The Cape Girardeau City Council voted to appropriate Casino funds to a list of more than ten projects Monday night.
The allocated funds will come from the first eight months of casino revenue. The council expects to receive at least 2.2 million in funds with figures most likely nearing 2.5 million or more.
The only seriously contended item was the creation of a parking lot by Last Call on the western part of Broadway. This project is expected to cost $145,000.
Council members who wanted to amend the ordinance to exclude Last Call explained that its removal would put the council on track to an almost exactly balanced budget.
Cape Girardeau City Mayor Harry Rediger voted in favor of the ordinance urging that development would quickly follow the addition of parking.
“Additional parking on Broadway, in addition to what is available on the street, I think is very important as we market the empty storefronts to potential leasers of the empty store buildings, and potential investors in some of those buildings as they go down. We need to have the infrastructure in place,” Rediger said.
Council members Trent Summers and John Voss opposed the parking lot’s inclusion, saying other issues were more important and should be addressed first. Summers says one of his main concerns is fiscal relief for citizens on their water and sewer bills.
“We have a very specific plan to deal with the money that’s coming in after next fiscal year, but the money we’ve received early, I don’t feel comfortable that we’ve addressed it in a responsible manner that would, I think, project to the community that we are being conservatively responsible with the revenues we’re receiving,” Summers said.
Both men offered a different amendment to the ordinance with neither one passing. Despite the two men’s efforts, the ordinance passed on a 5-2 vote.
