Voters in Lincoln, Nebraska have decided to tax sales in the city to fund repairs of residential streets and to add new streets on the periphery of the city to encourage growth.
"In a very close vote, Lincolnites approved a quarter-cent city sales tax hike Tuesday that will add a penny to the cost of a $4 cup of coffee and bring in an estimated $13 million a year for improved streets for the next six years," reports Nancy Hicks from Nebraska.
"The language on the ballot requires the city to use the money only for street improvements, not for sidewalks, trails or signals. It also requires the city to spend at least 25% of the money on new construction that promotes growth," according to Hicks.
In further evidence of the city's commitment to building new and expanded road capacity, the new tax grew out of a "citizen task force that that concluded the city needed more than $30 million a year to catch up on street repairs and add new or wider streets at the city edges."
Read the full story: Lincoln voters approve quarter-cent sales tax for streets
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