"I'm not in favor of this. It's a tax no matter how you sugar coat it," said Mission resident Bill Nichols.
Currie Myers, the former Johnson County sheriff and Mission resident, said the city should look toward creating a more favorable climate for businesses. He said luring more business to the city would help expand the tax base needed for roads.
"This is a bad time," Myers said. "I'd ask you to take a better look at this and slow down."
Mayor Laura McConwell and city council members said they are besieged with complaints about the condition of city roads. Delaying work on the roads will just increase the cost in the future, McConwell said.
"It's something we have to do to save money for our families in the long run," the mayor said.
City Councilwoman Debbie Kring said bad roads will only scare people away from Mission.
"If we don't have roads that people can drive on, they aren't coming here," she said