COUNTY FINANCES

Residents of Cape Girardeau County have many things to be appreciate, but the financial condition of county government is an important plus that often goes unnoticed until an urgent need arises.

This county is one of only a handful nationally -- and perhaps the only one in Missouri -- that has no tax on real estate. Most landowners and homeowners in virtually every other county in this country pay taxes on real estate that sometimes climbs into thousands of dollars a year.

Cape Girardeau County if fortunate to have a significant retail center within its borders. This attracts shoppers from a wide area. And because the county as a sales tax of its own in addition to the applicable state and city sales taxes, retail shopping provides the bulk of the county's revenue.

Currently the county is in sound financial shape. As a result there are some key projects involving facilities and roads that are likely to be funded in the next year that otherwise wouldn't be possible.

But this financial security blanket wasn't always around. It wasn't all that many years ago that Cape Girardeau County was having to borrow money early in the year against the following year's anticipated tax collections.

Most of the turnaround is ascribed to former Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep. When Huckstep came into office, the county's finances were deplorable. He made it his mission as the county's chief financial officer to watch the pennies and get the county out of its annual borrowing hole.

When Huckstep left office a little more than a year ago, the county was financially solvent and had been able to create a reserve fund for expenditures that aren't anticipated. This saves taxpayers money by avoiding interest payments on borrowed money, whether through tax-anticipation notes or bonds.

The current commissioners -- Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones and Associate Commissioners Larry Bock and Joe Gamble -- have not inherited the responsibility that goes along with keeping the county's financial position strong.

For example, interest from the reserves is being earmarked for road-paving projects. Roads with the highest traffic counts have been given the highest priority, and the aim is to systematically pave more miles each year.

Other projects under consideration are the need for additional jail space and plans to locate a new juvenile-detention center in Southeast Missouri. The county commission is working with federal and state agencies to find ways to fund these projects at the least cost to county taxpayers. Being in such an enviable financial position gives the county a strong bargaining chip.

Whether they know it or not, county taxpayers are the beneficiaries of a strong retail center and a prudent county administrators.