NewsJune 7, 2022
Jackson aldermen OK marketing of wastewater bond issue to city voters
By a unanimous 7-0 vote, the Jackson Board of Aldermen voted Monday to hire Cape Girardeau's BOLD Marketing to help sell a more than $10 million wastewater treatment plant bond issue to the public. City administrator Jim Roach told the Southeast Missourian a no-tax increase referendum will go before municipal voters Aug. 2...
By a unanimous 7-0 vote, the Jackson Board of Aldermen voted Monday to hire Cape Girardeau's BOLD Marketing to help sell a more than $10 million wastewater treatment plant bond issue to the public.
City administrator Jim Roach told the Southeast Missourian a no-tax increase referendum will go before municipal voters Aug. 2.
"(This) is not a tax we're seeking. The bonds will be paid for through sewer rates, which are user fees. If the bond issue passes, sewer rates will be adjusted on a one-time-only basis by 10%, which would go into effect in January," Roach said.
"If voters approve, we're going to leverage their authorization to borrow money through the state's revolving loan fund program of the state's Department of Natural Resources," he added.
Two-fold problem
Roach said repairs, rehabilitation and upgrades are needed to the municipal wastewater treatment plant at 2230 Lee Ave. near Hubble Creek.
"We've got aging infrastructure (and) if we just let that fall apart and we have to fix it later, we'll have to go out and do some kind of financing -- but even for that, we'll need some kind of public approval," he said. "Plus, if we have to fix infrastructure on an emergency basis, it'll cost (the city) more money."
Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs said upgrading the plant is only one part of a problem passage of the bond issue will address.
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Population growth, he said, means more demand on the wastewater system.
Jackson grew by 12.5% between 2010 and 2020 to 15,451 residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
"We'd like to keep the plant at between 70% to 80% capacity not only to serve current city customers but also those we know are coming in the future," said Hahs, mayor since April 2015.
"We're running up against our permit limits already in terms of sewage we can take into the current system," Roach noted.
Marketing
Aldermen gave the green light to spending $10,163 in fees to BOLD Marketing, aimed at convincing residents to vote "yes" on the bond issue.
The marketing effort, according to a packet provided to aldermen by BOLD, includes message development, civic club and chamber of commerce PowerPoint presentations, educational inserts inside municipal billing, email blasts and Facebook content.
"Even if Jackson didn't grow (in population), there are still components to the treatment plant needing upgrades," Roach said.
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