Council made wise decision on proposed TTF extension

In 2020, voters in Cape Girardeau will be asked to continue the Transportation Trust Fund sales tax for another five years.

Council members had briefly discussed extending the tax to seven years in an effort to include more projects under one vote, but the decision was made at Monday night's meeting to continue the five-year increment -- which has been supported by voters since 1995.

"I think public trust is with the five-year timeframe," Ward 1 Councilman Daniel Presson said.

The sales tax, if approved, would provide an estimated $25 million to be used for road maintenance, sidewalks and major street projects. Mayor Bob Fox said the focus of TTF6 would be on maintaining current infrastructure as opposed to creating new projects.

The TTF advisory committee has made its recommendations to the council, which hinges in part on the Veterans Memorial Drive project and potential state funding.

We have supported the Transportation Trust Fund sales tax over the years in large part because of the transparent, pay-as-you-go method for funding key infrastructure projects. Keeping the five-year increment is the smart way to go. It helps keep government accountable and, as Councilman Presson said, it preserves the public trust.

We applaud the council for its decision.