Matthews voters to decide on fuel tax

MATTHEWS - A fuel tax, which could fuel improvements to the community, will go before Matthews residents on Aug. 3.

Matthews city officials will conduct two meetings - at 7 p.m. Monday and Thursday at the Community Building - to discuss their decision to put the 1 cent per gallon fuel tax on the ballot. The revenue from the tax will be restricted for use of construction, reconstruction, maintenance, repair, policing, signage, lighting and the cleaning of roads and streets.

City Administrator Michael Pyles estimated the tax could provide a minimum of $500,000 annually. Much of this money would come from the three truck stops located at the Highway 80-Interstate 55 interchange which is within the community's city limits.

"A fuel tax just spreads around the cost to everybody," explained Pyles, who initially presented the proposal to the Matthews Board of Aldermen. "It will cost about 20 cents a week (per person) to have better streets, to have better drainage, to have these improvements ... That's not a lot of money to have those kind of improvements."

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