Matthews voters to decide on fuel tax Aug. 3

MATTHEWS, Mo. -- A fuel tax will go before Matthews residents on Aug. 3.

Matthews city officials will conduct two meetings -- at 7 p.m. Monday and Thursday at the Community Building -- to discuss their decision to put the 1-cent-per-gallon fuel tax on the ballot. The revenue from the tax would be restricted for use of construction, reconstruction, maintenance, repair, policing, signage, lighting and the cleaning of roads and streets.

City administrator Michael Pyles estimated the tax could provide a minimum of $500,000 annually. Much of that would come from the three truck stops at the Highway 80-Interstate 55 interchange, which is within the community's city limits.

"A fuel tax just spreads around the cost to everybody," explained Pyles, who initially presented the proposal to the Matthews Board of Aldermen. "It will cost about 20 cents a week [per person] to have better streets, to have better drainage, to have these improvements. ... That's not a lot of money to have those kind of improvements."

Pyles said he and city officials looked at several alternatives before making the decision to go with a fuel tax proposal. With the financial crunch, the prospects for any funding at the state level seems unlikely now, he said. If the tax is approved, he said, as the economy improves it would provide more matching funds when grants are available.

As the tax proposal took shape, Pyles and Matthews Mayor Jim Burch met with the managers of the three local truck stops. Both said they received support from the local businesses about the proposal, especially when officials said part of the money could be used to improve lighting around the interchange as well as security through increased patrols.

"Not one of them seemed to be upset at all," Pyles said.

According to Matthews' mayor, the improvements funded through the fuel tax would be a continuation of efforts in the community. Burch said the board and local residents are working to improve the town, most recently completing work on the infrastructure for water and sewer.

"Now it's time to do the streets and we are out of money," Burch said.

The tax proposal will require a two-thirds majority for passage.

Burch said he has only heard a few negative comments. Most of these, he said, mention recent wage increases to city employees, a move he defends.

"Our work force has been underpaid. We have good workers and I feel they should be fairly rewarded," he said, adding that the fuel tax "cannot be used for salaries."

The community's engineer, John Chittenden with Waters and Associates, said there is a need for street improvements.

"Because the streets lacked proper drainage they weren't holding up well," Chittenden said. "We have been in the process of working on that. This tax would give us substantial capability to do more."