Editorial

Inform Cape voters first, then discuss taxes

Our mayor elected just last month, Jay Knudtson, has hit the ground running in his new position.

He's visiting clubs and civic organizations discussing a vision for Cape Girardeau. And he likely will be highly visible in the future, in contrast to the quiet -- but certainly effective -- manner of our former mayor, Al Spradling III.

The energy is admirable, but there was a lesson to be learned right away.

When Knudtson mentioned to at least one veterans organization and then to a reporter that he was even considering a tax on commuters who work in Cape Girardeau, the backlash was considerable. Both commuters and residents alike said they feared the ill effects of such a tax, which Knudtson envisioned as a form of the earnings tax -- basically, a city income tax -- collected in St. Louis and Kansas City, for instance.

But first, before anything else, citizens should have been clearly informed of the city's financial situation.

So far, this newspaper has published articles about the situation based on city council discussions, including an annual retreat on Friday. But the council hasn't done any sort of widespread public education on its own.

In all fairness, members still are getting the total picture of the city's finances and what can be done to improve them. However, it is vital that council members and the mayor inform themselves and the public about the city's books before mentioning taxes.

Here is what we know so far:

The city has operated in the red for the past two years and will do so by about $269,359 this year. The city's reserves have kept it afloat.

Employees who have been with the city for less than 10 years and received favorable evaluations were given cost of living adjustments -- step increases -- the last two years. But long-time employees received neither step increases nor additional raises.

City departments have a $2 million wish list that can't be filled. Some of the items might be considered a little pie-in-the-sky, but most aren't, including updated firefighting equipment.

It is unlikely Cape Girardeau will see the unprecedented growth of the 1990s again for a long time. The booming economy and new businesses pushed the city to sales tax revenue records.

Properly, during Friday's planning and informational retreat, council members decided a priority was first informing the public about the shortage and then drumming up support for some sort of tax or fee increase.

It should be noted that voters likely will point toward an acceptable option if they first are made aware of the problem.

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