COUNTY A BIT OVERANXIOUS TO APPROVE BUDGET

Cape Girardeau County commissions in recent years have demonstrated an exemplary knack for handling county finances, and one of the reasons is that longtime county auditor H. Weldon Macke, the chief financial officer, has provided expert guidance not only in putting together annual budgets but keeping a handle on them year after year.

The county has grown significantly over the past three decades, and that growth is reflected in county government finances. Cape Girardeau County's growth in assessed valuation boosted the county to first-class status in the decade just past, and a 1-cent county sales tax enacted by voters produced a wealth of revenue that enabled elimination of the county's personal property tax altogether.

The county also has approached its investments wisely over the years, seeking the highest interest rates it can find, particularly on that money which goes for capital improvements and is available for investment for longer periods of time.

All of these events have gained Cape Girardeau County an outstanding reputation in government circles. That is why it was so surprising that on Dec. 29 the Cape Girardeau County Commission approved its 2001 budget despite the fact that copies weren't given to some officeholders until that same week -- hardly sufficient time for thorough reviews of individual office budgets -- and the fact that parts of the overall budget had not yet been completed.

Missouri statutes give first-class counties 10 days after the start of the financial year to approve a budget for the year. If there is an election for a county commissioner the previous fall, first-class counties have 30 days after the start of the year to approve the budget. That was the case in Cape Girardeau County, so the county commission had until Jan. 30 to approve the budget.

The law doesn't impose any penalty for not approving the budget by the deadline, and it had until Jan. 30 to approve it, so there was no reason to rush its approval the same day the required public hearing on the budget was held.

Of more concern is the fact that the commission didn't give officeholders more time to review the proposed 2001 budget. There was, after all, no rush for a stamp of approval until the budget had received a thorough review.