One of the City’s largest financial responsibilities is capital improvements, which involve costs related to upgrading and maintaining public infrastructure. This includes roads, bridges, municipal buildings, parks, and storm water and wastewater systems. Each year, the City must address the need for repairs, upgrades, or new construction, as maintaining public infrastructure is a key function of local government.
However, the costs of these projects continue to rise due to factors such as increased material prices, labor shortages, and inflation. The City, like many others, is affected by these financial pressures. Additionally, infrastructure naturally ages over time. While regular maintenance and inspections help extend the lifespan of these assets, some eventually reach the end of their useful life and must be replaced. As a result, new revenue sources are necessary to cover any budget shortfalls and to ensure continued delivery of essential services.
In 2024, the City spent nearly half a million dollars on capital improvements. This included approximately $200,000 in road repairs, with additional projects scheduled for 2025. Additionally, the City has committed nearly $300,000 to upgrade three wastewater lift stations. Other ongoing maintenance and improvement plans include upgrades to the intersection of Highway P and Mexico Road, which are set for 2025.
As the City continues to grow, more funding will be needed to keep up with necessary improvements to streets, wastewater, and storm water infrastructure. There is also interest in creating walking trails throughout the City for the benefit of residents.
To help fund these projects, residents will vote on Proposition A in the November 5th General Election. Proposition A proposes a 0.5% capital improvement sales tax on all sales in Flint Hill. The revenue from this tax would be exclusively dedicated to capital improvement projects. Given that a significant portion of City spending is allocated to roads, the decision was made to pursue an addition to our sales tax rather than raising property taxes. This approach ensures that both residents and visitors share the financial responsibility. Even with this proposed 0.5% increase, Flint Hill would still have one of the lowest sales tax rates in the surrounding area.