Sedgwick County OKs referendum on Wichita arena

Voters to be asked in November to approve sales tax increase

? Voters in Sedgwick County will be asked in November to approve a one-cent increase in the county sales tax to finance a 15,000-seat arena in downtown Wichita and improve the Kansas Coliseum complex.

The Nov. 2 ballot question, approved Wednesday by the County Commission, seeks to increase the tax to 7.3 percent effective in July for a maximum of 30 months. If passed by voters, the increase would also need approval by the Kansas Legislature.

County officials initially envisioned a $211 million project that would have required 33 months’ worth of the higher sales tax. But the final price tag was reduced to $184.5, partly by scrapping plans for a single, large parking garage in favor of a mix of surface and garage parking.

The revised parking plan would still accommodate downtown shoppers while also spreading out the traffic flow, County Manager Bill Buchanan said.

“We want to assure folks that for a downtown arena there will be sufficient parking and that we will spread that parking around,” Buchanan said.

Based on residents’ suggestions, the county also adjusted seating plans for the arena, which would probably open in late 2008.

Some people wanted more seats, others wanted fewer, Buchanan said.

The revised plan provides for floor seating that could raise the arena’s capacity to 17,000 for some events. For events that draw smaller crowds, empty seats could be curtained off to create more intimate environment, Buchanan said.

Other elements of the plan include $4 million for infrastructure improvements to ease access to the arena, and a $23.6 million reserve to cover maintenance and operational losses.

County commissioners asked Buchanan to create a plan for a public oversight committee that would make sure the extra tax revenue was spent only for the arena project.

Buchanan said the county would monitor collection to make sure it wouldn’t fall short of projections. If the tax brings in more money than the project requires, he said, it could expire in less than 30 months.

An exact site for the arena has yet to be chosen, but the county has identified a large area in the southeast portion of Wichita’s core as a general location.

Businesses in Sedgwick County will campaign for approval of the tax, and Wichita Mayor Carlos Mayans said he would try to sell it also.