As part of the Pella Area Community and Economic Alliance quarterly membership meeting, Mayor Don DeWaard discussed key upcoming projects for the City of Pella Friday morning. DeWaard emphasized the importance of extending the current Local Option Service and Sales Tax in the city limits during a referendum on September 13th. The tax that currently exists, if approved for renewal, would fund a variety of quality of life projects, including construction of a new indoor rec center, the extension of University Street east, likely renovation of the Pella Community Center, and other road and infrastructure projects over the life of the levy. DeWaard says the sales tax revenue — much of which comes from Pella’s many visitors, also allows the Pella City Council to maintain the property tax rate at its current level ($10.20 per $1,000), as it has now for 20 consecutive years. The mayor also discussed an ad-hoc committee that will be working on specifics with Shive Hattery for the new indoor rec facility and the private contributions toward that project and the Pella Community Center. DeWaard also discussed ongoing progress with housing units, commercial developments, and other topics of interest for PACE Alliance members.