LOST? Look for the signs

Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett was back on WMT's Mayor on Monday radio show, fresh off his re-election victory. Also victorious was the 10-year local-option sales tax for streets projects that he championed.

So now what?

Well, the current sales tax runs until June 30,2014. So the extended tax for streets begins collecting pennies July 1, 2014. The first quarterly remittance from the state arrives Oct. 1. So it will be awhile until the money starts flowing in, although Corbett said the city will look for ways to "advance that money somehow" to get projects going in time for the 2014 construction season next spring.

And Corbett says the city soon will get to work  on what he called a three-year "rolling plan" for how LOST bucks will be spent in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The public can follow that planning process. But if you happen to be busy and miss out on all the meeting and planning, you also can look for the signs. Corbett said the city will put up signs next to roads that will be worked on in the years ahead thanks to the extended LOST.

“So we put up signs to let people know this is going to be done in 2014, but also streets that will be done in 2015. We'll put up signs letting people know that this is a construction project for next year," Corbett said.

“They'd like to know what streets are being done and when," Corbett said,

With $18 million annually to spend from LOST proceeds, there may be a lot of signs to see. And as one year of the plan is completed, a new year of priorities would be added. Where's the Five Man Electrical Band when you need them?

But I think it's a good idea to point out how public money is being spent in a very public way. Marion has done a good job using signs to point out its LOST projects. It's a lot more tangible than a bunch of lists and numbers. Although I think all those lists and numbers should also be available, easily, online.