STREET PRIORITIES: PUBLIC TRUST IS SERIOUS MATTER

The Cape Girardeau City Council has tabled a request to expedite the Henderson-New Madrid street intersection project. The move is well advised. It is not a matter of need, it is a matter of trust.

Considerable discussion -- both in the community and among the council members -- went into preparation of a list of 20 transportation tax projects that voters approved last August. Those projects were ranked in priority from one to 20. Voters approved both the half-cent sales tax to pay for the projects and the priority list.

The Henderson-New Madrid intersection earned a ranking of 19 out of 20.

Southeast Missouri State University now is asking the city to accelerate the intersection work, which is part of the city's plan to reconstruct New Madrid Street from Perry Avenue east to the Show Me Center. The university has offered to lend the city $285,000 for a year to pay for the intersection improvements, which represents about 40 percent of the $713,000 to be spent on the street reconstruction project. The intersection is already congested, and university officials think the situation will worsen when the $15.8 million Dempster College of Business building, located next to the intersection, opens next August.

The Planning and Zoning Commission -- a major player in the transportation tax effort -- has backed the move to expedite the project. Commission members also are concerned about additional traffic congestion with the opening of the business building.

No one will argue about the dangers of the intersection. New Madrid, Henderson and Greek Drive come together at the intersection. Show Me Center traffic also adds congestion.

But now is not the time to be changing the priority list. Councilmen Melvin Gateley and Richard Eggimann said such a move would violate the city's promise to voters as to the priority of projects. They make a valid point.

Site work for the business building began last June. The university, city and others had ample time to make their case about moving up the intersection project before the priority list was finalized. For whatever reason, that didn't happen.

Work is continuing on the Sprigg Street extension. That project will alleviate some of the traffic flow from the business building, the Show Me Center and the campus.

If the university is determined to push forward with the intersection work, it should consider paying for the improvements outright, using private donations raised by its foundation rather than tax dollars appropriated by the Missouri Legislature. Voters would no doubt be tickled to see that portion of the project moved up on the priority list if city dollars aren't involved. Another option would be for the university to lend the money to the city for four years -- without interest -- since that is the time frame in which the intersection project would probably be funded. The transportation tax has a sunset clause of five years.

The city will start collecting the five-year tax in January.

Local governments must fight negative public perceptions just like government at the state and federal levels. Voters often take out their frustrations on local officials and ballot issues, because people feel it is the only control they have. As such, governments must work hard to build and keep public trust on local matters.

The Henderson-New Madrid intersection improvements need to be done. But so do the other 18 projects with higher priorities.

The city council acted responsibly in tabling the issue. Unless circumstances change, the transportation tax projects should be followed in the priority that voters approved -- from No. 1 to No. 20. It is a matter of keeping the faith with taxpayers.