Nov. 9 -- LANGDON, N.D. -- The city of Langdon expects to start next year on underground work to repair aging streets, though City Auditor RoxAnne Hoffarth said she doesn't yet know the exact area where crews will start.
The street project, which started this year and will stretch into the future, will be partially paid through a new city sales tax increase.
"There are still portions of the town that have underground work to be done, and we're looking at doing that in the next, probably, five years or so," she said.
On Nov. 5, Langdon residents voted to pass a city sales tax increase, bumping the 2% tax to 3% by a 69.5% "yes" vote. Half of the funds from the increase will be used for the street project, and the other half for maintenance. Andrew Aakre, project manager at Moore Engineering, told the Herald
last year
that the project had been discussed since spring 2020, as the city's roads have been aging to past the point of routine maintenance. The project's goal is to rehabilitate the majority of Langdon's streets and bring them back to a reliable level of service.
The project was delayed due to COVID, Aakre said, as that prevented public information meetings. Hoffarth said the project started this year with work around the school, and next year the focus will be on a larger section of the town.
The sales tax increase, Hoffarth said, will hopefully alleviate some payment burden off residents. The project costs $20 million, and some of the payment will come from assessment of property, so raising the tax will take away a bit of the pressure for property owners, she said.
"It's not like it amounts to a lot of money, but it'll help," Hoffarth said. "Every little bit helps, right?"