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Valley Center residents will decide in November whether to approve a 1 percent citywide sales tax.
If approved, the funding would help finance a recreation center with ball diamonds and soccer fields.
Valley Center Mayor Mike McNown said the sales tax would pay for nearly two-thirds of the cost of building the $7 million center. USD 262, the Valley Center school district, would add an additional 1 mill in property tax for the remaining funding. If the measure is approved, the owner of a $150,000 home would pay an additional $17.25 a year in property taxes, McNown said.
“We don’t have any soccer fields,” McNown said. “It would be adding amenities to this city. And, because the school district covers a much larger area than the city does, they wanted to get funding from both sources.”
The Valley Center school district includes parts of Wichita, Kechi and Park City.
Valley Center has a population of 6,800 residents.
If approved, this would be the first time Valley Center has had a municipal sales tax. The sales tax likely would begin April 1. The ballot question does not list an expiration date for the sales tax and says that the money could be used for other improvements. The last time residents voted on a similar issue was about five years ago when a proposal for a recreation center was defeated.
“Back then, we just didn’t have the money to develop the idea,” McNown said. “We don’t have a big business base to draw from. Funding is important. And, since the recreation commission is part of the school district, they are funded by the school district mill levy.”
