SIKESTON, Mo. -- Missouri's underfunded and outdated transportation system needs public help setting long-term goals, consultants told a group of community and business leaders Tuesday.

The Southeast Regional Working Group met at the Missouri Department of Transportation District 10 office. Consultants from HNTB Corp., working under a $1.5 million contract from MoDOT, discussed details of a statewide opinion survey and perceived transportation shortcomings.

Ideas and opinions from six regional working groups in the Missouri Advance Planning initiative will be compiled into a report that will be ready in May 2006, said Scott Russell, director of public involvement programs for HNTB's St. Louis office.

"We may have some specific policy recommendations, but it will at least be a very serious treatment of the issues," Russell said.

The working group discussed numerous issues in transportation. The state's population is getting older, for example, and retired people use a different range of services than working-age people.

The state's highways are aging, and repairs are growing more expensive, section manager Luis Perello told the group. And the main funding source for highway construction and repair, a gas tax based on the number of gallons sold, isn't keeping up with needs, he said.

"Not only do we not have enough money to deal with things we have now, the revenue stream is decreasing," he said.

The Southeast group consists of 19 members who represent local governments, businesses and community members.

Ideas for new revenue included toll roads, switching to a fuel tax that is a percentage of the price or a general sales tax. That last idea probably wouldn't pass, said Bill Bates, city administrator of Houston, Mo. "I think we are reaching the limit on what people are willing to pay," he said.

A general sales tax also would change the traditional method of funding roads. Fuel taxes and sales tax on automobile sales are considered user fees, because the people who pay the tax are the ones using roads.

Transportation means more than cars and roads, and the consultants were looking for ideas for railroads, ports, aviation, public transportation and bicyclists.

Some ports suffer from a lack of state investment, restricting economic growth, said Timmie Hunter, director of the New Madrid County Port Authority. "We've had to turn some people away because we didn't have the ability to handle some containers," she said.

Public comments and exercises to understand how transportation funding is allocated are available online at www.map.org, Russell said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126