La Cygne to host town hall meeting on 1% sales tax

La Cygne city officials will be sponsoring a town hall meeting on April 1 to talk with voters about changes proposed for the 1% sales tax. If approved in November, the change will allow the city to use the tax for drainage issues and street repair. In this photo, water from a recent storm ponds in front of the La Cygne Library at Broadway and Chestnut streets. (Journal file photo)

By Roger Sims, Journal staff

linncountyjournal@icloud.com

LA CYGNE – La Cygne officials are preparing for their first town hall meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. on April 1 at the La Cygne Library to promote a proposed sales tax question on the November ballot.

Mayor Debra Wilson briefly discussed the ballot question at the council’s meeting on Wednesday, March 4. The council has already received copies of sample language for the ballot and is expected to make a final decision at its meeting on Wednesday, March 18.

The city currently collects a 1% sales tax that was used to build the city swimming pool. The issue that will be on the ballot will be for the city to continue to collect that sales tax but change its use to include both swimming pool maintenance and implementation of its street repair and storm water drainage plan.

In voters do not approve the change in the use, the city will still collect the sales tax, but it will continue to be for the pool area at the La Cygne Community Park.

The city made the final payment for the construction of the swimming pool, one of only two municipal pools in Linn County, last year.

The city also contracted with BG Consultants Inc. engineering firm to develop a stormwater drainage plan that will be implemented along with repairs to the city’s streets. Many of the street repairs were made necessary following the upgrading of the city’s sewer system, which was completed last year.

At the March 4 meeting, Councilmember Kent Wade asked if something couldn't be done now about drainage problems at the intersections of Market and Seventh streets and Broadway and Chesnut, a problem he has in the past euphemistically referred to a the “La Cygne Library Lake.”

Public Works Director Dan Nasalroad said that he would explore some options on both those areas and report back to the council.