By Monte Miller,
Record Staff Writer
A 1-cent sales tax on every dollar spent in Warrenton could be the difference between a new interchange and redevelopment or continued congestion and economic stagnation.The fate of a multimillion dollar redevelopment of the Warrenton Outlet Mall site is in the hands of voters who are being asked to vote yes on Propositions O and P on Aug. 2.If passed, they would create new temporary one-half cent sales taxes for the city of Warrenton to then use the revenue to pay off a $15 million loan.The loan would go to pay for a new interchange proposed about two miles west of Highway 47 on Interstate 70 between mile markers 190 and 191. The estimated debt service on the loan would be $1.2 million annually.All required rights-of-way and permanent easements from three property owners included in the TIF district are being donated, and one small piece of right-of-way would be purchased. The propositions and subsequent loan are the lynchpin to a multimillion dollar redevelopment of the outlet mall area, which Rural King has already signed on to anchor.Warrenton Alderman Mike Shilharvey explained all of the i’s have been dotted and t’s have been crossed.Owners of property near the proposed interchange site have pledged to donate land. Both MoDOT and the Federal Highway Administration have given preliminary approval on the interchange design and will make a final determination if the propositions pass.Additionally, millions of dollars have already been spent by the developer for engineering and legal work on the project including literature for a citizens groups to educate voters on the benefits of the sales taxes.“Without the sales taxes, the developer pulls out and that’s it,” Shilharvey said. “If these propositions don’t pass, all agreements with the developers are null and void. If this doesn’t pass next week, no other developer will touch Warrenton in the future.”Shilharvey added that since the decline of the outlet malls, which used to be a crown jewel of the community and drew customers from miles around, the city of Warrenton has had a black eye.“The last good year they had there was 2007,” he said. “If we would have had this interchange years ago, maybe the outlet would have survived. For years people have asked what the city was going to do about the outlet. Well, this is our chance. MoDOT has even told us this is such a rare thing. It’s a golden opportunity.”Tax FactsA few facts regarding the proposed tax include:• The 1 percent sales tax equals $1 per $100.• The sales tax will be the same throughout the city including the TIF area.• One hundred percent of the revenue generated will go to pay for the interchange.• Both sales taxes will sunset.• Warrenton’s tax rate will not be higher than that of other cities.Warrenton’s ales tax rate with the temporary increase would be 8.975 percent. The current tax rates in Washington are between 8.3 and 9.1 percent. The tax rate in Wentzville is between 8.45 and 9.45 percent and the tax rate in O’Fallon is between 7.95 and 8.95 percent.Cheryl Dyer, president of Citizens for Greater Access Now, says in her lifetime there has never been an opportunity like this for Warrenton.“We need this because our city is stagnate,” Dyer said. “We have such a unique opportunity here. Everyone has come together, but it depends on the voters.”Dyer, who has been on the front lines of the interchange battle said if the consumer took the time to realize how much extra money they spend driving to other towns to get items they need, they are actually spending more than what the few pennies the new taxes would be.Future NeedsMissouri Route 47 is the main corridor, along with Interstate 70 through the city of Warrenton.MoDOT has projected that a single point of access will not be sufficient for future traffic needs. The city of Warrenton is growing at a rate above statewide averages and the existing interchange will not be able to be improved to the point where it can handle anticipated traffic.In addition, the crash rates on Highway 47 are three times higher than the state average on other numbered routes.The proposed second interchange will allow for the realignment of Missouri Route MM and the ability for a future bypass around the north and west sides of Warrenton.This interchange will serve the city of Warrenton’s goal of encouraging redevelopment of the old outlet center and economic growth north and west of the current city center, as well as an alternate route for traffic off of I-70.The proposed interchange will improve access to the western half of the city and will improve emergency response from north to south in Warrenton, proponents say.This is an artist’s rendering of the proposed interchange on Interstate 70 near MM Road. If voters pass Propositions O and P on Aug. 2, the city of Warrenton will acquire a $15 million loan to pay for the interchange that will guarantee the construction of new Rural King that will anchor the revitalization of the former outlet mall retail space. Submitted rendering.
