Frequently Asked Questions

Voters passed a 0.2% sales tax dedicated to road maintenance in 2016. When crafting that ballot question, City staff advised the City Commission that a 0.5% tax was needed to keep up with our deteriorating streets, but the commission chose to ask the voters for only a 0.2% tax. The 2016 sales tax allowed the City of Manhattan to prioritize and complete major street projects, but it hasn’t been enough to keep up with less-trafficked neighborhood roads. In 2016, the City’s PCI — Pavement Condition Index — was 70 percent. Today, that score has dropped to 60%, which means our roads dropped from the top of the “fair” scale (55 to 70) to the lower portion of the scale, bordering on “poor.” The City’s backlog of projects in the very poor or serious parts of the scale has also risen from 14% to 18%.Another factor no one predicted in 2016 was the rate of inflation we’d face after the COVID pandemic. The cost of both materials and labor has grown significantly in the past 10 years since the 0.2% tax was approved, making the cost to repair roads more than predicted in 2016. Complicating the issue further is the fact that federal and state gas taxes have been unchanged since 1993 for the federal gas tax and 2004 for the state gas tax, meaning they haven’t been increased to keep up with inflation. The City of Manhattan gets the same amount of funding from these sources each year that it has been receiving for many years. In addition, electric vehicles, or any vehicles that don't use gasoline, do not pay any gas tax. Over 10% of the vehicles sold today do not use gasoline or diesel fuel.  When people complain about Manhattan’s potholes and crumbling roads, those complaints are valid. People in Manhattan recognize a real problem exists. In the 2025 community survey, 90% of residents reported that street maintenance is the greatest or second greatest need. As a community, we haven’t been able to keep up with our growing needs with a 0.2% tax. We must increase our spending to prevent further deterioration and improve our community’s overall system.

Simply put, it’s less expensive to repair or maintain a road than to replace it completely. Investing regularly in our road system saves taxpayers over time. In recent years, the City has had to prioritize main roads that have the highest traffic counts, highest speeds and, potentially, the most accidents. This means neighborhood roads have remained virtually untouched. The City’s plan for the first five years of this increased sales tax is to focus $6 million of the $8 million generated on neighborhood streets. Residents should see repairs completed in nearly every part of the community over the next five years.Every penny of this tax will go to roads, although a small portion may be used for sidewalks along collector or arterial roads where walking or biking is dangerous. This $8 million per year will supplement the nearly $2 million in the City’s general fund for road projects, plus state and federal highway funds.Good local roads increase property values, make the City more attractive for visitors and potential new residents, and are safer for cars, bikes and pedestrians. Having high-quality roads will be an asset in new business development, which can lead to new jobs and growth in our tax base.

If this ballot question does not pass, the City’s spending on street maintenance will decrease by nearly 80% — or we’ll need to look to another type of tax to make up the difference. The City’s general fund includes almost $2 million annually to take care of its 4.2 million square yards of concrete, asphalt and brick streets. This is not enough to keep up with our growing community. Every year, we add new square yardage to our inventory. If the sales tax doesn’t pass, the City will need to generate more money for street improvements. If the City decides to turn to property tax instead, it would take an increase of 11 mills to generate the same $8 million per year that a 0.5% sales tax will generate.  Using sales tax makes more sense to fund street maintenance because everyone who spends money in our community contributes, rather than just people who own properties. Using sales tax to fund road improvements makes sure that every user of our roadways will contribute to quality roads in MHK.

For the most part, sales tax revenues are small enough that people don’t notice them on everyday purchases. Here are a few examples.

When the new sales tax passes, Manhattan’s sales tax rate will be 9.45% in Riley County and 9.75% in Pottawatomie County. This puts us right in the middle of comparable cities where people shop.Unfortunately, the lack of funding from federal and state partners means city sales taxes for roads are increasingly common. Of the 65 Kansas communities that previously have passed a streets sales tax, Manhattan is the lowest at only 0.2%. A few other examples include Salina at 0.75%, Garden City at 0.5% and Clay Center at 0.5%. Many of the Kansas City-area suburbs are around 0.375%. Herington has passed a tax of 1%.

Yes, it will. The City Commission intends for the nearly $8 million in road repair and maintenance projects to be subcontracted to private businesses. Therefore, the money will have a ripple effect as those dollars move through the local economy, creating new jobs and being spent with local businesses.

Voters registered in Riley County who reside within the city limits of Manhattan are eligible to vote on this ballot issue. The last day to register is Oct. 13. You can register online at https://www.kdor.ks.gov/apps/voterreg or at the Riley County Election Office, 115 N. 4th Street, fourth floor, or at a number of local registration outposts.

For the full ballot question and other details, visit the official City of Manhattan website’s information on this issue. Contact Public Works or the City Manager's office to schedule a group presentation.