HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Area residents’ unwillingness to shop locally in Hutchinson means the bond issue for the new Sports Arena renovation likely won’t finish ahead of schedule.

While the arena will likely be paid off in time, the continued decline in sales tax revenue means it will take the full 10 years to pay for the project instead of what was projected to be less than nine.

City Manager John Deardoff says the city took a conservative approach in projecting sales tax for the city, so funding the project with the sales tax won’t be a problem, it just won’t happen as fast as it could have.

Hutchinson’s sales tax is about 1.6 percent higher than most of Wichita, with the exception of the Maize Road market area, which has a Community Development District much like the Hutchinson Mall that adds another 1 cent on the dollar.

That means a $10,000 purchase is a difference of about $160. At $100, the sales tax difference between Wichita and Hutchinson is just $1.60. Much less if you shop at the New Market Square in Maize, which has a sales tax rate just 1/10th-of-a-percent less than Hutchinson.