FEW CHANGES OFFERED TO CITY CAPITAL PLAN

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- The City Council Monday reacted favorably to the city's new $37 million five-year capital improvements proposal.

The only specific change requested by council members was that the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board reconsider its recommendation to spend all of its annual $75,000 capital improvements allocation on development of a softball and soccer complex over the next five years.

Council members said they didn't want to commit all the parks and recreation capital funds to one project. They also indicated the failure of two park tax proposals last year to fund a sports complex in Shawnee Park was a voter mandate against the project.

Councilman Al Spradling III said he didn't think the city should ask voters to fund a sport complex only to pay for the project with city funds after the proposals failed. He said paying for the ball fields with general revenue would "hurt voter confidence."

The city staff will take the council's request back to the park board for further consideration.

The $37 million capital-improvements budget proposal is nearly $13 million more than the five-year program approved last year. Most of the increase has been allocated for sewer improvements outlined in a 20-year sewer master plan that recently was completed.

The sewer plan calls for several projects to be completed within the next five years, totalling nearly $4 million. City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said the sewer projects are subject to change because they will be funded almost entirely with revenue bonds that require voter approval.

The sewer plan addresses problems with the city's antiquated combined storm and sanitary sewer system. It calls for more than $30 million to be spent on sewer upgrades and construction during the next 20 years.

"This is not a wish list of projects we want to do," Councilman David Barklage said of the sewer proposal. "It's a list of projects we have to get done for growth in the city."

The five-year capital improvements plan covers 56 projects, up from 35 in last year's proposal. Capital improvements are divided into four categories: transportation, environment, recreation and community development.

The transportation category contains 31 projects at a total cost of about $16 million. The environment category contains 19 projects totalling nearly $21 million.

Funding sources include: Public Facilities Authority bonds ($13 million); flood-control sales tax ($8 million); special assessments or tax bills ($5.2 million); federal grants ($4.4 million); and motor-fuel tax receipts ($4.2 million).