Wait a minute, there's an election Tuesday?! Yes. Here's what's on the ballot.

Springfieldians will head to the polls Tuesday to decide whether the city should continue to extend two existing sales taxes.

One is an 1/8-cent tax, which would pay for transportation-related projects for the next 20 years. The other, a 3/4-cent tax, would likely shore up funding for the now-closed police and fire pension system.

Here's what you need to know before you head out to vote.

Transportation tax

The city is asking voters to approve a 20-year extension of a 1/8-cent sales tax for transportation projects.

The tax has been in place since 1996 and has generated about $102 million to pay for transportation system improvements citywide, such as street resurfacing and rehabilitation, traffic flow improvements, safety and walkability projects, according to city information.

Springfield voters have previously been asked to renew this tax every four years.

This time, the city is asking for a longer extension — 20 years — to make sure it can commit to completing larger projects without dividing them into phases, Mayor Ken McClure said.

"That is also consistent with what voters approved last spring with the quarter-cent (capital improvements tax)," he said. "This is making the two consistent because they do work in tandem for our transportation needs."

If renewed, the city is proposing improvements in the following locations:

Campbell Avenue and Walnut Lawn intersection

National Avenue and Division Street intersection

Kansas Expressway and Walnut Lawn intersection

Kansas Expressway and Sunset Street intersection

National Avenue from Battlefield Road to Walnut Lawn

Central Street phase 2 – Benton Avenue to Clay Avenue

It is also proposing the following improvements citywide:

Major street resurfacing/rehabilitation

Traffic flow and safety

Walkability

Cost-sharing/economic development projects

Bridge repair and replacement

An 1/8-cent tax would amount to paying 12.5 cents on a $100 purchase.

Police/fire pension tax

City voters last renewed the tax in 2014. At the time, the pension fund had enough money to pay for 73.4 percent of benefits promised to the police officers and firefighters remaining in the city plan. (Since 2006, new hires have been placed on a state-run pension plan for local governments.)

City leaders expected the 2014 renewal would be the last time voters were asked to grant an extension, but officials say lower-than-expected returns on investment have left the 100 percent funding goal out of reach.

Mayor McClure urged voters to give the tax a little more time, saying the city owes it to police and firefighters to see it through.

"We're making progress in reaching that 100 percent actuarially funded. The end is in sight," he said. "I feel very confident in supporting it."

The tax will expire if it reaches 100 percent funding before the 2024 deadline.

If the tax isn't approved, the money for those pension benefits would likely come out of the city's operating budget and would "require the city to reduce other public services," according to a city flyer.

A 3/4-cent tax means voters would pay 75 cents on a $100 purchase.

How do I vote?

Polling places citywide are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

To find your polling place, visit https://greenecountymo.gov/county_clerk/election/precinct_information.php or call 417-868-4060.

Voters should remember to bring a valid state or federal ID with them to the polling place, such as a driver's license, military ID or passport.

If they don't have a government-issued ID, they can bring a voter registration card, a Missouri university, college, vocational or technical school ID or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document containing their name and address.

Those people will also have to sign a statement declaring they are a registered voter in the precinct in which they were voting.