Though returns from a Johnson County sales tax are suffering from the recession, Kansas University projects benefiting from the tax remain on track.

Two ongoing KU projects, including a new building and programs at the KU Edwards Campus and a renovated space at KU Medical Center to assist with its cancer initiative, are each receiving one-third of the proceeds from the 0.125 cent sales tax.

The other third of the revenue is going to support the Kansas State Innovation Campus in Olathe.

Johnson County voters approved the tax one year ago this month, and money began flowing into university coffers at the end of June.

Community and KU leaders said the sales tax, which has no sunset clause, is providing a funding stream for the projects unlike anything else they’ve seen in other parts of the country.

“This is an absolutely remarkable, first-of-its-kind opportunity for somebody like me and a university like KU,” said Bob Clark, KU’s vice chancellor overseeing the Edwards Campus.

Ed Eilert is a member of the Johnson County Commission and the chairman of the Johnson County Educational Research Triangle Authority, which oversees and disburses the funds raised from the tax.

Eilert said that while the tax had been projected to raise $15 million per year, based on returns from the first few months of collections, that figure is looking to be more like $13.2 million.

However, he said that everyone involved, including the university partners, had taken a conservative approach to projecting how much money the tax would generate.

The Kansas State facility will be first to rise from the ground. KSU officials broke ground on the Olathe site last week. Construction on the KU Medical Center and KU Edwards Campus buildings should be completed by 2011.

Roy Jensen, director of the KU Cancer Center, said the newly renovated space would be used to conduct Phase I clinical cancer trials and research. The research triangle dollars will be allocated to the cancer initiative even beyond the initial stages that will renovate 77,000 square feet of space in a building donated by the Hall Family Foundation.

“There’s a fair amount of operating expenses that go into clinical research, and we’re really blessed to have a revenue stream that will cover those expenses,” Jensen said.

The lower the Cancer Center’s costs, the more money can be spent on obtaining National Cancer Institute designation, Jensen said.

At the KU Edwards Campus, a new building has been designed, and it’s the fourth of five buildings on the campus’ long-range master plan, created years ago, Clark said.

The campus is also weighing new programs to be included in the new building, after consulting with Johnson County employers to determine what the market is demanding. Two new programs will be offered — an undergraduate business minor and a bachelor’s program in business administration.

Clark said the campus is weighing other options, including a bachelor’s degree in information technology and a bachelor’s degree in applied science. Those, among other options, are still being considered, Clark said.