Cape council to tackle budget, tax issues at Monday meeting

The Cape Girardeau City Council will vote to give final approval to the city's 2014-2015 operating budget at its regular meeting today and discuss calling an election for a fire sales tax.

At its June 2 meeting, the council gave initial approval to the roughly $71 million budget, which is nearly the same amount as last year's budget.

Other budgetary items that will receive final approval today include a contract with the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority and appropriating money for operating expenditures from the Convention and Tourism Fund.

The CGTA contract, if approved, would continue to provide fixed-route shuttle services in the city at a cost of $110,000. The ordinance relating to the Convention and Tourism Fund -- which collects a 4 percent hotel/motel tax and a 1 percent restaurant tax -- would appropriate $73,000 for improvements to Cape Splash, including a new speed slide.

The council also will vote on a resolution authorizing the city manager to submit a grant application to the Delta Regional Authority for funds that would go toward improvements in the Greater Cape Girardeau Area Business Park. The new business park requires "significant public improvements including new streets, water, sewer, electric, and natural gas service," according to reports from city staff.

Before it begins any voting, the council will discuss in the study session calling the election for the fire tax extension. The measure was to appear on the August ballot, but the council recently voted to repeal the ordinance after Gov. Jay Nixon announced the three-quarter-cent state transportation tax measure also would appear on the August ballot. City manager Scott Meyer said the city decided to bump the vote to a later election to give voters the opportunity to gather adequate information about each issue.

The council now must begin the process of calling the election for the renewal of the 1/8 cent portion of the fire tax in November.

srinehart@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.