Joco Today

Overland Park residents have approved a dedicated three-eighth cent sales tax to fund maintenance and improvements to City streets and traffic management systems. 

The Johnson County Election Office announced preliminary results of the mail-in ballot election Thursday.

The sales tax, which is dedicated to funding City infrastructure, passed with 53.4% approval.

City Manager Lori Curtis Luther says the community’s decision to replace the existing one-eighth cent sales tax with a three-eighth cent sales tax shows residents prioritize safe streets and infrastructure improvements, which aligns with recent resident surveys.

“Streets, sidewalks and better traffic management are issues residents feel strongly about,” said Luther. “We want to thank the community for its support and trust in continuing to make Overland Park a wonderful place to live, work and visit.”

A resident committee recommended the City spend an additional $28.5 million per year for infrastructure, funded partially with a three-eighth cent sales tax. The three-eighth cent sales tax will raise more than $24 million to improve and maintain the City’s streets and traffic management systems. 

The City’s current one-eighth cent sales tax is set to expire in March of 2024. The approved three-eighth cent sales tax will replace the current sales tax starting in April of 2024.

The election office will finalize election results with a canvass on June 28.

To learn more about OP Moves, and see a list of priority project areas, visit the OP Moves sales tax webpage.

Original source can be found here.