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Liberty hopes new businesses generate sales tax revenue

City officials are hoping that customers flock to the Liberty Triangle to eat a lot of ice cream, burgers and chicken sandwiches.

That’s because the city needs the sales tax revenue generated by the new businesses to pay off $1.85 million the city spent in relocation funds for the former Clay County Public Health Center.

The note is due on the borrowed money plus $245,000 in interest in November 2010. The city has been making payments toward the interest, said Diana Adams, assistant finance director.

Steve Hansen, public works director, said even though the economy had changed in the last year, it appeared that the decision to convince the health department to move was a wise one.

“It was a good decision,” Hansen said. “If the health department stayed in its old location, it would not generate a dime of revenue.”

Jack Carpenter, deputy health director, said they were pleased with the decision to move.

“We’re happy we’re not in the middle of that construction,” he said. “It’s amazing how much stuff they got on that lot.”

Carpenter said the health department now had room to expand and was located in an area west of Interstate 35 easily accessible for users.

The City Council sent to second reading Monday, June 22, an ordinance to approve and activate a tax-increment-financing plan for the former health center tract, which now includes Chick-fil-A, Baskin Robbins and Five Guys Burgers.

According to Karan Johnson, development manager, the city’s action would allow for the capture of the TIF payments from payments-in-lieu-of taxes and the economic activity taxes to be applied toward the TIF.

Businesses in the Triangle charge customers 8.6 percent in sales taxes on purchases, which includes a 1-cent community improvement district sales tax.

Baskin Robbins opened June 11 and had lines out the door, said owner Anna Marie Martin.

Johnson said Five

Guys was expected top open in late June or early July and Chick-fil-A was expected to open in early July.

In other business:

• D. Dean Tyler, president of the Clay County Museum & Historical Society, asked the council to consider providing one parking space in front of the museum for volunteers. He said many of the volunteers are elderly and have difficulty walking from outlying parking lots. City Administrator Curt Wenson said the city was working to address the request.

• Resident Harry Lee Boggess appealed to the city to resolve problems with a malfunctioning pump station in south Liberty that allowed raw sewage to flow onto his property during a heavy rainfall. Liberty pays Kansas City to treat its sewage.

Liberty Editor Angie Anaya Borgedalen can be reached at 781-4941 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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