Cole County Commission backs 10-year extension of half‑cent capital improvement sales tax, endorses 85/15 split

Cole County commissioners on Tuesday endorsed putting a renewal of the existing half‑cent capital improvement sales tax on the April 7 ballot and approved staff’s recommended funding split that directs 85% to roads and bridges and 15% to county facilities.

The presentation by a county staffer said the measure is not a tax increase but an extension of an existing levy, changing the funding cycle from five years to a 10‑year period to better match project development and construction timelines and to address inflation. The Road and Bridge Advisory Board reviewed the plan and recommended the 85/15 allocation.

Unidentified Speaker 2 moved to approve the proposed sales tax funding breakout as presented; the motion was seconded by an unidentified speaker and approved by voice vote. The presenter said a campaign committee will begin outreach and will use the 85/15 breakout when discussing the proposal with groups, publications and other stakeholders.

Several commissioners suggested rounding presented dollar figures when communicating publicly to avoid giving the impression of excessive fine tuning; staff said it would round to the nearest $5,000–$10,000 for committee materials.

The county will place the extension on the April 7 ballot; if approved by voters, the change will extend the existing half‑cent sales tax for a 10‑year cycle with the 85/15 funding distribution. The commission did not adopt any additional project‑level allocations during the Jan. 20 meeting.