Cape to consider park tax

The Cape Girardeau City Council may ask voters to approve a half-cent sales tax in November to fund parks and storm-water improvements.

The tax could fund park improvements from upgrades to ball fields and the municipal golf course to construction of a water park and more walking trails, city officials said Wednesday.

The improvements also could include construction of a permanent roof over the Central Municipal Pool, replacing the inflatable bubble roof that covers the pool during winter months, Councilwoman Loretta Schneider said.

City officials said the proposed sales tax would generate an estimated $4 million a year and would be a dedicated tax that could only be used for parks and storm-water projects and for operational costs associated with those areas of city government. Officials haven't decided how much would be earmarked for parks and recreation and how much for storm-water projects.

The council would have to submit the ballot measure to the county clerk's office by Aug. 28 in order to get the issue on the Nov. 6 ballot.

The parks board has discussed the possible tax measure with individual members of the city council, Mayor Jay Knudtson said.

The parks and golf advisory boards plan to meet with the city council at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Osage Community Centre to discuss the tax proposal and projects that could be funded, parks and recreation director Dan Muser said.

Schneider said the council will have to clearly define what would be funded with the sales tax in order to sell it to the voters.

"Some people are interested in the golf course, but not all of them. Some people are interested in ball fields, but not all of them," she said.

It's not easy convincing voters to approve a tax, Schneider said. "I think we want first-class everything, but we aren't always ready to pay what first class costs."

Arena Building repairs

Muser said the proposed tax would help fund badly needed improvements and repairs to existing parks and recreation facilities.

The Arena Building, for example, has serious maintenance problems that need to be addressed, such as a leaking roof, he said. The building also needs improvements to its heating and cooling systems, he said.

A water park could be built at Osage Park, as proposed several years ago, Muser said. It could replace the aging pool at Capaha Park, he said.

Voters could be asked to approve a permanent tax or one that would expire after a certain period of time, Muser said. Park board members have suggested making it a permanent tax, he said.

The storm-water/parks tax is the only sales tax measure under state law that the city hasn't implemented, he said. State law allows cities with voter approval to impose a maximum half-cent sales tax, but the council could propose less than the maximum amount, Muser said.

The city has a long list of park improvement projects in its master plan, he said, and funding all of them would take years.

"What can be done depends on what the council decides to approve," Muser said.

Public works director Tim Gramling said the proposed tax would fund some 20 storm-water projects that remain on the drawing board for lack of funding. The projects would address some of the flash-flooding problems that exist in various areas of the city, he said.

A sales tax offers the best approach, he said, because it would tax not only city residents but also those who live outside the city and use its services. People who don't live in the city use a lot of Cape Girardeau's parks and recreation facilities, he said.

Many Missouri cities already have a sales tax to fund park and storm-water projects and programs, Muser said.

"We are probably pushing 100-plus cities in the state that have passed this thing. This is not cutting edge for Cape Girardeau," he said.

"We would be the last community of this size to pass it," Muser said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123