Prop 1 reports

When the Proposition 1 sales tax was proposed in 2006 to generate funds for road and bridge projects and for the sheriff's department, county officials touted the benefits for Cape Girardeau County and listed a number of projects and upgrades that were planned. Recently, in separate reports, the county's presiding commissioner, sheriff and district engineer for the Cape Special Road District listed the ways the sales tax revenue has been put to good use.

Since 2006, the county has spent $6.25 million on asphalt paving of 25 miles of county road, 11 miles of chip-and-seal surfacing and asphalt overlays on 10 miles, Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones said at the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Coffee.

The sheriff's department has added 10 new employees as promised, Sheriff John Jordan said, and has implemented more competitive wages to reduce turnover.

The special road district is opening bids today for its fourth bridge replacement since 2006.

The Proposition 1 tax, which replaced county road-and-bridge property taxes, has generated $11.8 million distributed to special road districts and municipalities in the county. All in all, these reports help reassure county taxpayers that the sales tax is being used to benefit the whole county.