Cape council approves new rental-inspection program with backing of landlord group

The Cape Girardeau City Council unanimously approved a new rental-inspection program Monday night that will allow city staff to inspect some rental units of every landlord in the community annually.

“I think it is an excellent step the city has taken,” Ward 1 Councilman Joseph Uzoaru said.

Uzoaru, a local landlord, added he appreciated the city staff’s efforts in working with the Cape Area Landlords Association to develop a program that had its backing.

City staff, council members and the landlord association have been working for months to revamp the inspection program.

Mayor Harry Rediger voiced support for the measure before the council meeting, insisting it would strengthen the inspection process and improve the quality of Cape Girardeau’s rental housing.

But at Monday’s meeting, Uzoaru was the only council member to comment on the first reading of the rental-inspection ordinance.

Uzoaru said the new arrangement ensures city inspectors meet individually with every landlord over the course of a year.

Cape Girardeau has 776 landlords, about 2,900 rental buildings and nearly 7,000 licensed rental units, according to Alex McElroy, director of development services for the city.

The new inspection program puts the financial burden on landlords who own substandard units, Uzoaru said before the regular meeting.

The city previously has conducted inspections of rental property on a complaint basis, inspecting about 700 rental units annually. Under the new plan, the city plans to inspect about 1,350 rental units each year, officials said.

According to McElroy, the city’s inspectors could check every rental house or apartment building within less than three years.

Under the new plan, the city won’t charge a fee for the initial inspection but will charge a $65 fee for second and subsequent inspections in cases where problems have been discovered with specific rental units.

At the start of the meeting, Rediger commented about the recent shootings of police officers across the nation.

“Our hearts ache tonight for our nation,” he said.

He urged local residents to support their public-safety officers while remaining vigilant about their surroundings.

“We are in a dangerous time,” the mayor said.

At the council’s study session before the regular meeting, the city received a $16,800 grant from the Cape Girardeau County Board of Realtors. Deputy city manager Molly Hood said the money will help fund a downtown housing study as part of local government’s development of a new strategic plan.

The money includes $15,000 in grant money from the Realtors group and $1,800 in donations raised by the local board of Realtors, said Dawn Seabaugh, association executive of the local organization.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.