ROGERS -- Supporters are gearing up for a summer campaign to get Rogers voters behind a proposal to extend a sales tax to pay for $240 million in capital projects from roads to parks.
The sales tax extension would be used to issue a new series of bonds. The Aug. 14 vote includes an additional $60 million to repay bonds issued in 2015.
Bond issue
Rogers residents will vote on a $299.5 million bond issue to pay for projects in four areas. The fifth question on the ballot asks voters to renew a 1 percent sales tax to pay the bonds. The renewal must pass for any of the projects to be funded. Estimated costs and projects are:
• $178 million for street improvements
• $59.5 million to refinance debt
• $41 million for parks and recreation
• $11.5 million for police department
• $9.5 million for fire department
Source: Staff report
The Committee for the Future of Rogers plans to mail information to residents throughout the summer about the bond issues, said Raymond Burns, head of the committee and president of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce.
"Right now we are gathering money and information," he said. "But we do plan to send out mail and maybe even buy advertising if we decide that this issue calls for it."
City officials also plan to campaign for the bonds, city spokesman Ben Cline said.
"We'll be reaching out on social media, through our website and speaking with civic groups throughout the summer as we get closer to the vote," he said.
Extending the 1 percent sales tax for capital improvements is nothing new for the city, Rogers Mayor Greg Hines said.
"It is a continuation of bonds that have been active within the city for almost 30 years," Hines said. "Voters approved paying a tax to pay back the 2011 bond in 2015, and I think they'll do same this time around."
Current bonds paid for previous bond issues, Cline said.
"It's like refinancing your house, but at a city level," Cline said. "Nothing is changing because this tax has been on the books since the early '80s. All we're doing is asking the voters to continue it."
The City Council unanimously voted May 22 to place the bond issue on the Aug. 14 ballot.
Voters will be asked to approve five questions, one of which is to OK spending almost $60 million to refinance the city's bond issue of 2015. If they vote against, the four other questions on the ballot will be moot, Cline said.
If a majority of voters decide against refinancing the bond, the 1 percent sales tax would end in 2021, Cline said.
The other questions on the ballot pertain to specific projects the city wants to accomplish, Cline said. The four questions refer to city parks, roads, and fire and police departments.
"We decided on these things by listening to what our community needs. We thought that these are the most important things to focus on now," Hines said.
City officials selected the street projects* from a list of infrastructure improvements identified in a recent city study, Cline said.
"These projects were seen as having the greatest immediate impact," he said.
Over half of the bond funds, $178 million, would go toward road improvements in the city, Cline said.
"We essentially want to improve traffic flow, especially within the eastern side of the town where the grid system kind of fell apart," Cline said. "A big part of this bond will be to improve the grid system."
The park and recreational improvement bond would use $41 million to remodel two parks, Frisco and Northwest, and create a new park, Mount Hebron, on the western side of Rogers, Cline said. Improvement to Frisco and Northwest include flood control and lighting as well as new equipment, Cline said.
The police proposal, $11.5 million, would update the radio system, which would allow officers to communicate with surrounding cities, and would build an emergency dispatch center, which would be able to withstand severe weather, Cline said.
"We have to make sure these people can work even in the worst situations, so they can serve the people who may be calling with an emergency," Cline said.
The final bond question, which goes to the Rogers Fire Department, would use $9.5 million to build a new station and expand the training center.
"We are hoping to build Fire Station 8 in Pleasant Grove," Cline said. "This was identified as one of the fastest-growing areas in Rogers and in need of an additional fire station."
A new station would lead to quicker response times, Cline said.
"Rogers is a part of one of the fastest-growing regions, and while there will always be more needs than resources, we're prioritizing what we think is best for the community," Hines said.
NW News on 06/17/2018
*CORRECTION: Street projects were prioritized using the infrastructure study. The study did not pertain to public safety or parks. The information was incorrect in a previous version of this story.