Officials make last pitch for Prop 1 tax

The final public pitch for Proposition 1 Friday sounded familiar themes of better roads and improved county law enforcement.

With only a few days remaining before Tuesday's vote, Cape Girardeau County officials seeking the half-cent sales tax increase made their case before the biggest audience so far, about 175 people attending the monthly Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce breakfast gathering.

"Win or lose, we have been able to get out and talk to citizens," Commissioner Jay Purcell said after speaking to the First Friday Coffee crowd. "One of the things county government has learned is to have more citizens involved."

If approved by voters, Proposition 1 would impose a half-cent countywide sales tax beginning Jan 1. To sway voters, commissioners included a provision eliminating the property tax for roads and bridges. In addition, they persuaded the Cape Special Road District to drop its property tax as well in exchange for revenue from the sales tax.

The tax would raise about $5.9 million during the first year. After replacing the revenue from the two property taxes and giving a small share to Jackson and smaller county towns, about $3.1 million in new revenue would be collected.

That amount would be split between an accelerated county road paving program and the sheriff's department.

Sheriff John Jordan presented his standard argument for extra money, cataloging the pay difference between his agency and the Cape Girardeau Police Department and promising that extra employees mean more deputies on patrol.

At the end, however, Jordan took aim at officials from Jackson and Cape Girardeau who have hinted that passage of the county tax would limit their ability to ask voters for more revenue.

Better roads and law enforcement in the rural areas will make the whole county more attractive to new business, Jordan said.

"Cape Girardeau and Jackson would not be thriving today without a good, strong county government," he said.

Unlike some other forums, the business crowd didn't pepper Jordan or Purcell with skeptical questions. The public meetings in those other arenas showed that many people harbor a distrust of county government.

With only a brief time available for questions, chamber director John Mehner sought a glimpse into what officials have learned from their encounters with voters. "What part is perceived as the best?" Mehner asked Purcell. "And what part is causing the most confusion?"

Purcell indicated that in outlying areas of the county, residents are eager to learn what the tax means for them personally, asking: "How do I get my road paved and when will I get it paved?"

One of the hardest tasks, he said, is explaining the property tax for roads and that everyone with any property, from a single automobile to a large factory, pays the levy.

In front of the chamber members, Purcell also emphasized that for many residents, the extra sales tax won't mean a much larger tax burden because of the removal of the property tax.

A majority of the new revenue, he said, will be levied on purchases made by visitors who travel into Cape Girardeau County to work and shop.

"We think it is a good idea to capture that revenue for the needs of our citizens," Purcell said.

He urged the chamber members to consider the consequences of defeating the tax. If the vote indicates a split between rural and town interests, he said, it could harken back to a time when cooperation was difficult among governments.

"The reason we are able to get things done is our leaders forget about those parochial lines and boundary lines," Purcell said.

When the presentation was finished, David McAllister, owner of Mac's Smokehouse in Fruitland, said he's urging friends to support the tax measure. As a business owners, he said, he wants better law enforcement in the county. "It takes a long time for them to react," he said.

McAllister acknowledged that many voters wonder why they should pay to pave gravel roads for people who have chosen to buy homes in the county. The tax proposal, he said, means that it won't be local taxpayers footing the biggest part of the new revenue, it will be visitors to the county.

"I like the idea of people from out of town paying for it," he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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