Paying for transit

The Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority has been providing bus service along fixed routes in Cape Girardeau and around-the-clock taxi service for four years. There is every indication that the service is filling a need. Bus ridership is up to 800 riders a week, the authority's fleet has almost doubled and ridership for all services is up 76 percent.

Much of the ridership is subsidized by Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Cape Girardeau County, the Senior Citizens Service Fund Board and the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging. In addition, the authority receives federal matching funds that cover 80 percent of vehicle purchases.

Still, executive director Tom Mogelnicki sees a need for additional funding that would help meet the authority's $1.8 million annual budget that includes $25,000-a-month fuel costs and a $900,000-a-year payroll for 80 full- and part-time employees. One new funding source, he believes, might be an eighth-cent countywide sales tax for public transportation, allowing more services like a Cape Girardeau-Jackson bus route and a new building to house the transit operations.

If voters are asked to pass a transit sales tax, they will need to know considerably more detailed financial information. Passage would depend on making a strong case.