Columbia’s capital improvement sales tax extension likely to be voted on this summer

It looks like Columbia voters will be casting ballots in August on whether to extend the city’s one-fourth of one percent capital improvement sales tax.

The council first-read the bill this week and is set to vote on the issue at the next meeting, which is on May 20. City manager De’Carlon Seewood is recommending that the council place the issue on the August ballot.

The city council’s two-page packet says that if Columbia voters approve the August extension, it’s expected to generate $83-million in the next decade.

One busy area the city is looking at improving is south Columbia’s Bethel and Green Meadows intersection. They have a $1.1 million plan to replace the four-way stop with a roundabout and also plan to add sidewalks. The city is also proposing a $7-million project to improve busy Clark Lane from Woodland Hills to Ballenger, an area that includes a huge school bus headquarters. The project would include widening the road, adding bicycle lanes and a center turn lane.