Sterling council to consider 1% sales tax for roads on Nov. 3 ballot

Sterling City Council is scheduled to consider placing a temporary 1% city sales-and-use tax on the Nov. 3 ballot. The city estimates the tax would raise $3.6 million annually for five years beginning Jan. 1, 2027.

As of Aug. 22, the public record did not show council approval. The measure is listed as a “discussion and possible action” item for the council’s Aug. 25 meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers, 421 N. Fourth St., according to the meeting agenda.

The draft ballot question would authorize the additional tax for five years, with annual collections estimated at $3.6 million — about $18 million over the full term. The ballot language says actual collections would vary.

Revenue would go into a dedicated fund separate from the city’s General Fund and could be used for repaving, repairing, maintaining and improving city streets and roads, including related drainage, curbs, gutters and pedestrian-safety improvements, the proposed resolution says. The proposal does not identify specific projects, allocate money by category or provide an annual spending schedule.

The five-year term replaces an earlier 10-year proposal. A staff memorandum in the council packet says members discussed the measure Aug. 11 and asked staff to prepare five-year ballot language after expressing concern that a 10-year term could hurt voter support. The memorandum says the shorter period would let the city demonstrate how the money was used before considering a longer term.

The draft resolution directs the city clerk to certify the question to the Logan County clerk by Sept. 4. It contains blank adoption-date fields and unsigned mayoral and clerk attestations, so the record does not establish whether the council will adopt the resolution, amend it or certify the question for the ballot. The Aug. 25 action is scheduled to determine whether voters will consider the tax in November and what restrictions would govern the revenue.