The City Council voted Monday to add a half-cent sales tax in Kewanee, to raise money for street repairs.
The measure passed 4-1, with Councilman Adam Cernovich voting “no.”
“I’m not ready to work on this,” Cernovich said. He said he wanted to make sure the city would be using the tax revenue “in the right way,” and wants to see a complete plan for street upgrades before voting to impose the tax increase.
J.D. Schulte, an engineer with the Hutchison Engineering firm, gave a presentation to the council on how his firm would help city officials develop such a plan.
Schulte said the firm would send staff to drive every block of every street in Kewanee, assessing the condition of the pavement.
That team would also make note of issues like stormwater drainage that could lead to premature damage to a new road surface.
The streets would then be rated on a four-point scale to show the council which blocks are in the most immediate need of repair.
The sales tax increase would make Kewanee’s tax rate rate one of the highest among area cities, and Councilman Chris Colomer said it’s important that the city “get things done” soon to demonstrate the need for the tax.
City Manager Gary Bradley said that if the council approved the increase before Oct. 1, local retailers would begin collecting it on Jan. 1. If not, it would be July before the increased tax could be collected.
