Five Rule, village board hosting info sessions March 28
Hampton residents have been invited to a visioning workshop March 28 to help the community understand details about pending infrastructure projects, as well as the village board’s role in addressing those needs.
Two 90-minute information sessions have been planned that day at the Hampton Auditorium, with identical meetings to begin at 4:30 and 6:45 p.m. The workshops are being hosted jointly by the village board and Five Rule Rural Planning, a Kearney-based consulting agency working with the board on various issues.
Two major infrastructure issues have been discussed at recent meetings, each of which could impact the village budget and ultimately local tax levies.
One involves Hampton’s water resources, as the village has been relying on a single well for more than two years after the second well was shut down after being flagged for high nitrate levels. Board members were advised last week that the one remaining well has registered rising nitrate levels each of the last two years, with the latest reading at 7 parts per million (ppm), which is still below the 10 ppm maximum.
The other infrastructure project is related to the planned annexation/development of 7.95 acres on the west edge of town, where 14 housing lots and one large commercial lot are anticipated to be ready for sale and construction later this year. The Hampton Development Corporation has been working with the village board on that project, noting that the village may need to be a partner, either through general obligation bonds paid by all local residents, or special assessments charged to involved lot owners.
Sales tax discussion
Another potential source of funding discussed in early discussions is a local option sales tax.
Bobbi Pettit, owner of Five Rule Rural Planning, reported at a recent meeting that other rural Nebraska communities have used this resource as a means of funding village projects. In Hampton’s case, without a large retail base in the community, a majority of the funding would be generated by sales taxes on water and sewer utilities paid by local citizens and businesses.
Pettit looked up 2021 taxable sales history to determine how much revenue might be generated by a local sales tax. Based on net taxable sales that year in Hampton of $2,828,894, she noted that a half-cent sales tax would generate $14,144 in revenue, while a 1-cent sales tax would generate $28,288 and a 1.5-cent sales tax $42,433.
Pettit suggested the workshop format as a means of sharing information and gathering local feedback.
“The purpose of the workshop is to identify the needs and wants of Hampton’s residents and understand the board’s role in addressing those needs and wants,” she said in a press release. “The input collected on that day will guide the village board’s decisions as they plan and budget for community improvement projects over the next one to three years.”
James Parsley, village board chairman, said he is hoping for a good turnout as the community’s feedback will help determine whether or not to put the sales tax issue to a local vote.
“We really just want to get feedback from the community on what their feelings are about doing a sales tax,” he said. “They’ll cover some of the stuff related to the development out here, as well as in anticipation with potential issues with our water well. Those are two pretty good size expenses so we want them to be aware of those potential costs coming up and get their take on whether or not they feel like a sales tax might be a good way to help cover those costs.”
Parsley said board members plan to attend the workshops, with Pettit adding that input collected that day from residents will be presented to the board at its next regular meeting scheduled for Monday, April 11, at 7 p.m.
In January of this year, the Hampton board engaged Five Rule Rural Planning to facilitate these workshops with the goal of assisting the board with identifying and prioritizing community development projects that are most important to residents. Once the board has been presented with the input collected at the workshop, it will determine if additional community engagement activities are necessary at this time.
The board will also refer to the information collected at the workshop when making decisions regarding the next year’s annual budget, which is generally developed over the summer.
A local caterer will provide light refreshments for the event. Residents are encouraged to RSVP by visiting PlanforHampton.com.
About Five Rule Rural Planning
Five Rule Rural Planning, established in January 2018 by Bobbi Pettit, is a planning agency focusing on smaller rural communities in Nebraska and Kansas. Five Rule is committed to providing education, empowerment, and advocacy to rural communities who have chosen to grow and meet the challenges of an ever-changing future.
Pettit has stated that Five Rule recognizes the uniqueness of each community and prides itself on creating an integrated, personal approach to solving challenges. Services provided include comprehensive planning, development studies, zoning regulations, subdivision regulations, code maintenance, and training.
For more information visit www.fiveruleplanning.com.