Ballot issues are vital to growth of local communities

MARSTON - Marston Mayor Becky Redden plans to go door-to-door to explain the community's upcoming election issue. Portageville's Mayor Henry Maclin met with local residents in a public meeting Tuesday night to discuss the impact of Tuesday's ballot proposal.

Both mayors consider the issues essential to their communities continued growth.

The city of Marston is proposing placing a tax of not more than 5 percent per occupied room per night on the charges for all rooms paid by guests of the local motels in Marston. There are two hotels in Marston, the 61-room Cottonboll Inn and Super Eight Motel, which has 63 rooms.

"I'm going around to residents and asking them to please vote yes," said Redden. "The problem is when you mention the word tax, people tend to say no. I want them to understand this won't affect them unless they rent a motel room."

She said that those she has already spoken with about the proposal have responded positively.

In Portageville, the council would like to issue $2,300,000 in revenue bonds. The mayor explained the money raised from the sale of the bonds would enable the city to replace the current water storage tank, which was built some 80 years ago, with a new 250,000 gallon tank. The new, larger storage tank would be located on First Street where the original tank is now.

Also a third well would be installed and about four miles of current water lines replaced. The new well would be placed near the city's water plant on Twelfth Street.

The new well would provide back-up in emergencies, the mayor said, and allow for future growth by the community. "This is a problem that has existed for 20 years but no one was willing to bite the bullet and move with it until now," said Maclin. "At the peak time of the season, like the summer, it is all we can do to furnish the water that everyone needs. If one of the wells goes down for some reason, then we can't supply water to meet those needs."

At Tuesday night's public meeting, Maclin and other city officials were available to address concerns. Also on hand to answer local citizens' questions were employees of Waters and Associates, the city's engineering firm, and officials with the Department of Natural Resources.

Repayment of the bonds would be made through the operation of the system. The city engineers were expected to provide information at Tuesday's meeting on the cost to individual users if the bond issue is approved in the upcoming election.

Maclin said citizens have voiced concerns about the proposal. "They have been told so many things in the past 20 years, they want to know more before make they make a commitment," he said.

Marston and Portageville residents are the only communities in New Madrid County with elections slated for Aug. 5.

Voters in those communities will be able to cast absentee ballots at the New Madrid County Clerk's office from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. The polls will be open at the Marston City Hall for the residents in LaFont 1 and 2 and Portageville residents will cast their ballots in Portage 1 at the City Hall and in Portage 2 at the Knights of Columbus Hall. The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 5.