City, county voters to decide tax issues in April election

A pair of half-cent sales taxes will be on the line when voters in Cape Girardeau and Cape Girardeau County go to the polls April 7.

Cape Girardeau residents will be asked whether they wish to renew the city's Transportation Trust Fund sales tax for another five years to fund a number of street projects.

Meanwhile, voters throughout the county will decide the fate of a countywide half-cent Law Enforcement Public Safety Sales Tax proposed by Cape Girardeau County Sheriff Ruth Ann Dickerson and placed on the April ballot by the County Commission.

Several hundred members of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce heard an overview of both tax issues Friday at the chamber's monthly First Friday Coffee.

At that meeting, it was announced the chamber board has voted to "fully support" the Transportation Trust Fund extension, also known as TTF6.

However, it was also announced the chamber board has chosen not to endorse the law enforcement sales tax proposal and has instead recommend county voters "seek education" on the ballot issue.

"A 'yes' vote on the Transportation Trust Fund 6 extension helps place our community in a stronger economic position and creates and better quality of life for those our infrastructure serves," according to a statement released by the chamber.

In a separate statement about the Law Enforcement Public Safety Sales Tax, it was noted that while the chamber board "believes additional revenue is needed by the Sheriff's Department and has been a longtime supporter of public safety efforts," the board "also recognizes many businesses and community members are seeking clarity on the proposed tax."

The statement went on to say the board "has heard from several chamber members who recognize the significant revenue increase with this proposed tax and seek clarity on how the revenue raised over and above the outlined budget will be spent and whether those expenditures will be related to law enforcement efforts."

Transportation Trust Fund

If approved, the five-year TTF6 ballot issue is expected to generate approximately $25 million, which will be used for a number of specific street construction projects as well as pavement maintenance and repair and other transportation system needs.

Street projects earmarked for funding under TTF6 would include:

• Repairs to Bertling Street between Perryville Road and Big Bend Road
• Extension of College Street between West End Boulevard and South Minnesota Avenue
• Repairs and enhancements to Lexington Avenue between Carolina Lane and Sherwood Drive and from West Cape Rock Drive to Sprigg Street
• Design work for improvements to the intersection of Maria Louise Lane, Kiwanis Drive and Broadview Street near the entrance to Arena Park
• "School corridor" safety improvements along Route K near Cape Girardeau's west city limits
• Repairs to Sprigg Street between Shawnee Parkway and Southern Expressway
• Design, right of way acquisition and grading of the proposed Veterans Memorial Drive between Hopper Road and Percy Drive, a project city officials say would be completed if TTF7 is approved in 2025.

City officials estimate the cost of those specific projects would come to about $10 million. Of the remaining $15 generated by TTF6, $13 million would be used for general concrete and asphalt repairs along the city's 233 miles of paved streets as well as sidewalk maintenance. The remaining $2 million would be available for "contingencies."

Law Enforcement Public Safety Tax

The Law Enforcement Public Safety Sales Tax, if approved, would raise an estimated $7 million annually and would help the Sheriff's Department provide competitive salaries, hire more staff, upgrade equipment and help underwrite jail operations.

"Cape Girardeau County is a first-class county and citizens of a first-class county expect services that a first-class county can provide," Dickerson told the chamber audience. She said 13 of Missouri's 15 first-class counties have already passed law enforcement/public safety sales taxes.

The sheriff said her department's budget does not allow her to offer competitive salaries in comparison to other law enforcement agencies in the area. As a result, the department is understaffed, both in terms of deputies and staffing for the jail, where the average daily census is between 220 and 285 prisoners.

As for the jail itself, she said millions of dollars worth of repairs and upkeep have had to be postponed annually because of budget shortfalls and the cost of feeding and housing state inmates falls fall short of what the state pays the county.

In summary, the sheriff said, the goals of the Law Enforcement Public Safety Tax are to:

• Increase staffing and salaries to competitive levels
• Update the department's vehicle fleet, equipment and radios
• Repair, update and maintain county jail facilities
• Provide and ensure safety provide quality law enforcement services that are on par with other first-class counties in Missouri
• Prepare for the county's future law enforcement needs

The tax, Dickerson said, would not be an undue burden on taxpayers, and explained that a soft drink that costs $2.16 now would only cost a penny more, $2.17, if the tax is approved,

County officials have also said the majority of the county's sale tax revenue is paid by people who live outside the county.

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