Regional Planning resolution urges voters to consider voting for road tax extension

NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF Traffic flows on Interstate 49 as seen from the J.B. Hunt Transport headquarters in Lowell.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/BEN GOFF Traffic flows on Interstate 49 as seen from the J.B. Hunt Transport headquarters in Lowell.

SPRINGDALE -- The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission board on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution urging voters to permanently extend a 0.5% state sales and use tax dedicated to highways and related infrastructure.

"As some of you know we are prohibited from lobbying. That's not what we're doing with this resolution," said Jeff Hawkins, executive director of the commission, which is the designated metropolitan planning organization for the region.

Instead, the resolution lists benefits the region has received from the sales tax and road work program and "encourages the electorate to thoughtfully consider the continuation of the one half percent tax."

The resolution contends extending the tax would allow more highway projects to be built in Northwest Arkansas. The region stands to get $11.5 million a year for transportation projects if the tax passes, according to the resolution.

The question is Issue 1 on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

Earlier this month, the state chapter of Americans for Prosperity announced formation of a ballot question committee to campaign against the measure.

The group, the No Permanent Tax, No on Issue 1 committee, argues a no vote would lower the tax burden on families and make politicians and governments lower the state sales tax to 6% in 2023. They contend highway funding should come from taxes directly tied to highway use such as sales taxes on cars, car parts and gasoline.

Money from the existing tax has been used for projects that include widening Interstate 49 and improving interchanges, building the Bella Vista Bypass and part of the U.S. 412 Springdale Northern Bypass between I-49 and Arkansas 112. The region has had 31 projects worth more than $2 billion either completed, underway or planned.

Cities and counties each receive 15% each from the tax for street work and public transportation.

The existing tax is set to expire June 30, 2023. Money from an extension of the tax would start being collected in 2024.

Chad Adams, an Arkansas Department of Transportation district engineer for Washington, Crawford and Sebastian counties, said projects planned in Northwest Arkansas, if the measure passes, include widening Arkansas 112 between Bentonville and Fayetteville into a major north-south corridor, similiar to what has been done with Arkansas 265 on the east side.

Other projects would include an access road to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport and two parts of the U.S. 412 Northern Bypass from Arkansas 112 west to an interchange with U.S. 412 in Tontitown and from I-49 east to Arkansas 265.

Money would be used for preserving roads, repairing or replacing structurally deficient bridges and more I-49 improvements.

According to a campaign finance report by the group organized to promote the tax, the Vote for Roads, Vote for Issue 1 committee, its largest contributors included Tyson Foods Inc., J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Jim Walton and Alice Walton, who each contributed $100,000, according to the committee's reports.

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Staying home

The Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission will stay in their offices at 1311 Clayton St. in Springdale. Jeff Hawkins, executive director, said an agreement has been reached with the landlord that calls for improvements to the building in exchange for a two-year lease. Planners have been in a month-to-month rental agreement since the beginning of February, while they looked at other locations.

Source: Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission

Ron Wood can be reached by email at rwood@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWARDW.

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