County financial picture remains optimistic

Cape Girardeau County for years has enjoyed financial stability that most other counties in Missouri can only envy, and its financial condition looks better with the passing of every year.

A combination of revenue sources has helped Cape Girardeau County gain that stability. Among them: a half-cent county sales tax that generates about $5.35 million annually, a 35-cent real estate and personal property levy that raises about $2.6 million, $3.4 million from fees and other revenue and road and bridge funds derived from a number of sources -- including a tax on real estate of 22.84 cents -- that produces a little more than $1.1 million annually.

The sales-tax revenue has been a real bonanza. With it, the county has been able to eliminate its general-fund tax on real estate and kept the personal-property levy at 35 cents.

The county's 2001 budget for general operations totaled $10.17 million, while its road and bridge budget totaled $2.54 million.

County auditor H. Weldon Macke, the county budget officer, is in the process of preparing a proposed budget for calendar year 2002 to be presented to the Cape Girardeau County Commission for approval by the end of the year. He believes the numbers might be tighter than usual this year.

The county has carried out a number of capital improvement projects in recent years. A new jail in 2000 was chiefly responsible for adding $7.5 million in building projects to that year's budget, driving it up to $20 million. With that cost out of the way, the capital budget fell into the $14 million range last year.

Much of the county's financial stability can be attributed to frugal county administrations through the years. It wasn't too long ago that the county had to borrow money toward the end of every year to see it through until tax revenue arrived. The county sales tax alleviated that necessity.

It also has gone a long way in allowing the county to build up cash reserves, which it has invested in government-backed securities that pay 3.5 to 5 percent interest. At last count, the county's reserves totaled about $5 million, and checking accounts contained another $4 million.

Macke, who is leaving office at the end of his current term, has done a superb job during his more than three decades in office of guiding county commissions through the financial maze of county government. He has emphasized the need for building financial reserves while keeping taxes low.

Let's hope the next county budget officer will do equally well. If so, perhaps some day, county taxpayers can enjoy even lower taxes as reserves continue to grow.