BOTH CITY WATER ISSUES APPROVED

With 86 percent of the Cape Girardeau precincts reporting, it was clear the city scored a win with its water system bond issue Tuesday.

The city asked voters to approve the sale of $26.5 million in bonds to increase water treatment capacity. The bonds will be financed by a new quarter-cent sales tax voters also approved.

With 86 percent of the vote tallied, the bond issue had 1,128 yes votes and 548 no votes. The sales tax issue received 5,613 yes votes and 3,740 no votes.

The vote was preceded by a massive education effort. City officials addressed almost 50 community groups, explaining why the city needs more water.

With one water plant's expansion, capacity will be increased from 7.3 million gallons per day to more than 12 million gallons per day over the next 20 years.

Water system manager Tom Taggart had warned that the city could run short of water within the next two years if the issues did not pass. "Apparently voters recognized the need and wanted to get that addressed," he said.

Mayor Al Spradling III stationed himself at the polls Tuesday and watched the count come in. He said educated voters were responsible for the issues' passage.

"I would attribute passage to two things: the voters educating themselves on the importance of the issue and the outstanding job city staff did in educating the public on the need for the bond issue," he said. "I can't overemphasize how much work the staff did in promoting this."

City officials used similar education methods to pass a $25 million sewer separation bond issue and a half-cent transportation sales tax this decade.

Spradling said he did not know when the bonds would be issued. The city is waiting to see if the federal government will fund mandates in the clean water act. If so, a state revolving fund will be set up. The city could sell the bonds to the fund and save $12 million in interest.

The sales tax will be collected starting in April 1997.

Taggart said design work on the new treatment system will begin at the first of the year. Construction may begin in fall 1997.

Because of the yes votes, the city may have averted a shortage, Taggart said. But if there is a long heat wave next summer, nonessential usage may be curtailed.

Citizens may not be able to wash their cars or water their lawns whenever they want. "I am very happy with the results of the vote," Taggart said. "I think it gives us a very good chance of avoiding any inconvenience."

For a ward-by-ward vote see Page 9A.