TRANSPORATION FORUM IN CAPE ON TUESDAY

Area residents will have a chance to comment on Missouri's transportation needs at a forum Tuesday in Cape Girardeau.

The meeting, featuring presentations from the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, the Missouri Farm Bureau and the Missouri Department of Transportation, will be held at 10 a.m. in the Show Me Center. The meeting is open to the public.

The session is one of 18 meetings the three organizations are holding around the state this month to get public opinion. The schedule includes a meeting in Farmington, Mo., on Monday and one at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Kennett, Mo.

Missouri Chamber of Commerce officials plan to consider the public input in crafting legislation to address transportation needs.

The Missouri Chamber of Commerce believes the state can afford to invest more money in transportation, said Mike Grote, assistant director of government affairs for the chamber.

Missouri's general revenue budget ballooned by $2.6 billion in the past year, he said.

Grote said the state needs to find a way to pay for some improvements before asking voters to approve a tax hike.

"We want to see budget efficiencies inside of state government," he said. "That has to happen first."

There's a general consensus that the state needs about $600 million a year more to fund road improvements, he said.

"Our belief is that the state can easily find $300 million to pay for increased highway improvements," he said.

The state, said Grote, at least should meet taxpayers halfway.