No SP Referendum

The truth about the August 9 Transportation Referendum

The Transportation Referendum may dramatically raise Stevens Point property taxes and crush the majority of road, rail, river, and airport projects from the day it's passed until the day it's revoked. Those changes stand to seriously disrupt the local economy.

Here's what you need to know:

Q: What exactly does the referendum say?

A: Shall the City of Stevens Point adopt the following ordinance:

Prior to the start of any physical construction of any municipally financed (in whole or in part) public roadway or transportation project requiring a city capital expenditure of $1,000,000.00 or more, the common council shall submit to the electorate a binding referendum for approval of the project. Failure of the binding referendum shall preclude the city from proceeding with the project. The wording of any referendum shall provide the specific purpose, location, and cost of the project. Nothing in this provision shall be construed to preclude the city from exercising its role in the planning or design of such publicly financed projects.

Q: Will the transportation referendum affect more than just Business 51?

A: Though the supporters of the referendum would like for you to believe it's only about Business 51, the truth is that it will force every transportation project - road, rail, river, airport - to go to a popular vote if they're projected to cost more than a million dollars, meaning that those projects will inevitably be delayed, and most probably would never get done.

Q: Could voters vote against much needed projects in one part of the city in hopes of getting their roads done first?

A: Plain and simple...yes. Instead of using sound engineering for evaluating the condition of roads, a popular vote could divert tax dollars to districts where there is high voter turnout.

Q: Don't most transportation projects cost a lot less than a million dollars, though?

A: A million dollars may seem like a lot of money, but in terms of infrastructure projects, it's not much. Replacing the infrastructure (sewer, water, utility lines, and surface) on two city blocks would cross the million-dollar threshold so it's likely that most projects would have to go to a vote - especially as inflation causes everything to cost more in the future.

Q: The city wouldn't have been in this bind if they just left the road alone. Why do they want to change Church St.?

A. Church Street road surface is at the end of its useful life. In fact, the Pavement Surface Evaluation Rating shows the road to be rated at a 3 (just 2 points short of a critical condition) and is one of the worst in the city. And the infrastructure under the road is falling apart and needs to be replaced, too. And when a road like Business 51 is replaced, the state and federal government forces the city to bring it up to modern standards, so it can't be put back exactly as it currently is. But by using the design selected by the city, the road footprint stays nearly the same. It requires only .3 acres of right-of-way acquisition and no properties would be condemned.

Q: A new four-lane road can't cost that much more than the proposed 3-lane road, right? Why not keep it 4 lanes?

A. To bring Church Street up to modern 4-lane standards required by the state, it would need to be widened by 16 feet (8' per side). That means that most homes and businesses would lose 8' of yard or parking lot along the way, and they would need to be paid for that space both for the cost of the land and the cost of lost future revenue. A 4-lane Church Street would require an extra 5 acres of right-of-way acquisition and will condemn up to 13 properties. That alone will cost millions of dollars. Then add in that the 3-lane road will qualify for state-level grants ($3.5 million in state/federal grants have been awarded to this project if it moves forward with the 3-lane design) which will bring the cost down for local tax payers. The difference is that you could expect your property taxes to go up by $300 or more per $100k value of your house to keep Church St. 4 lanes.

Q: Why do some people keep calling the change "2 lanes" but some people call it "3 lanes?"

A: The proposed change to Church Street would be for one lane of motor vehicle traffic each way, plus a turn lane in the middle so traffic isn't slowed down. Depending on how you look at it, you could call it either 2 or three lanes. But the middle lane is a vital part of the design that will keep traffic moving at the same pace it currently moves.

Q: Will businesses be hurt by a switch to 3 lanes?

A: It's highly unlikely. The only type of business that could be hurt are businesses that rely on impulse stops. The vast majority of businesses on Church Street are destinations that don't rely on impulse stops. Under the new 4-lane plan, however, a number of businesses, such as gas stations and car lots, may lose valuable parking area, which are vital to their business.

Q: Some people say Church Street is being change because of bike lanes.

A: Wrong. There are no dedicated bike lanes in the proposed Church Street design. The design contains an urban shoulder (a wide area that creates a buffer between traffic and pedestrians, serves as snow storage and can also be used by cyclists).

Q: Why didn't the city take the public's concerns into account when they designed the road?

A: They did. There were three public meetings between September 2020 and July 2021 about the road redesign, and few people showed up. It was only after the redesign was unveiled and approved by the city council that some people got really riled up. The city council also took the advice of AECOM (traffic and road engineers) and other subject matter experts, into account in order to create the safer and more modern road design that will be moving forward.

Q: Why are people pushing the referendum so hard?

A: Some of the loudest people pushing for the referendum are Church St. property owners who could make a LOT of YOUR TAXPAYER MONEY if Church Street is expanded to accommodate the widened 4-lane plan. Grants will not pay for the cost of purchasing properties to widen the road. Stevens Point taxpayers will bear that burden.

Q: Will the referendum affect the outcome of the Business 51 plans?

A: Probably not. First of all, the whole segment of Business 51 from Sentry to Belts is approved, and has received little push-back. The segment from Belts to McDill pond (Church St.) is the part of the project that some people are voicing opinions about. Even so, the city approved moving forward with the redesign, including the budget for the project, before the referendum was approved, so it will likely move forward whether the referendum passes or not.

Q: It's pretty obvious the referendum shouldn't be allowed to pass, because it's going to cause major damage to the city. How can we stop it?

A: Tell everyone you know who lives in Stevens Point that they need to VOTE NO AUGUST 9. You know the truth about the project now, so correct people when they're spreading disinformation - in person and online. And please share this website on social media.