STUDENTS TAKE OVER GOVERNMENT FOR DAY

JACKSON -- Once the new "city council" members learned their roles, the action perked up at Jackson City Hall on Friday.

The first visitor's request during the meeting prompted some raised eyebrows by the young council members who looked to advisers for some answers.

But by the time a proposal for a new city hall came up on the agenda, the new members were ready.

The "new members" of the Jackson council were high school students, who participated in the annual Optimist Club Youth in Government Day. More than 60 juniors and seniors from all the high schools in Cape Girardeau County Cape Central and Notre Dame, both of Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Oak Ridge and Delta were "officials of the day." The students filled city and county offices that included mayor and city council members at Jackson and Cape Girardeau, county commissioners, law enforcement and other offices.

For Beverly Nelson, city collector at Jackson, the day brought back special memories.

"Thirty-three years ago, I was one of the students participating in the government-day event," said Nelson. "And my role during the activities was city collector."

Traci Tuschoff, a senior from Jackson, served as "city collector" Friday.

"This is a good day for the student in our offices," said Nelson. "It's the 10th of the month, the final day that people can pay their utility bill and get a 10 percent discount. We've already seen half the people of Jackson today."

Tuschoff, who was busy taking and posting utility bills, agreed it was busy.

"I've looked forward to this day," she said. "It's great for students. It gives us an opportunity to see how government works."

Tuschoff wants to become a pediatrician, and plans to attend Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield this fall.

Ray Perez, a Jackson senior, was elected mayor for the day.

"We conducted elections at Jackson (high school)," said Perez. "We signed up for a position we'd like to have, and the student body voted in a primary election to narrow the selection to two people." Perez then won the election.

During a mock city council meeting at Jackson, the students discussed a number of topics, but the meeting became lively when the issue of a new city hall surfaced.

A number of suggestions were discussed before Perez called for a motion to conduct a complete feasibility study concerning the proposal.

The city administrator, portrayed by Tim Miller, reported to the council that the facility was adequate at present but as the city experienced growth, there would be a need for a larger building.

Council member Chad Callis asked about remodeling. Another council member suggested talking things over with the Jackson Library Board. "The library has the top floor of this building," she said. "Maybe they would be interested in moving."

The council which included Angela Scherer, Renee Brim, Todd Rushing, Tiffiney Kies, Lisa Shoaf, Stacey Cranmer and Heather Deneke also discussed ways to finance the project, such as with a bond issue or a tax increase.

Meanwhile at Cape Girardeau, another big issue faced a group of young council members when salary increases for the council were discussed.

The salary proposal was defeated on a 4-3 vote, with "Mayor" Tarina Kang casting the deciding vote.

The young Cape Girardeau council was comprised of Kang, Rene Robinson, Chris Robertson and Gabe Hinkebein, all of Cape Central, and Luisa Stone, Craig Elfrink and Lisa Hoffman of Notre Dame. Emily Fisher of Notre Dame served as city manager.

Members of the optimist clubs served as citizens speaking for and against various issues during the day's proceedings, and several city and county officials served as advisers.

Students, department heads and elected officials from the various offices toured various facilities in Cape Girardeau and Jackson prior to starting their duties.

A noon luncheon for the group, held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Jackson, featured a talk by Jon Rust of the Southeast Missourian.

Most of the students agreed that the day's activities helped them realize that city government isn't as easy as it may look.

Tom M. Meyer of the Cape Girardeau Evening Optimist Club and Paul Hoffmann of the Jackson Optimist Club said Optimists have sponsored the Youth in Government Day for a number of years.

"There's been good cooperation from the city and county governments and the Optimists and schools," said Meyer. "The students are learning the process of city government and increasing awareness as they're coming to the age to vote."

Hoffmann and Meyer added that the program helps to develop leadership skills among high school juniors and seniors who take those skills into the classroom and eventually the community. They said the increased awareness of how local government operates is an important benefit of the program.