Posted at: 07/30/2010 10:51 PM
By: James Wilcox

Print Story  Email to a Friend

Sales Tax Proposal

(ABC 6 NEWS) -- Rochester voters could have a big decision to make. The city is considering a new half-cent sales tax. It could raise more than 100 million dollars and fund a number of city improvement projects.

The Rochester Public Library needs more room.

"Quite frankly, we're flat out, out of space," says John Hunziker.

And that's why the library is hoping a new half-cent sales tax passes. Money it would use to expand, ideally, building up.

"Two floors would be wonderful because then we could use one floor for books and one floor of meetings rooms and we desperately need those," says Hunziker.

The tax would generate roughly 120 million dollars, and last around 15 years. It would replace a current tax that's about to expire.

"The needs are there, and its a fair way to do it because there are regional projects that we'll be looking at you know, a number of people benefit from it," says Rochester Mayor Ardel Brede.

Another possible use for the money is relocating the Silver Lake Fire Station. The chief says Rochester is growing, and that means change. He's looking at locations both north and east of the current building for a new station.

"We're still looking at some of the data and some studies on what it does to not only coverage but call volume and how that call volume would affect other station and what kind of resources we would need," says Rochester Fire Chief Greg Martin.

City council is now putting together a committee to recommend projects and how to best use the sales tax money.

That proposal would need approval from council members, the state legislature, and ultimately, Rochester voters.

Mayor Brede says, "We will do a referendum then that the public will have to do."

A referendum the library is optimistic will get approved.

"This is the people's library. We just staff it and make it work, but it's the community’s gathering place," says Hunziker.

The current tax was passed in 2005, raising 40 million dollars. It’s on track to expire late next year. That's when the new tax would kick in.

For a full list of the tentative projects go to the new neighborhood section of our website and click on Rochester Metro.