ABSENCES AND RAISES ON COUNCIL AGENDA

The fate of Councilman J.J. Williamson's seat on the Cape Girardeau City Council typically would rest with voters. Tonight, it rests with fellow councilmen.

In a Dec. 6 letter to the city council, Williamson acknowledged he missed the last two regular council meetings. He said he was approved for an Allstate Insurance agency in Cape Girardeau and must take out-of-state training. He won't return home until after tonight's council meeting.

After reading the letter, Mayor Al Spradling III remembered a little-used section of the city charter. It requires council members who miss three consecutive meetings to forfeit their office unless they are excused by the rest of the council.

The situation hasn't come up since both Williamson and Spradling were elected in April 1994.

"It's a unique situation," Spradling said. "I felt to be on the safe side, the council should take some sort of formal action."

He expected councilmen to excuse the absences without much discussion.

But there will be plenty of talk about another subject if Councilman Melvin Gateley has his way. Since the city passed this year's budget in June, Gateley repeatedly has asked the council to consider higher salaries for city employees.

In September, a group of department heads submitted a report on salary findings. It showed Cape Girardeau city salaries are 8.3 percent below those of similar Missouri cities.

The report also stated there wasn't enough money in the budget to cover additional salary increases this year. The writers suggested the city:

-- Work to equalize salaries with other Missouri cities.

-- Review and update the pay plan.

-- Redesign the plan to use funds better.

-- Address employee salaries first in the 1997-98 budget process.

City Manager Michael G. Miller said employee salaries usually are considered last in the budget process. Employees receive raises based on how much is left over.

He said the city should implement salary adjustments over a period of years.

Gateley said Sunday he wanted another update in addition to the September report.

"Employees are definitely our greatest asset," he said. "I just feel we get an excellent job done by them, and it's important to keep them. You keep people by paying decent salaries."

Cape Girardeau residents and visitors may feel better about the safety of their cars after tonight's meeting, depending on the action of the council.

Interim police chief Steve Strong is proposing a law to expand the definition of a hit-and-run accident.

The current law makes it illegal to cause an accident on any road or established parking lot and then leave without contacting the victim or a police officer. The new law makes it illegal to do so on any kind of private property.

For example, a person may park his car at the end of a private driveway. A careless driver could swerve off the road, hit the car and then drive away. Under the proposed city law, he is guilty of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident.

Strong said such an act already is punishable under state law, but it is easier to deal with such offenses in municipal court.

"By making a simple change in wording, it clears up the question of whether accidents on private property are covered," he said.

The council meets at 7:30 tonight at City Hall.