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Gardner council directs staff to pursue February mail ballot on renewing half-cent infrastructure sales tax
Summary
City Engineer Tim McEldowne presented a 10-year pavement plan and cost estimates; councilmembers expressed broad support for renewing the existing half-cent Special Infrastructure Sales Tax and asked staff to prepare ballot language and a resolution for the next meeting, targeting a February vote.
Gardner 'City Engineer Tim McEldowne told the City Council at a work session that the city's half-cent Special Infrastructure Sales Tax has funded pavement, curb, sidewalk and trail work since voters approved it in February 2005 and that the current authorization is set to sunset on Dec. 31, 2025.
"In the last nine years, we've averaged about $1,400,000 in revenue per year," McEldowne said, noting the most recent year brought $1,600,000. He described roughly $11.9 million in prior program spending, including about $5.8 million on pavement management and $4.8 million on curb and gutter replacement.
McEldowne presented PAVER modeling and a three-scenario projection: a do-nothing forecast that shows significant deterioration, a scenario that holds current condition roughly steady with continued maintenance, and a scenario that spends all…
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