LAWTON — Lawton voters will decide Sept. 12 whether the city should renew its property tax for street repairs for another 10 years.
If voters approve the proposition, the city will issue $60 million in general obligation bonds to finance repairs and upgrades to streets and bridges. The city will use part of its property tax revenue – also known as ad valorem tax revenue – to pay off the bonds over 25 years.
Rising costs and inflation prevented the city from completing the projects included in the 2017 street improvement program, city officials said in an Aug. 7 news release.
Here’s a list of the projects that would be financed with an extension of the tax, according to City Hall:
Street rehabilitation: The city’s ad valorem street improvement program would earmark funds for repairing and resurfacing the following streets, addressing potholes, cracks and other problems.
• Ferris Avenue from Fort Sill Boulevard to Northwest Second Street.
• Southwest 52nd Street from Lee Boulevard to the railroad tracks.
• Cache Road from 67th Street to 82nd Street.
• Southwest 11th Street from Gore Boulevard to Lee Boulevard.
• Fort Sill Boulevard from Ferris Avenue to Rogers Lane.
Total cost: $37 million.
Bridge renovation: These projects would renovate aging bridges to ensure their structural integrity and make them safer for pedestrians and vehicles.
• Replace the bridges on 11th Street south of Interstate 44.
• Repair the Cache Road bridges west of 38th Street.
• Repair the East Cache Creek bridges on Gore Boulevard.
• Replace the Wolf Creek bridges on 11th Street and 44th Street.
• Repair the Numu Creek bridges on Park Avenue, 17th Street and Ninth Street.
• Repair/replace the Numu Creek bridge on Sheridan Road
• Replace the Numu Creek bridge on 13th Street.
• Repair the Numu Creek bridge on Lee Boulevard.
• Repair the West Fork Wolf Creek bridge on Quanah Parker Trailway.
Total cost: $23 million.
Traffic flow enhancements: The city would take steps to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and bolster road safety throughout town.