JACKSON AND CAPE EXCHANGE IDEAS, LOOK TO FUTURE

The joint council session on Jan. 26 between the Cape Girardeau and Jackson City Councils should be an excellent opportunity for both boards to exchange ideas and move toward the future with a spirit of cooperation for both growing cities. Major issues that concern both cities will be discussed. Those include; 1. East Main St. extension; 2. Shared water for emergency use; 3. The location of a Cape-Jackson improved or new highway; 4. Future annexation possibilities. The meeting will be held at the Osage Center in Cape at 7 p.m. on the 26th. The public is invited to attend. This open line of communications will be a tremendous advantage for both Cape and Jackson as each town plans for its future.

The council recently passed the 1998 budget for Jackson. This 12.565 million dollar budget is very balanced and protects the future financial integrity of Jackson. Many capital improvement items were able to be funded while others will have to wait until next year. When considering the budget our council always looks at the compensation of our employees first. The average increase for our employees depending on their position in the present pay scale ranged from 3 to 6 percent.

The increasing demands on our water supply have caused the need to drill a new city well early in 1998. This well will be located in the area of Jackson Middle School and will enhance our water supply. Many other water and sewer improvements will be made over the next few years as a result of the bond issue passed last August.

The City has refinanced some existing electric, water and sewage bonds. By taking advantage of today's lower interest rates a savings of over $63,000.00 will be realized over the life of the bonds. As the demands on city revenues increases it becomes more important to save money whenever possible.

A resolution was passed by Jackson, Cape, and Cape County to support the concept of improved highways from Paducah, Ky., to the Cape-Jackson area and from the Cape-Jackson area to Van Buren, Mo. Discussion on this issue will continue in the months to come.

It was determined during a recent routine inspection of the Washington St. bridge over Hubble Creek that structure problems have developed and repair or replacement were necessary. After looking at both the estimated cost of repair and new construction the council decided it would be most cost effective to replace the entire bridge. Before new construction begins this bridge will remain open to one lane of traffic. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and during construction traffic will be detoured to other bridges on Main St. and Adams St.

The council meets every Monday night at City Hall at 7:30 p.m. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Please note the Jan. 26th meeting will be held at the Osage Center in Cape.

I also would like to wish everyone a healthy and prosperous New year!

Paul W. Sander is the Mayor of Jackson