DELAY ON SALES TAX GIVES AMPLE TIME FOR A FULL REVIEW

The vote on Cape Girardeau's proposed half-cent sales tax for transportation needs has been pushed back to Aug. 8. The city council originally had planned to schedule the vote in June. But a group of businessmen urged the delay, citing the need for more time to develop a plan for street projects that would be funded by the sales tax revenue. The extra time also would give voters more time to learn about the proposals, ask questions and offer suggestions.

This give and take over a very important proposal is a good example of how elected officials and citizens can work together for the best interests of the community. Mayor Al Spradling III has pushed the sales tax idea as a sound and reasonable way to make costly improvements in the citys streets. At the same time, voters want to consider all the options carefully before going to the polls, and five months is ample time.

Public meetings on the sales tax plan are likely to be held once the city has more details about which projects have a high priority, how much they cost and in what order they should be completed. Not everyone may agree at first on which projects are needed most, but before the election every attempt should be made for as much consensus as possible.

Some voters may question whether adding to the sales tax is a good idea in the first place. Any other funding methods would put all of the cost on city taxpayers. Because Cape Girardeau is a strong regional shopping center, using a sales tax to pay for streets taps the support of out-of-town shoppers who enjoy the retail benefits and other advantages of the city. As they make their purchases, these shoppers will be contributing to the development of streets that will make the city an even more attractive shopping destination.

Another consideration for the timing of the sales tax vote is whether or not the Cape Girardeau school district intends to ask voters to approve a bond issue to address the possible need for additional buildings or the renovation and upgrading of existing schools.

While there has been no formal action toward a bond issue, the school board is meeting tonight to discuss bond options and building concerns.

And, despite denials from district administrators and board members, there are strong feelings among many school district patrons that the current hearings on school redistricting for attendance purposes may be a preliminary to proposing a bond issue.

The Cape Girardeau district hasn't built a new school in more than 30 years. Its last construction activity included the new gymnasium and swimming pool at the Central High School in the 1970s. Three efforts to get voter approval for financing plans for new buildings and other improvements have been rejected by voters since 1993.

If it turns out that the school district intends to put another bond issue on the ballot, careful consideration will have to be given to the city sales tax plan already on the August ballot. Voters are weary of taxes, whether the burden is real or imagined. Asking them to add to their taxes twice in the same year could be fatal to both proposals.