The City of Overland Park will hold a mail-in ballot election in June for a dedicated sales tax that would fund maintenance of the city’s aging infrastructure and extend its useful life.
Monday night, the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance authorizing the dedicated sales tax, known as “OP Moves.”
Overland Park residents will receive a mail ballot for a ⅜-cent sales tax, which will fund infrastructure improvements and traffic management programs.
Election follows resident recommendations
Last year, a resident infrastructure advisory group recommended an additional $28.5 million per year over current funding for streets, stormwater and traffic systems in the city.
The additional funding would help the City keep streets in good condition and will reduce the City’s reliance on chip seal, which extends the life of pavement by as many as seven years, but can be a rough surface and cause chip rock to gather near work sites.
The funding would allow the City to perform more mill and overlay, asphalt and concrete work to keep streets in good condition.
Residents have shared that their highest priorities for the City are maintenance of streets, ensuring traffic flows well and responding to climate change.
Currently, about 175 of the City’s more than 2,000 lane miles of streets are beyond their useful life.
History of integrity in spending
The City’s current ⅛ cent sales tax is set to expire in March of 2024.
The dedicated sales tax has been in place for 25 years and has been approved four times – in 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013.
“We have 25 years of history indicating exactly how every penny has been spent since the initial sales tax was dedicated,” said City Manager Lori Curtis Luther. “The City has an impeccable track record of spending these funds solely on the identified purposes.”
Language on the ballot calls for the generated sales tax funding to be used only for the purposes listed on the ballot, for improving City streets and the City’s traffic management system.
Next steps
The City will hold a public hearing on the 2024-2028 Capital Improvements Plan, which forecasts future public improvements, on Monday, March 20.
Tuesday, May 23 is the deadline for residents to register to vote in order to automatically receive mail ballots.
Election day is Thursday, June 22. Residents should return or mail all ballots no later than noon on this day.
If voters approve the sales tax, it would take effect on April 1, 2024, after the expiration of the existing sales tax.
Register to vote on the Johnson County Election office website: