MonticelloLive

In a significant meeting that is open to the public, the Monticello City Council will meet tonight at 6:00 at City Hall to discuss the proposed community center sales tax initiative that has been the main focus of Mayor Joe Rogers’ tenure to this point. After the regular council meeting on May 17 failed to produce details that several council members were looking for in relation to operational costs, management issues, and other projected costs, the entire initiative was tabled for a discussion tonight.

Members of the community are invited to attend. At stake is Rogers’ dreams of a $10 million community center that houses the fire department, police department, city offices, indoor swimming pool, jogging track, exercise rooms, meeting facilities and more. Members of the community have shown continued support for certain elements of the mayor’s plans, but many have questioned the feasibility of such a large project.

The mayor has tied the success of the community center proposal to an extension of the city’s one cent sales tax. First voted in as a ten-year, one cent tax, the original 1997 ballot initiative passed with only 613 voting in favor of the tax, while 345 voted against it. Many business leaders hope to see the tax passed again, but some fear that using the tax for one single, large project may hinder the ability of the city to achieve other purposes that the tax is currently being used for.

The 1997 ballot issue states that “not less than 70% of the proceeds of the sales and use tax shall be used for public infrastructure, capital improvements, youth activities and economic development and not more than 30% of the proceeds of the sales and use tax shall be subject to appropriation for facilities for other uses by the City Council.”

The mayor’s office is still working to present an accounting of the use of the last ten year’s sales tax revenues which are estimated to have been more than $16 million.

Tonight’s council meeting is expected to address how the mayor’s proposed sales tax bond issue will not only pay for the $10 million facility and interest on the bonds, but at the same time fund other projects.