A good plan gets good results

A well-laid plan produces positive results. That sums up the effort to secure passage this week of a half-cent city sales tax in Cape Girardeau to fund a $25 million bond issues for parks improvements and storm-water projects.

When the effort began, many months ago, to bring years of planning and wish lists to the fore with a citywide vote, there was a great deal of reluctance. An earlier list of city needs that included an aquatic park failed the pass muster. So the city's parks advisory board and other city officials went back to work to put together a plan that would be sensible to voters and provide some of the amenities of a forward-thinking municipality. Voters agreed with that line of thinking and passed Tuesday's plan by a solid majority.

Hats off to everyone who worked diligently to create a good plan, to city officials who have maintained a good parks system in Cape Girardeau for years on a shoestring budget and to voters who agreed with the wisdom of the overall proposal.