*The Martin City CID takes no position on this matter.  This is for information purposes only.

On August 5th, Kansas City Missouri voters will be asked to decide on two sales tax issues. Voters are being asked to consider the renewal of the 1/4% local sales tax for the purpose of providing revenues for the operation of the Kansas City Fire Department for a period of 20 years.

The second ballot issue relates to Constitutional Amendment 7, a ballot measure to temporarily raise the sales tax by ¾ of a cent, with all proceeds going toward much-needed transportation improvements statewide.   Prior to the election, Missouri Department of Transportation(MoDOT) is required to prepare a list of projects outlining all of the funding priorities, by region, for the proposed sales tax.   The list of projects can be found at http://www.modot.org/movingforward/.

Per MoDOT the facts about the Amendment 7 are the following:

  • The increased sale tax will provide an estimated $5.4 billion in funding for transportation projects over 10 years (2015-2025)
  • The measure provides that 90 percent of the revenue, an estimated $480 million annually, will go toward state transportation initiatives. Ten percent, or an estimated $54 million annually, will be split among cities and counties for transportation projects (such as bridge repair, streetcars, or street repair).
  • The sales tax increase will not be applied to purchases of medicine, groceries and gasoline.
  • During the 10-year time period, MoDOT cannot ask the voters for an additional fuel taxes increase or implement toll roads.
  • The sales tax revenues can be used for ANY transportation purpose (road and bridge improvements, urban and rural transit, friendlier bike and pedestrian accommodations, improvements in rail, ports, and airports).