Kansas Residents Vote On Arena

Hutchinson, Kan., residents may soon be able to vote on a sales tax proposal that would help fund a $29 million expansion of the city’s 62-year-old sports arena.

A committee of community leaders asked the City Council on Tuesday to put the tax increase up for a public vote in April.

The council didn’t vote on the request but will discuss it at least one more time in January. The Hutchinson News (http://bit.ly/13ar45m ) reports the council agreed to let city staff begin drafting a ballot resolution for the group’s consideration.

The proposed renovations would be financed largely by a 0.35 to 0.4 percent increase in the city’s sales tax for about 10 years, or until bonds are paid off. A 0.35 percent increase is expected to generate more than $3 million a year.