Cape council votes to eliminate board of examiners

The Cape Girardeau City Council voted Monday to eliminate the board of examiners and allow city staff to handle construction-trades licensing tasks.

This marked the third time since February 2013 the Cape Girardeau City Council had considered such a move.

Past efforts failed because of opposition from the examiners.

This time, the council voted unanimously for an ordinance that eliminates the board despite opposition from the chairman of the board of examiners, Jeffrey Heise.

“You have a board that is fully manned,” Heise told the council.

Heise, who has served on the board since 2004, said board members hear from applicants and “make sure they are qualified” to take trades licensing exams.

“We feel we are the best option,” he told the council.

But deputy city manager Molly Hood said city staff members already review applicants’ credentials and experience in a particular construction trade before bringing the licensing applications to the board of examiners.

As a result, the board “seems sort of redundant,” she told the council.

City manager Scott Meyer said a number of cities have found it more efficient to leave the licensing task to city staff.

The city has had a board of examiners for more than 50 years.

Seven of the eight members on Cape Girardeau’s board of examiners are required to be licensed practitioners in at least one of the construction trades. Four of eight board members must have at least six years of experience in addition to being licensed.

City officials said few people had applied for positions on Cape Girardeau’s board of examiners over the years.

The board met only four times last year.

Anna Kangas, the city’s building and code enforcement manager, wrote in a report to the council “even when a meeting is canceled, there is still close to $20 in staff time spent preparing and mailing the cancellation notice. When a meeting is not canceled, staff spends approximately $80 per application preparing for and attending the board meeting.”

Ward 4 Councilman Robbie Guard said it was “worrisome” to leave it up to an advisory board to determine who was qualified to take a licensing test.

Mayor Harry Rediger thanked Heise for his years of service. Council members suggested Heise should considering applying for other city advisory boards.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.