Taxes are an important way for cities to do a lot of things, and last night’s Manhattan City Commission meeting held a discussion on the possible renewal or replacement of 2002’s Riley County Roads and Jobs half cent sales tax. Three options were considered by the Commission; the first would be highly similar to the original, generating $2.7 million, with $1.5 million going to Riley County. Option 2 would generate $800,000 more in revenue, and option three would generate only $2.5 million and require separate ballot questions for the City and County.
Option two quickly emerged as a clear favorite. The plan would allow for an interlocal agreement to be entered into between the City and County to maintain or increase the level of funding to Riley County, however Riley County would have to decide whether or not to share the proceeds with smaller cities throughout the County.
One issue that kept coming into the discussion was cooperation with the County. Mayor Jim Sherow believes that Tuesday night’s discussion may influence the County to move. “I think this lights a fire for them to get moving on this,” Sherow said. The matter will be discussed further at the upcoming Joint City/County meeting.
A portion of the City Commission’s discussion may be heard in the included audio located above.
