it.

Even though I will not be able to vote on this, I am willing to pay my fair share.

MARVIN FAIRBANK, Topeka