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Ruth Matos, owner of Vamanos taxi service, is surrounded by people from other countries every day. She said she believes adopting a law that state government business will be conducted in English only is a bad idea.

A question on the ballot in November is prompting debate among St. Joseph business owners who all call English their second language.

Ruth Matos’ South Side taxi service, Vamanos, is tailored to Spanish speakers, a growing population in St. Joseph.

But Missourians this election will be able to solidify that when it comes to government business, only English is allowed.

“To me, it’s offensive,” said Ms. Matos, who was born in Havana. “So, if you speak any other language, you’re not allowed to know what’s going on in the state.”

She flew with her family in 1969 to New York when she was 5 years old. A Spanish speaker, she learned English while attending schools on the East Coast and now is bilingual.

Amendment 1 asks voters if the Missouri Constitution should be amended so that English will be the language of all governmental meetings at which any public business is discussed.

“I think it’s wrong to put a language barrier up for any reason,” she said. “It’s almost racist.”

Data from the Census Bureau released in August showed that St. Joseph has the fastest-growing Hispanic community in the United States, with the population growing from 2,397 people in July 2006 to 2,980 in July 2007 — a 24 percent increase.

“For me, it’s not offensive. I understand why (the meetings) are in English,” said Marcela Quiroz, owner of Sin Fronteras (in English: Without Borders, or Frontiers). “I feel so proud I learned English.”

Ms. Quiroz lived in Mexico and California before moving to Winston, Mo. She opened the South Side office that offers translation and income tax services for Spanish speakers in June 2007.

“People who come to the U.S. should learn English, but at the same time, there are some people who can’t really learn it,” she said.

Children who speak languages other than English at home also are increasing in the St. Joseph School District. The district reported 126 were enrolled during the 2004-05 school year. The population then jumped to 387 in November 2006, the same year Triumph Foods opened its pork-processing plant in the South Side. The current enrollment is 580.

A North Belt Highway gas station owner learned English in his native country, India, before moving to the United States in 1997. He’s operated the Quick Mart and Liquor Shell gas station for about three years.

“This country’s national language is English,” said Shamir Manhani, 26. “Before we come into this country, we should accept that. You should adapt to where you go, not try to change it,”

The school district’s adult English Language Learners program had an enrollment of 98 in 2006. That nearly doubled to 192 in 2007, and in 2008, 307 adults are taking English classes.

Adult education director Betty Kimberling said she supported the initiative even though “it sounds like it’s really redundant and we don’t need it.”

However, she encouraged the use of interpreters if groups of non-English speakers start attending meetings.

Alyson E. Raletz can be reached at alysonraletz@npgco.com.