Use the Casino Fund

It takes education, communication, trust and time to convince voters to approve a tax increase.

Right now, there appears to be little consensus in the community that a tax increase, at this time, is the only way to generate additional revenue to fund wage increases for the city's public safety employees.

The City of Cape Girardeau allocates a substantial amount of annual revenue to subsidize nonessential facilities, programs and services. The city contracts with many third-party agencies to provide additional programs and services as well.

Until additional revenue becomes available, how about temporarily using casino dollars, instead of General Fund revenue, to fund the subsidies for nonessential facilities, programs and services?

Using casino dollars to fund these subsidies would create savings in the city's General Fund account. Savings that could be used to increase wages for public safety employees.

Some may argue that these subsidies for nonessential facilities, programs and services are too important to fund with unpredictable casino revenue.

Are they more important than funding competitive wages for the city's public safety employees?

I believe most in the community would choose funding public safety wages as their number one priority!

I encourage our city leaders to give serious consideration to temporarily using casino dollars to fund the subsidies for nonessential facilities, programs and services.

This is a simple way; revenue can be generated to fund wage increases for our public safety employees without a tax increase.

GARY HILL, Cape Girardeau