Harrisonville’s Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to place three voter measures on the Nov. 4, 2025, ballot: a 1.25% city sales tax for public safety, a one-cent-per-gallon motor-fuel fee to pay for streets, and a revenue bond authorization to fund water, sewer and stormwater projects.
City Administrator Ratliff told aldermen the sales-tax measure would be submitted “pursuant to the authority granted by and subject to the provisions of section 94.51 RSMO” and that the ordinance would place a 1.25% public-safety tax before voters. Ratliff said the measure is intended to support police and fire services.
Regarding the motor-fuel fee, Ratliff said the ordinance is proposed “pursuant to the authority granted by and subject to the provisions of article 4 section 30 a of the Missouri constitution” and that it would impose a 1¢ per gallon fee on merchants for fuel sold in the city to fund construction, reconstruction, maintenance, repair and signing of roads and streets. He noted that many people who buy fuel in Harrisonville do not live in the city.
On the revenue bond question, Ratliff described an $82,000,000, nine-year program included in the city’s capital plan and said the ballot question would ask voters to authorize revenue bonds to access 1.75% interest through the state revolving fund. “If we go out to market, [interest] would be 5 and a half percent,” Ratliff said, adding that the lower 1.75% rate is the benefit of using the state program. He said the $82 million is a nine-year total, not an amount to be issued in a single year, and identified a new raw water line as a large component: “Raw water line is a big chunk of that, around 23,000,000 just for the raw water line itself.”
Ratliff said a resident had asked what would happen if voters rejected the bond question; his reply was: “Then your water and sewer boat goes up higher,” a reference to likely higher borrowing costs if the city foregoes the state revolving fund option.
Aldermen cast roll-call votes on the ordinances. The sales-tax ordinance (council bill 41) became ordinance 3740; the motor-fuel fee (council bill 42) became ordinance 3741; and the bond-authorizing ordinance (council bill 43) became ordinance 3742. Each measure was approved by the board for submission to the voters.
Why it matters: All three measures would affect city revenue and operating budgets if approved. The sales-tax and motor-fuel fee would create recurring local revenue streams subject to voter approval; the bond authorization would allow the city to issue revenue bonds tied to utility systems and to pursue lower interest financing through the state’s revolving fund.
What’s next: The measures will appear on the Nov. 4, 2025, ballot for Harrisonville voters. The city and staff indicated they will provide public information about the measures ahead of the election.