Water system, airport, streets, City Hall upgrades make up Cape capital improvement tax plan

A proposal is in the works for a capital improvement tax that would, if enacted, provide funding for upgrades to the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, city water system and City Hall, as well as providing money for street repairs.

The proposed tax, which is intended to go before voters later this year, will be discussed in further detail during the Cape Girardeau City Council's meeting Monday, but council members held preliminary talks during a retreat Friday at the Cape Girardeau Police Station.

The proposed 15-year tax, an extension of a tax that is expiring, is designed to generate $4 million for the airport, $16 million for upgrades to the city's water system, $6 million for upgrades to City Hall and $7 million for street repairs.

City council members debated whether to include the street repairs in the proposal, especially considering a transportation trust-fund initiative is slated for 2020, which is expected to address street repairs as well. But Mayor Bob Fox said he didn't see a little bit of overlap as a bad thing, especially since TTF initiatives -- this would be Cape Girardeau's sixth -- operate on a shorter timeline and street quality is an especially salient issue for many Cape Girardeau residents.

"We've had great success with TTF, and that's because we do what we say we're going to do," Fox said. "But streets are an ongoing issue. TTF has not been able to keep up with it."

City manager Scott Meyer said the fact the city has kept detailed records on street longevity and repairs since 1989 helps give city staff a way to reliably predict when repairs will be due. He added those predictions line up with Fox's view TTF has not been sufficient in addressing the needs of Cape Girardeau streets.

"We're not gaining on the finish line," he said.

Ward 1 Councilman Dan Presson pointed to the recent defeat in Jackson of a use tax ballot measure he said illustrated an "anti-tax wind" rising in local communities, however, he said a commitment to repair streets may help convince residents to support the measure.

In addition to street repairs, the council also discussed the importance of investing in the airport.

"If the city's going to grow, the airport should grow because it's major," she said.

tgraef@semissourian.com

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