Use tax passes on razor's edge in Cape County

The Cape Girardeau County use tax question was almost too close to call.

The measure seemed to win by a narrow margin, with uncertified results showing 3,532 votes in favor and 3,520 against -- a 12-vote difference.

Precinct totals reported by the county clerk's office showed a difference of 10 or fewer votes, in many cases. Results reported Tuesday night are not certified. That process will take place Friday, said Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers.

The process requires an independent verification team to test equipment and count votes by hand to be sure machines are counting the ballots the same as they did on election night, she said.

"So, at that point [on Friday], we'll have to see how it stands," she said.

The 1 percent use tax question and results for all the ballot items will be certified "as normal," she said. When a local question -- one filed with an election authority rather than the state -- has a difference of less than 1 percent, state statute allows a registered voter within the county to request a recount within 30 days of the announcement of the certified results. Should someone go through the process of filing such a petition with the circuit court, Clark Summers said the county would hold a recount.

Tuesday's results were a far cry from the numbers of last April, when voters put down the measure nearly 2-to-1. County officials credited more clarity on what the use tax is and how the revenue would be spent as two of the primary reasons behind hopes the use tax would pass the second round.

County commissioners have explained the use tax would provide the needed funding source for upgrades to county facilities, including the construction of a new courthouse. The county is looking at a $25 million bond issue to bring to life facilities plans officials said will better serve employees and residents into the future. The plan was one of three proposed by St. Louis-based Treanor Architects and considered for roughly a year by a citizen committee.

Associate Commissioner Charlie Herbst said county officials dedicated considerable time to county outreach. The county not only encouraged better understanding of the use tax and the county plan, but actually getting voters to the polls, he said. About 14 percent of the county's registered voters cast ballots Tuesday.

Should the certified results confirm approval of the use tax question, Herbst said the county's next move is to wait. It will take 18 months or so to determine what kind of revenue stream the tax levied on certain out-of-state purchases will generate. That number ultimately will determine how much the county can spend on its facilities plan.

Steps in the process include hiring an architect to draw more specific building plans and working with a bonding company to determine bonding options available with the use tax revenue. When the county does hire an architect, a new citizen advisory board likely would be formed to give voice to public concerns throughout the design process.

"As we told people in a lot of the presentations we did, this is a part of history we're talking about here," Herbst said. "Counties don't just build courthouses all the time. This is exciting."

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