CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS BEFORE CITY

When the Cape Girardeau City Council and staff consider capital improvements, they must balance the number of projects and the money available. Projects that have defined revenue sources generally make it through the budgeting process, said City Manager Michael Miller.

Putting a project in the five-year capital improvements program doesn't automatically guarantee it will be funded and completed in that time, he said. "To carry it out takes revenue sources," said Miller.

The City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed capital improvements plan Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The plan must be adopted by the council before April 1.

There are areas where grants and bonds can fund necessary work so that a project can be completed without enormous costs to the city. Two such projects are proposed sewer and stormwater improvements in the Ranchito area.

Residents in the Ranchito and Arena Park watershed have long complained of sewers and stormwater backing into their homes. With passage of an $8.5 million bond proposal Feb. 8, the city hopes to fix some of the problems.

The area's sewer lines will be rehabilitated to help alleviate the problems. That project, which costs about $500,000, will be funded by bond revenue. "We know that will probably happen," Miller said.

A project to rehabilitate the stormwater sewers in the area is under consideration for a state grant because there wasn't enough money in the city's general revenue fund to pay for the work.

"It's an example of where the money has to be allocated, and that's what we are anticipating," he said.

The city tries to make sure revenue sources exist -- whether grants, bonds or tax revenues -- before committing to a project.

"We still have to look at the income, and that can be troublesome," Miller said.

City staff try to be realistic when predicting revenue sources. The less the city knows about where money for a project will come from the less likely it is to be funded.

When staff members work on a draft budget, they each have the capital improvements plan to consider. The majority of the plan deals with environmental improvements to the city's water plant, storm sewer detention basins and sewer projects.

Other categories include transportation and public works, community development, and parks and recreation.

While some categories seem underfunded in comparison to others, the city has to remember that it is a five-year plan, Miller said. If a project is listed for funding in the first year and the revenue doesn't materialize, it will be carried over to the next year, he said.

"The things on the list are the most urgent," Miller said.