Cape Girardeau voters to decide on Transportation Trust Fund renewal
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI)— In two weeks, voters in Cape Girardeau will decide whether to renew the city’s half-cent sales tax that funds road maintenance and improvements. The Transportation Trust Fund (TTF), now in its seventh installment (TTF 7), has been a major factor of the city’s roadway improvements funding since 1995.
Mayor Stacy Kinder discussed the fund’s importance, calling it “an essential part” of Cape Girardeau’s budget for street repair and construction. “It’s a vast majority of the funding that the city has, to do street repair and construction,” Kinder said.
The TTF is structured for renewal every five years, allowing residents to assess completed projects and proposed future improvements on roadways in Cape before voting. “That has given our city citizens an opportunity to look at what’s been done, consider what’s being proposed for the next five years, and weigh their decision on that,” Kinder says.
TTF 7 includes planned pavement improvements for Mount Auburn Road, South Sprigg Street, Perryville Road, and other key areas. Kinder says that the funding is solely for road maintenance and reconstruction, with no new roads planned under this fund.
Kinder says that this is not a new tax but a continuation of an existing one. “This is an extension of a tax that we have been paying for the past 30 years here in the city. It is a part of our sales tax, so anyone shopping here in the city contributes to this transportation trust fund, including visitors,” she said.
Residents are encouraged to visit the city’s website to review past and planned projects funded by TTF. “I think it would be surprising for a lot of people to see just how many projects have been covered under TTF over the past 30 years in every ward, pretty much in every corner of our city,” Kinder added.
The vote on TTF 7 will take place on April 8. Residents of Cape Girardeau are encouraged to participate and cast their ballots at their designated polling locations.
