For the third time in nine years, Cape Girardeau voters will be asked to approve a sales tax to fund transportation projects.

The city council voted 5-2 Monday night to place a seven-year, half-cent sales tax on the June 6 ballot.

The tax would raise about $24.3 million, based upon a 3 percent annual growth rate.

Councilmen Melvin Gateley and Richard Eggimann voted against it. They said voters already were saddled with enough city taxes.

Voters twice defeated transportation sales tax issues, once in August 1986 and again a year later.

In other action, the council agreed to hold a study session on Feb. 20 to discuss ways to regulate strip-tease clubs.

Two citizens urged the council to move ahead with plans to regulate and restrict such establishments.

Bruce Collier said the U.S. Constitution wasn't designed to protect strip-tease bars. "Not one of the founding fathers would have approved in any way the abusing of the constitution to permit immorality."

The council also received a report from the chairman of the Charter Review Committee.

The committee, chaired by former mayor Paul Stehr, recommended that the council submit 11 proposed charter amendments to the voters.

They include creation of an ethics commission, term limits for the mayor and council posts, and a prohibition against raising fees and taxes by more than 5 percent in any fiscal year without voter approval.

The council will review the recommendations.

As to the transportation issue, Mayor Al Spradling III said the city needs such a sales tax to fund street improvements and repairs.

But Eggimann said the city has raised water, sewer and trash fees over the past 10 months. He said the city doesn't need to raise anything else.

"We just can't ask them to pay additional taxes," Gateley agreed.

Eggimann suggested the city council should wait and see how much tax money will be generated from riverboat gambling before looking at a transportation sales tax.

He also said he was concerned that an ever-increasing sales tax would hurt business in Cape Girardeau.

Spradling said the city can't count on gambling boat money at this time. "You don't know from one day to the next whether the boat will be here or not."

He said the city could make good use of revenue from both riverboat gambling and a transportation sales tax.

"I really feel we are at a crossroads in our community, that we need to upgrade our streets," the mayor said.

He said the city would welcome the input of the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's surface transportation committee in deciding on what projects the money should be spent.

Councilmen Tom Neumeyer and J.J. Williamson Jr. said the decision on a sales tax rightly rests with the voters.