Tax initiatives on ballot for Cape County voters Tuesday

Cape Girardeau voters will have two tax initiatives to vote on Tuesday.

TTF 6

The proposed would renew, for five years, a half-cent sales tax to fund the city's transportation projects.

The Transportation Trust Fund (TTF) was first approved by voters in 1995, and has since been extended multiple times by voters over the past 25 years and helped the city complete several phases of Bloomfield Road, Veterans Memorial Drive, Silver Springs Road, Broadway, the widening of Mount Auburn, multiple maintenance projects and more.

If approved, the sixth iteration of the TTF tax is expected to generate approximately $25 million to be used for a specific set of street construction projects in addition to pavement maintenance, repair and other transportation system needs.

The Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's board of directors announced they had voted to "fully support" the proposed TTF tax renewal during its monthly First Friday Coffee event on March 6.

TTF6 has also received the endorsement of former Cape Girardeau Mayor Harry Rediger (www.semissourian.com/story/2812544.html) and the Southeast Missourian editorial board (www.semissourian.com/story/2810671.html).

An online survey was conducted and multiple public forums were held to gather public input on which local transportation projects to fund with the proposed tax renewal.

An advisory board was also assembled to make recommendations about which local projects to fund, but the board failed to reach agreement on the proposed extension of Veterans Memorial Drive.

Instead, the group opted to present two options to the City Council and left the decision up to the council members.

Ultimately, the City Council decided the final list of street projects earmarked for funding under TTF6 would include:

• Repairs to Bertling Street between Perryville Road and Big Bend Road
• Extension of College Street between West End Boulevard and South Minnesota Avenue
• Repairs and enhancements to Lexington Avenue between Carolina Lane and Sherwood Drive and from West Cape Rock Drive to Sprigg Street
• Design work for improvements to the intersection of Maria Louise Lane, Kiwanis Drive and Broadview Street near the entrance to Arena Park
• "School corridor" safety improvements along Route K near Cape Girardeau's west city limits
• Repairs to Sprigg Street between Shawnee Parkway and Southern Expressway
• Design, right of way acquisition and grading of the proposed Veterans Memorial Drive between Hopper Road and Percy Drive, a project city officials say would be completed if TTF7 is approved in 2025.

City officials estimate the cost of those specific projects would come to about $10 million. Of the remaining $15 generated by TTF6, $13 million would be used for general concrete and asphalt repairs along the city's 233 miles of paved streets as well as sidewalk maintenance. The remaining $2 million would be available for "contingencies.

Law enforcement sales tax

In an effort to alleviate growing financial stresses placed upon the Cape Girardeau County government, a half-cent sales tax would fund a variety of county government functions with a primary focus on law enforcement activities and infrastructure.

If approved, the Law Enforcement Public Safety Sales Tax, would raise an estimated $7 million annually to help the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office provide competitive salaries to employees, hire more staff, upgrade equipment and help underwrite jail operations.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson gave a presentation to Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce members at a First Friday Coffee event March 6, and said 13 of Missouri's 15 first-class counties have already passed law enforcement/public safety sales taxes.

"Cape Girardeau County is a first-class county and citizens of a first-class county expect services that a first-class county can provide," Dickerson told the chamber audience.

In a meeting with the Southeast Missourian editorial board, Dickerson said the Cape Girardeau County Jail is facing problems which will inevitably need to be resolved, the most imminent being the facility's need for roof repairs.

Dickerson also noted the jail is used 24 hours a day, seven days a week to house a daily average census of anywhere between 220 and 285 prisoners -- many of whom spend their time dealing damage to the facility.

The sheriff provided photographic evidence of the many damages dealt to the county jail facility, which was built 20 years ago, and said its constant use causes the building's infrastructure to age at a rate five times faster than other buildings.

Confronting concerns regarding the tax proposal's lack of a sunset clause, county officials pointed to the fact the county's jail facility will always be needed indefinitely to provide safety to Cape Girardeau County citizens, therefore indefinitely requiring funding.

If approved, the proposed tax funding could also allow the county to begin utilizing a statewide public safety interoperable communications system, known as the Missouri Statewide Interoperability Network (MOSWIN), by providing the needed funding to purchase necessary portable radios and mobile equipment for patrol vehicles.

MOSWIN communications systems are currently used by emergency agencies in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, and allow for collaborative communications between members of emergency agencies in neighboring areas and jurisdictions.

In addition to the funding the tax would provide the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office, members of the Cape Girardeau County Commission said the proposal going before voters would provide funding for capital outlays within the county as well, including road projects.