By John Sharp
Grandview voters are being asked by a unanimous vote of the city’s Board of Aldermen to approve a $21 million no tax increase bond package labeled Building Up Grandview that is split into three separate questions on the April 5 ballot that will each require approval by a majority of voters to pass.
Voter approval will allow Grandview to take advantage of the current low interest rate on bonds.
Grandview City Administrator Cemal Gungor has pointed out that since the city already has paid off part of the debt from a 2014 bond package and since there has been so much recent building construction in Grandview that has significantly increased total property valuation in the city, approval of the bond questions will not increase property taxes.
Question 1
Question 1 will authorize issuing up to $6 million in bonds to fund needed interior improvements to Grandview’s city hall/police station including adding a fire sprinkler system, making the facility more accessible for persons with physical disabilities and renovating the jail.
If the measure passes, an adjacent city-owned building at 1102 Main will be renovated to provide expanded space with more customer service windows for the Missouri Department of Revenue license office currently housed in tight quarters in city hall.
Gungor has expressed his intention to make this a one-stop shop where persons can pay their city and county taxes as well as getting drivers licenses and license plates, all at one counter.
Question 2
Question 2 will authorize issuing up to $12.4 million in bonds to finance transportation-related improvements including street and sidewalk improvements throughout the city.
It also will fund enhancing the Blue Ridge Blvd. corridor, improving parking lots at The View Community Center, the 5,000-capacity Grandview Amphitheater and other frequently used city facilities and constructing a facility to protect city street maintenance equipment.
Question 3
Question 3 will authorize issuing up to $2.6 million in bonds to fund replacing the Fire Department’s only ladder truck that is 20 years old.
Fire Chief Ron Graham has explained that having an adequately sized fleet of modern fire-fighting apparatus helps keep residential and commercial property insurance rates low for all city property owners.
Approval of Question 3 also will finance renovating and better equipping the fire stations at 14600 Byars Rd. and 5501 Harry Truman Dr. The station at 7005 Highgrove Rd. was extensively renovated from the proceeds from the city’s 2014 bond issue.
Grandview last proposed a $13 million bond package split into two separate questions for park and public safety improvements in 2014. Both questions passed with over 70 percent voter approval, and Gungor has pointed out that all those proposed projects have been completed.