Finance task force sets sights on final recommendations

The Cape Girardeau Citizens Finance Task Force will meet for perhaps the last time at 7 p.m. today at the Osage Community Centre, located at 1625 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.

The task force, a board appointed by the city council to look into the city's current financial situation and determine possible solutions, requested more specific financial information from the city at a meeting three weeks ago.

"We're going to revisit and continue with being more specific of the use of the proposed funds," said Melvin Gateley, a co-chairman on the task force. "We'll get more specific on the number of employees and equipment and I know we'll have a discussion on the Capaha Pool vs. a new aquatic center."

Gateley said the task force will also discuss and perhaps refine for the last time its final recommendation to the council.

Preparing package"Here it is coming on October already and we need to give it to them," Gateley said. "But we're going to keep at it until we have a good package to present to the Cape Girardeau citizens so they can make a good, logical decision."

The task force made a recommendation in August to increase five different taxes, but it was determined that one of those increases -- to the cigarette tax -- was prohibited by state law.

It was also discovered that the revenue for a possible use tax -- a local sales tax on out-of-state sales of more than $2,000 -- was underestimated. Those increases in revenue almost canceled each other out, but the task force will consider tonight raising its earlier recommendation of a 5-cent property tax extension to 10 cents so the revenue and expenses even out. The 10-cent levy, originally approved to pay off the Show Me Center bonds, is in place and is scheduled to be phased out in 2004.