VC sales tax 102913Valley City (CSi)  At a Special Session of the Valley City Commission Tuesday morning, commissioners unanimously approved the first of two readings of an Ordinance to extend the city sales tax to fund the future Wellness, Health and Physical Education Center.

Valley City Barnes County Director of Economic Development Jennifer Feist says no more than 17 percent of the one-half cent city sales tax will be used for construction funding that was approved by Valley City voters on November 4, 2014.

Feist says one addition  to the ordinance  includes a clause pointing to interest of the $3 million dollars that will to be used to fund the facility.

Valley City Barnes County Economic Development Corporation has approved  using existing or future sales tax funding revenue for development to cover a potential gap of $500,000 if needed, has been approved.

A final reading of the ordinance will be at the December 16, 2014 Valley City Commission meeting.

A fundraising drive will also start on Tuesday, December 16, 2014, to raise another $4 million dollars to close the gap of the nearly $12 million already raised for the $16 million dollar project.  (More information on the December 15, 2014 Wayne Byers Show on CSi Cable 2.)

The Wellness, Health and Physical Education Center will be under the control of the Valley City Parks & Recreation Department. Once funding for construction is raised a ground breaking ceremony will be held in sometime in 2015. The facility will be located east of the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse along 8th Avenue Southwest in Valley City.