Ocean Shores voters are being asked to approve a sales and use tax for transportation improvements as Proposition 1 on the Aug. 7 ballot.

Information about the ballot measure went out in the current city of Ocean Shores water and sewer bills. The two-tenths of one percent sales tax “will pave the way to repair our roads and help meet pavement preservation needs,” the city’s voter fact sheet states. The city is able to ask voters for the local sales tax authority after the City Council last year formally approved a Transportation Benefit District, which is authorized by the state as a means to raise funds for street-related needs. Acting as the board to the district, the City Council approved sending the sales tax proposal to voters.

According to city estimates, the local sales tax collections would generate about $220,000 a year, while increasing the sales tax by an amount that equates to “20 cents per $100 spent.”

Other key elements:

• By law, the funds must be used for transportation improvements and preservation.

• The sales tax revenue will be kept in a separate account and not in the city’s general fund.

• The tax impacts visitors and local residents alike, and lasts for 10 years, if approved.

“We paid $29.3 million to repave our streets in 2011. However, hard times meant we’ve hadlittle funding to maintain and preserve our streets since then,” the city fact sheet states under the heading: “Why Now?”

“The sales tax will provide a dedicated revenue stream to preserve and maintain our city streets going forward,” the fact sheet states.

Other facts the city cites:

• There are 224 lane miles of pavement in the city.

• There were 109 locations where the pavement was found in 2017 to be in distress.

• Needs are estimated by the city to be $426,000 a year.