Invest in Imperial—Renew city sales tax

Dear Editor,
This year’s General Election features a number of local, state and national races but perhaps none could be more important for the future of Imperial than the renewal of the city’s sales tax.
Voters in the City of Imperial will be asked to renew the city sales tax which will expire at the end of the year. They will also have the option to increase it to 1.5 percent.
In 2006, city voters approved a 1 percent sales tax by a 55 percent margin. In the 20-year period since, these funds have made a huge impact on the growth and success of Imperial.
No one likes to hear the word “taxes.” It brings with it its own negative connotation.
When the issue arose in 2006, some predicted shoppers would bypass Imperial because of the sales tax. Voters understood that wasn’t a valid concern, realizing they were already paying sales tax in any other city they shopped in within a 100-mile radius of Imperial.
Reinvesting these sales tax proceeds back into Imperial over the last 20 years has resulted in a long list of successes, making Imperial a better community to call home.
In full disclosure, I was among the new members appointed to the Community Redevelopment Authority, formed as part of the economic development plan, which was also approved along with the sales tax.
Perhaps one of the most impactful actions the committee and city council took was to purchase 77 acres of irrigated ground on the southeast corner of Imperial in August 2009 for $360,000. This area would later become known as the Cornerstone Development.
The action wasn’t without controversy but Imperial needed an area to expand and this property seemed to be a logical fit.
In the 2010 census, Imperial was among only a handful of communities in outstate Nebraska that actually grew in population. This fact drew the interest of a housing developer who believed Imperial was ripe for growth. And without question, Imperial needed more housing.
 Through the dedicated work of former city economic developer Leslie Carlholm, Imperial was designated as a certified economic development community, making a rental housing project eligible for federal housing tax credit funds.
That led to the construction of 12 rental homes and four spec homes. The area has continued to expand over the years and there are now 29 homes in Cornerstone. In addition there are seven new commercial buildings for new and existing businesses.
Without the approval of the city sales tax, it’s highly unlikely any of this development would have taken place.
The foresight to invest sales tax money in a $360,000 property has yielded a valuation that today exceeds $10 million. I would say that success alone is justification to renew the city sales tax.
In the early days of ALLO Communications, a loan funded by city sales tax funds helped launch a local company that now spans five states and employs thousands. Imperial remains the “world headquarters” of ALLO, now known as ALLO Fiber. (Once again, in full disclosure, I was one of the founding partners along with Brad Moline of Imperial.)
ALLO represents just one of the many success stories of building, retaining and boosting businesses within the community.
 But that’s only half the equation! The other half of sales tax dollars funds community betterment projects. The list of successes on that side of the ledger continues to grow.
Think of the new pool, a new city fire hall, the renovated city gym, the city square, theater upgrades—just to name a few. Once again, these projects show the justification to renew the city sales tax.
As I often said in many of my columns over the years—“If a community isn’t moving forward, it’s moving backwards.”
Please cast your vote to renew the city sales tax and economic development plan on Nov. 4
Russell Pankonin
Imperial, Nebraska