STEVENS POINT, WIS. (WAOW) — August primaries are approaching, and one referendum in Stevens Point could change the future of city construction projects.
“We’re trying to get their attention,” said Kevin Flatoff, owner of Flatoff Gold Key Motors and a staunch supporter of the referendum. “They need to listen to us.”
Stemming from the long-running dispute over proposed changes to Business 51, the referendum, if approved, would establish an ordinance requiring the city to put any road construction project over $1 million to a referendum for voters to decide on.
Flatoff says this puts more power in the hands of those who will be directly affected. “We went with the city council, tried to work with them for 10 months to no avail,” he said. “The people in Stevens Point can decide whether or not they want this to be a two-lane road diet or a four-lane road.”
But city council president Meleesa Johnson says this referendum could impact all transportation projects, not just Business 51, and not for the better. “The misperception is that council didn’t listen, I hear that frequently,” she said. “And I don’t know that that’s necessarily the case.”
Johnson says taking time to put construction projects to a vote could cause delays on areas in dire need of repair. “We could embed all of those costs assuming we’re going to be able to move forward next year but we won’t be able to even bid the project until April because we need to find out if the voters would approve it,” she said.
Flatoff says that shouldn’t be a problem, as Stevens Point rarely has construction projects that cost over $1 million. But with costs continuously rising, Johnson says she’s not so sure.
Voters in Stevens Point will decide on the road-referendum on August 9th.
