By Melissa Dunson

mdunson@joplinglobe.com

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Hall Street in Webb City has to be repaired, local officials say.

Increased traffic and tractor-trailer loads from the Joplin-Webb City Industrial Park has torn up the road and created a dangerous situation, according to Webb City elected officials. The problem is that Hall isn’t the city’s only street that needs some extra attention these days.

“We haven’t had any city improvements in a while,” said Councilman Ray Edwards.

To pay for these improvements, the city is asking voters on April 8 to reconsider a multimillion dollar bond issue that was narrowly defeated last August. A City Council race also will be on the ballot.

During the election in August, residents approved a three-eighths-cent sales tax city officials had planned to use to fund the bond payments.

Last year, because of the timing of the election, the bond-issue part of the proposal needed a two-thirds majority for passage. This election, the bond issue only needs a four-sevenths majority to pass. The sales tax only needed a simple majority for passage, even on the August-election date.

“The people already voted for the tax,” City Administrator Steve Garrett said. “I think the problem with the bond issue was just getting over that two-thirds majority hurdle.”

The sales tax passed last year is estimated to bring in $400,000 to $500,000 a year. It raised the tax rate to 7.759 percent and does not have a sunset date. The city wants permission to borrow between $7.6 million and $7.8 million and use money from the sales tax to pay off the debt over 20 years, so the city can do the street projects now instead of having to wait until it saved up the revenue.

“This is so we can do several projects at the same time, so we don’t have to piece-meal it over a lot of years,” said Mayor John Biggs.

Besides repairing Hall Street from Zora Street to Highway 171, which Biggs said must be done with or without the bond issue, some of the other proposed projects the bond issue would pay for include:

n Extending Carl Junction Road 12 blocks (just less than a mile) to connect North Main Street to North Madison.

n Extending North Pennsylvania Avenue two blocks to connect with Carl Junction Road.

n Widening Madison at MacArthur Drive (Highway 171) and improving that intersection.