Dodge City sales tax hike begins April 1

DODGE CITY, Kan. (KSNW) — Shoppers in Dodge City will start paying a half-cent more in sales tax beginning on Saturday, April 1. The town’s voters agreed to the tax hike in last November’s election.

The City asked voters to approve the tax because it needs the money for the increasing cost of road repairs. In exchange, city commissioners promised to lower the mill levy by four mills in the 2024 budget year. The vote was 61.4% for the tax increase and 38.6% against it.

The sales tax hike is expected to generate about $3.5 million a year. Now that the extra money is about to come in, the City will begin hiring companies to do the roadwork.

First, the City has budgeted $450,000 for a chip seal project that should begin in late July. The City says this will be the first time since 2020 that it has been able to perform this maintenance operation on residential asphalt streets.

Next, the City hopes to start the asphalt maintenance project, which involves mill and inlay, overlay, patching, and some waterline work on more than 30 average blocks of residential streets.

It also wants to get started on asphalt street reconstruction. The City said that involves total street reconstruction, including water line replacement, on approximately 10 average blocks of residential streets. There is an option for rebuilding the roads with concrete instead of asphalt.

The City said the tax hike money can only be used for street improvements, fixing utilities associated with the streets, and property tax relief. To learn more about it, click here.