Ballot Question

Criminal Justice and Civic Complex

Ballot Question:

CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND ADMINISTRATION BUILDING IMPROVEMENT BONDS AND 1% SALES AND USE TAX 

An issue of bonds of the City of Springdale in the maximum aggregate principal amount of $42,580,000 for the purpose of financing all or a portion of the costs of the extension and renovation of the City Administration Building to house the City's Police Department, Police & Fire Dispatch Center, City Attorney, State District Court and other City Administration Departments, including necessary radio equipment, furniture, fixtures, land acquisition and parking improvements therefor, professional fees related to any of the foregoing, the establishment of reserves, and bond issuance and any credit enhancement costs, and, in order to pay the bonds, the levy and pledge of a new 1% local sales and use tax within the City that will expire after the bonds have been paid or provision is made therefor in accordance with Arkansas statutes.

FOR

AGAINST

Explanation:

With this bond authorization, we are planning to build a new Criminal Justice Building and renovate the current City Administration Building to develop a Criminal Justice and Civic Complex in Downtown Springdale. The two buildings will be connected, and the Criminal Justice Building will house the Police Department, Information Systems, Criminal Investigation Division, City Attorney’s Office, and District Court. The Criminal Justice Building will not have a jail. The Administration Building will house current departments plus Community Engagement and the Building Department.

These changes will increase efficiency among City departments, and offer a significantly better experience for our residents. There will be more space for our growing population to have and attend meetings and access services. It will be more secure, and it will improve the look of the downtown municipal campus as part of our downtown revitalization.

Thanks to a $3.3 million Design Excellence grant from the Walton Family Foundation, the design of the proposed Criminal Justice and Civic Complex is paid for. The City hired Duvall Decker Architects to design the complex.

Note: The "1% Sales and Use Tax" at the end of each ballot item is not a tax increase. It is an authorization to continue the current 1% sales and use tax that was levied in 2003 and continued in 2006 as approved by Springdale voters.