CITY MULLS ROAD TAX; COUNCIL MAY SEEK EXTENSION

The City Council plans to spend much of 1999 gathering public support for continuation of Cape Girardeau's extensive street improvement effort.

Voters may be asked to extend the half-cent sales tax that funds the city's Transportation Trust Fund. Mayor Al Spradling III said the issue could appear on the November ballot.

"It's just a continuation of what we've already started," Spradling said.

Voters approved the tax -- earmarked for new road construction, major repairs and street maintenance -- in 1995. It expires Dec. 31, 2000.

Although two years remain before the tax sunsets, City Manager Michael Miller said the city wants to develop a list of priority projects and estimated costs before putting the issue before voters. The city won't ask voters for tax money without specifically naming what work will be done, he said.

"As in the case of the first Transportation Trust Fund project, the city needs to get a lot of feedback from the community and take a lot of time to again do it right," Miller said.

City officials, with substantial input from residents, named 20 top priority projects to be completed under the first five-year trust fund. The paving of gravel streets plus sidewalk, curb and gutter repairs were also included under that plan.

Both Miller and Spradling said there are still many worthy potential projects.

Residents will again be asked to participate in planning for a second five-year improvement effort.

"The community needs to be part of this process, and we feel it should be, obviously, because taxes will be used for these projects," Spradling said.

Throughout the year, various forums will be held to gather input on possible projects, the feasibility of those suggested and which ones are most important.

Suggestions that don't make the list the first time around will be reconsidered, as well as new ideas.

If they haven't already, Miller said residents will really begin noticing efforts under the trust fund in the upcoming year.

Improvements to Perryville Road should be completed in January while major overhauls of sections of Broadway, Bloomfield Road and Mount Auburn Road, among other projects, should begin this spring.

"A lot of major projects are starting to come to fruition," Miller said.

While he said these projects will ultimately result in smoother flowing traffic, they will likely snarl traffic significantly during construction.

A half-mile stretch of Broadway from Clark Street to Perry Avenue will be upgraded from two lanes to four.

Mount Auburn Road will be widened from Route K to Independence Street while Bloomfield Road will be widened from Kingshighway to Interstate 55.

"We hope to have most of the major projects under way or completed by the time we go back to voters," Miller said.