About

What is a STAR Bond?

Sales Tax Revenue (STAR) Bonds provide Kansas municipalities the opportunity to issue bonds to finance the development of major commercial, entertainment, and tourism areas and use the sales tax revenue generated by the development to pay off the bonds.  STAR Bonds are reserved for large scale projects that are “characterized as a statewide and regional destination, and include a high quality innovative entertainment and tourism attraction."

According to the “50/50 Rule,” STAR Bonds must generate at least $50 million in taxable sales revenue and a minimum $50 million in improvements, such as buildings and facilities which generate property tax revenue for the City, County, and School District.

It is important to note that the City of Goddard keeps its portion of any and all current and new sales tax revenue generated outside of the district within Goddard.

Goddard’s STAR Bond

The City of Goddard’s STAR Bond includes the construction of a Hampton Inn hotel with a conference facility, an Olympic Quality Swimming Complex, the Blast-Off Bay indoor water park, 10 tournament quality baseball/softball fields, 6S Restaurant and Pickleball Courts, a sand sports facility, as well as retail, commerce, dining, and more!

For information on staff presentations for key action items such as the project plan public hearing, development agreement and amendments, project infrastructure items, please click HERE.

STAR Bond Documents

Goddard STAR bond project breaks ground

In 2014, the citizens of Goddard approved a city wide 1% sales tax by a 3 to 1 vote. 75% of the additional sales tax will be used to fund capital improvements, such as roadway projects and improvements to the City’s park system. The remaining 25% will be used to reduce the property tax burden on Goddard residents. The property tax rate was initially reduced by 1.5 mills beginning in 2016.

Please note that none of the City’s local sales tax dollars have been used to finance improvements within the City’s STAR Bond district. All collections outside of the district are used to provide the improvements listed above (75% capital improvements & 25% general property tax relief). The City’s adherence to the wishes of the Goddard voters is verified each year with the City’s annual audit. A copy of the City’s audits may be located in the documents section HERE.

Sales tax collections have surpassed expectations during the three years the levy has been in place. The chart below shows the total collections of the City’s Sales and Use taxes collected in 2015-2017.

SPLASH PAD
In November 2016, the Goddard City Council approved the recommendation of the Goddard Park & Tree Board for the construction of a splash pad in Goddard’s Linear Park. This is the first amenity to be constructed after adoption of the City’s Master Parks and Pathways Concept Plan in August of the same year. The non-recirculating pump splash pad will be built by the winning bidder, Aquatix (formerly ARC) of Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

The project is expected to be completed Spring 2018.

Splash Pad Information Here

PAVILION

The second amenity to be built as part of the City’s Master Parks and Pathways Concept Plan will be a pavilion in Linear Park. The pavilion will provide a covered area with plenty of shade for Goddard’s citizens and other park visitors. The space will also be used for hosting outdoor events such as the City’s “Jazz in the Park” and other community gatherings.

The Pavilion / Splash Pad Project is currently in the construction phase, and more detail about these amenities will be available shortly. This project has a budget of $1.1 million, which includes costs for construction, architectural design, engineering & inspection, project administration, and a 10% contingency.

The project is expected to be completed Spring 2018.