Governor to meet with area officials in afternoon

Gov. Bob Holden will be in Cape Girardeau today to talk about issues facing the state, including a $1 billion shortfall in the next budget, local officials on his schedule say.

No one answered telephones at Holden's office Monday, a holiday celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But according to Southeast Missouri State University president Dr. Ken Dobbins, the governor will meet with Dobbins and Quentin Wilson -- the interim commissioner for the Department of Higher Education -- at 2:30 p.m. today to discuss what might happen should the state not be able to find a way to increase revenue.

Southeast and colleges across Missouri took huge financial hits last year. In response to those cuts, Southeast gradually implemented several budget-saving moves totaling $5.26 million. Among them, the university raised tuition costs by $17 per credit hour for in-state undergraduates, closed Parker Pool, eliminated five clerical and technical jobs and reshuffled administrative positions.

"We still have some concerns, obviously," Dobbins said.

Holden will hold a news conference at the University Center's Program Room at 3:30 p.m. on various issues facing the state but primarily on the budget trouble.

John Mehner, president of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, said the governor will meet privately with area business leaders and school superintendents at 4:30 p.m. at the chamber office, but Mehner said he did not know Holden's purpose for coming.

Jerry Ford, a prominent local Democrat, said the governor will meet at 6:30 p.m. with local social workers who provide services to senior citizens, such as those who drive for Meals on Wheels. However, Susan McClanahan, Cape Girardeau Senior Center director, did not know if that meeting was going to occur. She said she was waiting to receive a phone call from the governor's office. Ford said the meeting was going to take place at the Mac's Smokehouse Airport Restaurant.

Holden will most likely discuss the reasons behind his most recent proposals:

An increase of the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 55 cents.

An increase in admission fees casinos pay the state and removal of the $500-per-gambler loss limit.

The elimination of the use of federal accelerated depreciation on Missouri tax returns.

Higher tax collections through increased enforcement of existing laws.

A 5 percent surcharge on taxpayers with taxable incomes greater than $200,000.

Holden's proposed budget also included the reduction of 1 percentage point in the corporate income tax rate; a three-day sales tax holiday in August for back-to-school purchases, core cuts and cost containment measures, including in the state's Medicaid program and early retirement incentives for state workers.

bmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127