Dec. 20, 2013 5:36 AM
Written by Jonathan Shorman
In hopes that a proposed 1-cent statewide transportation sales tax will go before voters next year, community leaders are moving to develop a list of projects to be funded.
The Ozarks Transportation Organization on Thursday formed a subcommittee that will gather public input on possible projects.
A list is scheduled to be approved by the OTO board in June and submitted to the Missouri Department of Transportation by July 1.
The tax has been proposed under the initiative petition process. Supporters must gain enough signatures by May to have the question — along with a list of projects — appear on the November 2014 ballot.
“This is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to develop a project list like this. And it’s the first time we’ve been able to include every kind of mode of transportation,” Sara Fields, OTO director, said.
The tax stands to pump $250 to $300 million worth of projects into the OTO region, primarily Greene and Christian counties, over 10 years, Fields said.
The tax would sunset after 10 years but could be renewed by voters.
The subcommittee will work as a partnership between OTO and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s Transportation Committee.
Committee member and City Councilman Jeff Seifried said the subcommittee will help gather ideas from the public while affirming existing priorities.
“When this opportunity came about, it was really how can we get the greatest input from the community,” Seifried said.
Using a subcommittee will help save money, Seifried said, adding that the group could have hired a consultant instead.
“We really feel like we have the expertise, between our group and OTO, to put a thorough input process together. Also, very important, we want to showcase how creative we can be in this particular process,” Seifried said.
A 1-cent transportation sales tax is not a new idea in Missouri.
A legislative proposal to put the tax on the ballot failed to pass in the General Assembly last spring, though the measure had bipartisan support.
Interstate loop gains OTO support
The OTO board voted unanimously to support designating the highways encircling Springfield as an interstate loop, perhaps to be named I-244.
With OTO support, a request to the Federal Highway Administration will ask if the designation is possible and what improvements would be needed, according to an OTO briefing book.
Fields said that preliminary estimates indicate it may take $500,000 to $1 million to bring the highways up to interstate standards.
She characterized that as not a huge amount. Costs would include new signs and possibly extending some ramps.