Cape Girardeau transportation tax passes

Cape Girardeau voters renewed the city's road tax for another five year run Tuesday, passing a half-cent Transportation Trust Fund proposition with 55 percent of the vote.

The margin was not as large as five years ago, when the tax won approval of 80 percent of those voting. But Mayor Harry Rediger and city manager Scott Meyer said they were satisfied and promised that residents would see the funds at work as soon as possible.

"We worked hard to get the information out there and the people responded," Meyer said.

The tax proposal, which will raise approximately $21 million over five years when it takes effect Jan. 1, will support a pay-as-you-go road program that includes widening County Road 205, also known as Bloomfield Road, construction of a new road to be called Armstrong Drive west of Siemers Drive as well as pay for rehabilitating sidewalks along Broadway from Water Street to Pacific Street.

The vote count with two precincts left to report was 3,187 to 2,597. The tax generated opposition from the city Police Officers Association, which accused city leaders of slighting them on promised pay raises, and support from the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce and the city Firefighters Association.

"From a development standpoint, TTF has been great," said John Mehner, president and CEO of the chamber. "The continued availability of those funds to strengthen infrastructure is extremely important as we move forward."

As city leaders discussed the final list of projects during the fall and spring, Rediger pushed to have as many projects funded by the current tax underway as possible. The city recently finished work on Mount Auburn Road, has Veterans Memorial Drive construction well underway and preparation work is being done on Big Bend Road.

"I think the visibility of projects underway helped," Rediger said. "We generally have projects underway at all times because it is pay as you go."

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642