DELAY IN SALES TAX VOTE URGED

A handful of Cape Girardeau businessmen want the city council to postpone a transportation tax election until August.

They say it would allow more time for the city to spell out in detail what road projects would be funded with the seven-year, half-cent sales tax.

The businessmen will formally make the request at Tuesday's council meeting. The council will likely agree to the request.

"I don't know of any reason why it wouldn't be postponed," Mayor Al Spradling III said Friday.

Cape Girardeau car dealer Bob Neff is among about a half-dozen businessmen who will formally request the election be moved back 60 days, from June 6 to Aug. 8.

The group includes Chamber of Commerce Chairman Jim Rust, banker Ollie Miller and beer distributor Mike Kohlfeld.

Several of the businessmen are members of the chamber board, although the chamber itself has nothing to do with the request, Neff and others say.

"It is an important issue and people want to know exactly how their tax dollars will be spent," Neff said.

City officials have promised to provide such details.

But Neff and fellow businessmen think it would be difficult for city officials to draft a detailed list of projects with public input and explain them to the voters in time for a June 6 vote.

"I think the public wants to decide the merits of the specific projects," he said.

Neff said the businessmen aren't taking a pro or con position on the issue at this time.

Kohlfeld said, "I think it needs some time for everybody to understand it and digest it, and make a well-informed opinion.

"When you are voting on something that important, you want to at least have a pretty good idea that you know all the pros and cons," he said.

Earlier this month, the council voted 5-2 to place the tax issue on the June ballot. The council was scheduled to give the first reading Tuesday to an ordinance officially placing the measure on the June ballot.

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