Building trust with transportation tax

Business owners should be paying close attention to efforts aimed at passing Transportation Trust Fund 3 on Aug. 2. You may not know it, but you have a lot riding on the sales-tax levy that Cape Girardeau city leaders hope voters will approve on Aug. 2.

Perhaps business owners have even more at stake than the average citizen.

Transportation Trust Fund 3 is a half-cent transportation sales tax that will generate $20 million and ensure that transportation needs will continue to be met for years to come.

It's not a new tax. The trust fund was first established and approved by voters in 1995 and again in 2000 and was set to expire each time after five years. This was so city residents would be assured the money was being used effectively.

That's what happened.

Those residents who remember the streets as they were 10 years ago can attest to that. The intersection at Independence and Mount Auburn Road didn't have double lanes or a traffic signal. Henderson and Normal avenues didn't have turn lanes for drivers heading to campus. New Madrid Street, and many others, didn't have permanent pavement, curbs or sidewalks for pedestrians.

Other streets that were improved in the last 10 years include the highly traveled Perryville Road, Hopper Road, Silver Springs Road, Siemers Drive and Broadway. Driving through the city, you still see some of the projects in progress, including more work on Bloomfield Road, Broadway and Independence.

Siemers Drive is one of the projects that has been completed thanks to the sales tax. Look at what a boon to business that has become, with Kohl's recently opening, Sears Grand under construction and the host of other strip malls, auto dealerships and other businesses nearby.

That one project has been incredibly important to the local business scene. But so have the smaller projects, which have maintained roads that allow customers better access to your business' doors.

One of the projects on TTF 3 could create another Siemers Drive.

The new $41.9 million Armstrong Drive could become another highly traveled roadway lined with big-name businesses and popular restaurants. It would also offer a forward-thinking traffic solution, a catalyst for job creation and a much-needed boost to the city's tax base.

If voters approve TTF 3, Armstrong Drive would be extended along Ramsey Branch, running west to Bloomfield Road before curving north all the way to Route K, ending about a quarter-mile or so west of Wal-Mart. The new roadway would provide a connector street from Siemers Drive and Bloomfield Road to Route K, city officials say.

The other projects look to be worthwhile to all citizens. Voters should remember this is a tax on sales purchases. That means the burden isn't just shouldered by Cape Girardeau residents. Those across Southeast Missouri will help pay the tax each time they come to Cape Girardeau to shop.

That's appropriate considering they use these roads, too.

It's important for voters to remember that the city has kept its promises on the current TTF program. There is little doubt that the city will work hard to continue to do just that. The five-year sunset is built-in accountability. If the city doesn't keep its end of the bargain, the program faces future failure.