By Sarah Johnson Record Staff Writer Plans for a second Warrenton interchange have come to a screeching halt. A plan to initiate a transportation development district (TDD) along Interstate 70 using a 1-cent sales tax was shot down Tuesday after citizens in the proposed district unanimously voted against it. Warrenton officials sought the TDD and the sales tax to help secure funding for a second Warrenton interchange near mile marker 191. The total cost of the new interchange was projected to be approximately $15 million. The proposal contemplated a cost-sharing arrangement, with the city responsible for half of that amount and the remaining coming from MoDOT. The special election involved just the 13 eligible voters who resided within the proposed TDD district. Only 10 residents actually applied to vote and returned ballots, Warren County Circuit Clerk Brenda Eggering said. The proposed TDD and sales tax hike was met with strong opposition from the owners of businesses situated within the taxing district, who filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block it. The plaintiffs, Fastlane Inc., doing business as Holiday Inn Express, Fastlane Group Inc., d/b/a Fastlane North, and the Fastlane Central Partners LLC, d/b/a Fastlane Central, argued last September that the interchange project failed to benefit the businesses inside the district, and, in fact, would burden them with a sales tax for the next 20 years. Franklin County Associate Circuit Court Judge Stanley Williams ruled the proposed TDD was neither illegal nor unconstitutional, that it did not present an undue burden on property owners within the proposed district, and that the district was not unjust or unreasonable. Warrenton Mayor Jerry Dyer said he wasn’t surprised that the measure failed. “I was pretty certain we weren’t going to get any (approval) votes,” he said. “The voters were lobbied by business owners (in the proposed district).” Dyer said there are no other financial resources available to fund a second interchange so the city will not pursue the project. “We had tried to apply for a TIGER grant, but we had to have a letter of support from MoDOT,” he said. “There was some money available, but MoDOT said no so we’re pretty much dead in the water. The sad part is there will not be another interchange in Warren County for some time.” Dyer said another reason the city will not pursue the interchange was because the city spent about $116,000 of taxpayer money on engineering, applications and attorney fees. “That’s not a healthy thing for the city,” he said.
Voters nix second Warrenton overpass
