THE PUBLIC MIND: READER URGES `YES' VOTE ON PURCHASE OF WATER SYSTEM

To the Editor:

The purpose of this letter is to address the principal reasons why Cape Girardeau citizens would want to take advantage of an opportunity on November 5, 1991, to obtain control of their water system.

On that date, a general election involving a number of state and local issues will be held. In Cape Girardeau, citizens will vote, in addition to the other issues, on three city ballot questions:

1. Whether to issue $11,840,000 in water revenue bonds to purchase and improve the water system.

2. Whether to approve a new twenty (20) year franchise agreement with Union Electric for the operation of an electric utility.

3. Whether to approve a new twenty (20) year franchise agreement with Union Electric for the operation of a natural gas utility.

These three proposals were negotiated over a period of years as a "package". However, the vote on each question must be separated legally on the ballot and the results of the vote on each question will stand independently of the others.

Relative to the water system question, there are a number of reasons why Cape Girardeau citizens would want to own their own water utility. These include: (l) to provide local control of the most essential of all public services; (2) to provide the lowest cost to Cape Girardeau citizens; (3) to provide local control of development; (4) to provide local control of system improvements; and (5) to provide a positive impact on overall economic development efforts.

One key factor that is central to all of the above is the fact that Union Electric is going to sell the water system to another company if the citizens of Cape Girardeau do not act to acquire it now. Union Electric's reason for selling is simply that they are in the energy business (gas and electric), not the water business. This is the only water operation Union Electric has and the only reason they have it is that it came with the Missouri Utilities gas and electric system when they merged in 1983. Union Electric's energy operations, which are spread across three states, gross over $2 billion in annual revenues. The Cape Girardeau water system operations are of relatively minor value to a corporate operation of that size. Decision making, in turn, rests in the hands of corporate managers in St. Louis, who are trained and focused on energy sales, not water system operations.

Union Electric wants to dispose of the Cape water system. In most other communities across the country, cities own their water systems to assure local control of the most essential of all public services. Cape Girardeau citizens have an opportunity to own their own water system, now. The decision will be made by those who vote on November 5, 1991. I believe we need to take advantage of this opportunity, and I will vote "yes".

~Dave Kaempfer

Chairman, Citizens for City Water

Cape Girardeau