1/4% Sales Tax

Nov. 2 Election: Street Maintenance Sales Tax

Georgetown residents have just one municipal item on the November 2 ballot. That proposition is related to funding for city streets.

The City’s 0.25 percent sales tax for street maintenance, also called the quarter-cent sales tax, was first approved by 57 percent of Georgetown voters in 2002 and was reauthorized by 72 percent of Georgetown voters in 2006. The sales tax has a four-year sunset clause unless it is reauthorized, according to state law.

The November ballot item does not increase the sales tax rate in Georgetown, nor does it affect the property tax rate.

The one-quarter-of-one-cent sales tax can be used only for curb-to-curb street maintenance. It is a dedicated sales tax that cannot be used for other purposes. Revenue cannot be used for new road construction or for hike and bike trails.

The sales tax is collected from everyone who shops in Georgetown, unlike property taxes that are collected only from home and business owners in the City.

Since 1994, the City’s street network has grown 143 percent from 222 lane miles to 540 lane miles. Since 2003, funds from the 0.25 percent sales tax have been used to improve and resurface streets in all areas of town. To see a map of street maintenance projects funded by the tax, go to cip.georgetown.org.

The early voting period for the Nov. 2 election is October 18 – 29. For information about polling locations and hours in the early voting period or on Election Day, go to the City’s website at www.georgetown.org.