Voters in Woodbury are being asked to approve a 0.5 percent sales tax increase to help pay for a Public Safety Campus Project on this fall’s general election ballot. The project will expand and renovate the existing campus at 2100 Radio Drive. Here are six things to know before you vote.
What’s being proposed
Supporters say the city has outgrown the current campus that houses EMS, fire, police and their administrative staff. Since the facility was last updated in 2010, Woodbury has grown by 20,000 people. The city has purchased the adjacent Washington County Service Center at 2150 Radio Dr. and plans to remove that building and construct a new fire station. That station will connect to the existing public safety building, which will be renovated. City leaders says more space is needed for equipment and vehicles as well as for staff. They say the project will decrease emergency response times and make it safer for its vehicles to exit the site. The project will allow the city to house its medical, fire, police and emergency preparedness staff at the same location.
Breaking news: The project will move forward no matter what
City leaders say the Public Safety Campus project is so critical they will move ahead with construction, no matter the outcome of the ballot question. Voters are not being asked to approve or reject it. They’re being asked how to fund it. If a majority votes “yes,” most of the project will be paid for by a 0.5 percent sales tax increase. If a majority votes “no,” the project will be funded mostly by an increase in property taxes.
Why aren’t Woodbury residents voting on the project itself?
The city council usually approves capital improvement projects without a vote by residents. The recent $149.5 million contract approval for the Water Treatment Plant is one example. This project has been in that plan for six years and became a priority two years ago. State law, however, requires any sales tax increase be approved by voters, which is why the project is on the November ballot.
How much of the project cost will an increased sales tax cover?
The sales tax increase, if approved, would cover $50 million of the $60 million project cost. The city expects to fund the remaining $10 million from $5 million in property taxes and $5 million from other sources.
Why won’t the sales tax pay for the whole project?
In 2023 the city asked the state Legislature to allow voters to approve a sales tax increase to generate $50 million to cover the projected cost of the project. Between the time of the estimate and now, rising inflation and construction costs increased the budget to $60 million.
Why fund it through a sales tax increase?
One of the major reasons supporters say a sales tax increase makes sense is because it will prevent the entire cost of the project from falling on Woodbury residents. Everyone who shops at Woodbury’s retail establishments would chip in with each purchase. The city projects 53 percent of the revenue raised would come from people who live outside of Woodbury. If the ballot question is approved, the average Woodbury household is projected to pay $102 each year in higher taxes: $89 more in sales tax and $12 more in property taxes. If the project is financed solely through property taxes, the average Woodbury household would pay $141 more each year. The sales tax is expected to generate $50 million in 13 years, while it would take 20 years for property taxes to raise that amount. The current sales tax in Woodbury is 8.375 percent.
More information
The city has extensive information about the project, including answers to frequently asked questions, available here.
