Web poll shows support among for tax measures

Pro-tax voters came out the winners in a week-long, unscientific Web poll conducted at semissourian.com.

Registered Cape Girardeau voters will have a chance to express their opinions where they count on April 8, a week from today. They'll cast ballots for or against a quarter-cent sales tax, a local-use tax, a storm-water fee and a 10-cent property tax that would replace an identical tax set to expire in 2004.

The storm-water fee specifically will go to alleviate flooding problems, but the rest will go for city operating, construction and equipment needs and to a $6.5 million water park.

On the Southeast Missourian's Web poll, "no" voters were leading 3-to-1 late last week until an apparent e-mail campaign to get supporters to go to the site. The question was: If you were voting on Cape Girardeau's four tax or fee issues today, how would you vote?

Poll votes counted

The final tally: 154 said they'd vote for all four issues, 135 said they'd vote for none of the four and 32 said they'd vote for some but not all.

Still, city manager Mike Miller said the results reflected his findings as he's spoken to Cape Girardeau residents about the ballot issues. City officials have given about 40 presentations on the proposals to various civic groups and others.

"Originally, we received a lot of questions about the water park and why it was on there," he said. "As we did more presentations, people seemed to accept the water park, and then the questions were about the taxes themselves. By the time I got through, people were saying the presentation was very understandable, and they would vote for all of them."

Nancy Jernigan, co-chair of the Invest 4 Cape's Future group committed to promoting the taxes, said a serious push begins this week. There will be yard signs, a postcard inserted into the Southeast Missourian on Sunday and a mass mailing.

Groups like Jernigan's are formed because cities can't legally promote their own tax issues, only inform residents about them. Jernigan said individuals and businesses contributed an estimated $3,000 to $4,000 to her group for promotion.

There has been no organized opposition.

"At this point, we really want to get out to the mothers to vote yes for the water park," Jernigan said. "Most of the support is coming from working mothers. They are saying to us, 'What do we have to do to get this passed?' I say, 'Vote for all four issues and tell all of your friends.'"

Among the poll-related comments submitted to the Web site:

"Tax and spend. Tax and spend."

"I would vote for the equipment and pay raises for the city, but I will not vote for a water park. Since they do not have them separated well enough, I will vote no on them all. We are starting to catch up with the big cities taxwise, and wages in this town do not support this."

"The taxes are really necessary for the city to continue the level of service we have now. Equipment is old and needs replacement."

"No sunset clause is not fair to the citizens of Cape. The water park should not be on the ballot in the manner that it now exists. Cape citizens should have a clear choice on voting for or against the park."

"I think an average of $2 a week per family is a small price to pay for the improvements to the city police and fire departments and the many other things that the increase will fund."

hhall@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 121