Cape, Jackson mayors pitch use tax at town-hall meeting

The mayors of Cape Girardeau and Jackson made a pitch Thursday night for voters to pass use-tax measures on the April 5 ballots.

Both Cape Girardeau Mayor Harry Rediger and Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs told a crowd of about 30 people at a town-hall meeting the ballot measures would allow their cities to hire more police officers.

The meeting, organized by the League of Women Voters of Southeast Missouri along with the Cape Girardeau and Jackson chambers of commerce, was held at the Cape Girardeau Public Library.

James Welker and John Link, superintendents of the Cape Girardeau and Jackson school districts, respectively, also addressed the group.

In addition, Cape Girardeau County Treasurer Roger Hudson stood in for the county commissioners, who were out of town and unable to attend.

Afterward, the officials sat at separate tables and fielded questions one-on-one from audience members who approached them.

Both Cape Girardeau and Jackson have two tax issues on the ballot.

One would retain the existing sales tax on out-of-state vehicle purchases, while the other would enact a new use tax that would cover other out-of-state purchases.

Cape Girardeau city officials have said a new use tax would be paid largely by businesses that buy supplies out of state and already are paying state and county use taxes.

“If you are not paying a use tax now, you probably won’t be paying it,” Rediger said.

The mayor acknowledged Cape Girardeau voters have approved a number of sales taxes over the years to help fund capital improvements. But he said such taxes don’t aid the city in funding general operations.

“Our operating revenue is tight,” he said. “The biggest need is public safety.”

Among other things, the use tax would allow the city to hire seven more police officers, Rediger said.

Hahs, the Jackson mayor, said passage of a use tax would allow his city to hire two or three more officers and a third school-resource officer.

Hahs said Jackson city officials want to identify areas for retail growth. He said development of more retail stores will add to the city’s sales-tax revenue.

Cape Girardeau resident David Epps attended the meeting. Afterward, he said he opposes the use tax in Cape Girardeau. He said he would support keeping the existing vehicle tax but argued against enacting a new tax.

Epps said he believes the city would have enough money to spend on public safety if the city quit subsidizing the municipal golf course and other programs and charged sufficient user fees to cover the costs.

“More taxes drive away businesses,” he said.

Welker, Cape Girardeau schools superintendent, said his district is implementing a new, computer-based program that tracks student attendance, behavior and grades in an effort to develop strategies to help students be successful in the classroom.

Link, the Jackson schools superintendent, said it is important both school systems and both communities do well.

“I want to be a part of both communities,” Link said, explaining he lives in Cape Girardeau.

He said the Jackson school system depends on the support of the public.

“We have a community school, not a superintendent’s school,” he said.

Link said school officials want to implement more hands-on learning in the Jackson district.

Hudson, the county treasurer, said county government is “not as flashy as city government.” He said the county park “may be the only extravagant thing we have.”

mbliss@semissourian.com

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