Campaign for fire sales tax over the 'hump'

A picture of the county prosecutor sitting on a camel has nothing to do with the city of Cape Girardeau's quarter-cent fire sales tax proposal. But Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle hoped the camel would draw attention to his postcard plea for voters to pass the tax Tuesday to help fund fire department operations and building and equipment needs. New revenue from the tax also would enable the city to use money from the general fund to increase police salaries.

Swingle mailed out 991 postcards this week to friends and acquaintances. The postcard features a photo of Swingle in a tuxedo sitting on a camel prior to the start of last December's Christmas parade in Cape Girardeau.

The postcard asks, "Why is this man on a camel?"

On the reverse side is a note from Swingle about the fire tax. He doesn't answer the question about the camel.

Swingle said Wednesday that he had the photo taken last year in case it could be used on the book jacket should his historical novel about the U.S. Army cavalry's use of camels out West in the 1850s ever be published.

The camel pictured in the postcard is named "Lacy." Said Swingle, "She is more attractive than she looks in the picture."

The Committee to Vote Yes on the Fire Sales Tax paid to have the postcard printed, part of a nearly $15,000 campaign by tax supporters that involves everything from yard signs to newspaper and radio ads.

There is no organized opposition to the tax, but the committee and city officials are still working hard to sell the tax issue to the voters.

City officials tonight will present the third and last public meeting on the tax. It starts at 7 p.m. at Blanchard Elementary School, 1829 N. Sprigg St.

Rodney Miller, Cape Girardeau County clerk, predicts that 30 percent of the city's 23,697 registered voters might go to the polls Tuesday. That would be a good turnout for a June election, he said.

Miller said the efforts of the campaign committee could encourage more people to vote.

The issue in the city of Cape Girardeau is the only item on the special election ballot. Voters for the first time will cast ballots using an "optical scan" system. They will fill in an oval by the word "yes" or "no" and then insert their ballots into the slot of a ballot box at each city precinct. A scanner automatically will record their vote.

As for the postcard plea to voters, Swingle paid the postage and spent his Memorial Day weekend printing out address labels.

"I wanted to let people know how strongly I feel about this," he said.

Swingle said more than 88 police officers have left the Cape Girardeau Police Department for higher paying jobs elsewhere over the past 20 years.

"It's time to stop the bleeding and raise officers' salaries," his printed message states.

The tax would raise an estimated $2 million annually or $20 million over the next 10 years. The new sales tax revenue would free up money in the general fund to boost police salaries so the city can better recruit and retain officers in a department already short on manpower.

Money also would be used to build a new satellite fire station, renovate the police station and make other improvements in public safety including hiring more firefighters.

The campaign committee turned in a financial disclosure report to county election officials that listed $11,300 in donations as of last Thursday -- most of them from local businesses -- but no expenses.

Campaign manager Jim Riley said expenses weren't shown because they are being run through his business, Red Letter Communications, a Cape Girardeau advertising agency.

The committee hired Riley to manage the campaign. Riley said he will submit a single bill to the campaign committee once the election is over. Riley expects donations and spending to total about $14,800.

The bulk of the money will pay for printing campaign brochures and yard signs, and for creating campaign buttons and advertising on radio, in the newspaper and by direct mail, Riley said.

Riley estimated those expenses would total $11,450. That would leave more than $3,000 as Riley's fee for managing the election campaign.

The City Council is focused on raising police salaries if the fire tax passes. But city officials said most employees in city government, regardless of department, could receive merit pay raises in the coming fiscal year because of savings from spending cuts approved by the council for the 2005 fiscal year that begins July 1.

City employees have worked without any pay raises during this fiscal year. "We cannot continue balancing the budget on the backs of employees," said Heather Brooks, assistant to the city manager.

City officials hope to implement those merit pay increases regardless of whether the fire tax passes, said Brooks.

But without the fire sales tax, the city won't be able to raise police salaries to be competitive with other police departments in the region, she said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

WANT TO CAST AN ABSENTEE BALLOT?

Registered voters in the city of Cape Girardeau can cast ballots in person at the county clerk's offices in Jackson and Cape Girardeau prior to Tuesday's fire sales tax election.

Where: Cape Girardeau County Administration Building, 1 Barton Square in Jackson and Common Pleas Courthouse Annex, 44 N. Lorimier in Cape Girardeau.

When: Today and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon at the Cape Girardeau office only; and Monday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

What to bring: Voters should bring voter ID cards or some other form of identification to show election officials.

Vote by mail: It's too late for a voter to request a ballot in the mail. But voters who have received absentee ballots in the mail still can mail them in and have them counted as long as election officials receive them by Tuesday.

SOURCE: Cape Girardeau County Clerk's office