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City directs staff to draft half‑cent roads tax after survey shows community support
Summary
City staff presented a FlashVote survey showing roughly 62% support among respondents for some form of tax increase to address streets and safety. Council voted to direct staff to draft language for a 0.5% special sales tax with a 15‑year sunset for potential placement on the June 2, 2026 ballot.
Stony Brook’s council directed staff to draft ballot language for a half‑cent special sales tax to fund roadway, sidewalk and drainage maintenance after staff presented local survey results showing majority support among respondents.
Management Services Director Christy Donnelly told the council the FlashVote panel included about 419 registered panelists, with 206 participating in the Dec. 17–19 survey. Donnelly said the margin of error for the results is about ±7%. She summarized that 62% of local respondents supported either a targeted streets-and‑roads tax or a broader general tax; 42% of locals indicated support for a special tax limited to streets and roads and 20% supported a general tax.
Donnelly said a 0.5 percentage‑point increase in the city’s sales tax — raising the rate from 8.75% to 9.25% — was estimated to generate roughly $3.8 million annually for the city and that staff recommended a June 2026 special‑tax measure with a 15‑year sunset. Donnelly said staff and FlashVote would provide more detailed breakdowns and that FlashVote’s owner and president, Kevin Lyons, was available to answer technical questions about sampling and filters.
Council members debated strategy rather than final language: some members favored a special tax with a sunset to lock funds for streets and increase voter confidence; others argued a general tax would give future councils flexibility to address both streets and public safety. Councilmember Ball emphasized the difficulty of passing a special tax, noting the two‑thirds threshold, while Councilmember Starbuck said a June special tax could be an easier ballot to navigate and proposed a 15‑year sunset.
After discussion, the council voted to have staff return with draft ordinance language and additional details on the proposed special tax so the item can return for formal adoption and placement on the ballot.
What’s next: Staff will prepare draft measure language and bring it back for council review at a subsequent meeting, including final decisions on rate, precise eligible uses, and ballot timing.
