TRANSPORTATION TAX TO CAPE VOTERS AUG. 8

A divided Cape Girardeau City Council tabled a proposed hike in sewer fees Monday night after some councilmen worried that it could jeopardize passage of a transportation sales tax.

The vote was 5-2, with Councilmen Tom Neumeyer and Melvin Kasten dissenting.

Prior to tabling the matter, the council unanimously agreed to put the transportation sales tax issue on the Aug. 8 ballot.

At a study session prior to the regular meeting, Councilmen Melvin Gateley and Richard Eggimann hammered away at the proposed 1996 fiscal budget, which includes a 5 percent hike in sewer fees, effective in August, and a 3 percent hike in water rates.

The sewer hike was on the agenda Monday night and a measure to enact the water fee hike was expected to come before the council later this year.

Gateley said the council needs to consider the taxpayers and use common sense. "We just can't expect them to give, give all the time."

The sewer fee hike would increase the average monthly residential sewer charge from $10.54 to $11.05 and the average commercial charge from $43.92 to $46.03.

City staff said it would raise about $100,000 in additional revenue.

But Gateley said he would hate for the five-year, half-cent transportation tax measure to be defeated because of a hike in sewer fees.

The tax would raise about $17 million for road and bridge projects. If voters approve the sales tax, the city plans to proceed with 20 road and bridge projects totaling $16.4 million. When contingency costs are included, the total could approach nearly $20 million.

Mayor Al Spradling III said the council can't just nix the sewer charges without cutting the budget.

Eggimann replied that it was up to the city staff to decide where to cut the budget.

Despite the concerns, the 1996 fiscal budget won first-round approval on a 6-1 vote after the council tacked on an amendment to put any extra money from the city's existing, general sales tax into a "rainy day" fund.

Councilman Jack Rickard cast the dissenting vote.

After the meeting, Rickard said it didn't make sense for the council to approve the budget after agreeing earlier in the evening to hold a special study session Wednesday to discuss it. The special session will be held at 7 p.m. in City Hall.

At Monday night's study session, both Eggimann and Gateley insisted that the council shouldn't be asked to approve a $55 million budget without first holding a work session.

Eggimann said it was "outrageous" for the city staff to give council members only two weeks to look over the thick budget document.

"I think we need at least a month to go over the budget," he said. "We are talking about a multimillion-dollar budget, and it doesn't make sense to me."

Gateley echoed Eggimann's concerns. He said he had expected the city staff to hold a budget meeting with the council.

"A person just gets tired of nagging and fussing all the time," he said.

City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said he would have gladly held such a meeting if council members had requested it.