Three projects will be funded this year out of excess sales tax dollars.

The El Dorado City Commission gave its approval of the recommendation by the Sales Tax Advisory Committee for the uncommitted money at their meeting Monday night.
The recommendation was the conclusion of an ongoing process.

“We held a public hearing on April 3 and after the public hearing we sat down and discussed what we wanted to recommend to the commission,” said Wayne White, committee chair.  “After those deliberations, our recommendations are such: there were three projects that requested support this year. The committee is recommending the approval of all three projects.

One of those was a restroom facility at Forest Park. This item had come before the committee the previous year, but there was not enough money for it. This year, the committee recommended $35,000 be allocated for it.

The second project was a shelter at the North Main Park.

“Those North Main parks are ever busier and they’re planning on a big shelter to handle groups larger than any of the current shelters will handle,” White said.

The third project also came before the committee last year, but it was not approved because of concerns at that time. That project was for lights on phase two of the bike path.

White said it was proposed, because of all of the vandalism to the lights on phase one, that they install solar pole lights. But they had no way to judge their effectiveness, so the city purchased one light to test it. Assuming the test light functions properly for about 30 days, they proposed completing the lighting of phase two.

The remainder of the uncommitted funds, approximately $597,000, was suggested to be applied to additional property tax reductions.

“We think this will help the city avoid any mill levy increases or curtail of services in the coming year,” White said.

Commissioner Steve Pershall asked if there were any other items brought to the committee for consideration.

There had been only one other - a 15-passenger van for the senior center. It would be used to transport patrons that don’t drive to and from the center.

“That got a lot of conversation,” White said. “In the end, the main reason we decided against approving it this year was there wasn’t enough information.”

They wanted to know more about the operation expenses the center would incur.

“We felt like they needed a better idea of what they were getting into before we gave them the money to get into it,” White said.  “It was absolutely no reflection on the worthiness of the cause.”

Following a public hearing in which no one spoke, Commissioner Steve Reynolds made a motion to accept their recommendation, which was approved unanimously.