Cape eyes lower debt, West End, police gear

If approved by Cape Girardeau City Council members, the city is set to use more than $2 million in unallocated funds for debt repayment and sewer repair and a Justice Department grant to help Cape Girardeau Police Department.

At the Sept. 19 meeting, Dustin Ziebold, city finance director, gave the first reading of the hodge-podge ordinance that would appropriate unallocated funds totaling $1.8 million in debt repayment and $400,000 for sewer infrastructure on West End Boulevard and grant CGPD the ability to use the federal funds. The first reading was unanimously approved by council members and will be added to the council's consent agenda for second and third readings at the next meeting. The allocations, if fully approved, would not effect the city's operating budget, Ziebold said in the meeting agenda.

The debt payment is for a promissory note to University Foundation at Southeast Missouri State University for the Cape Girardeau Business Park. It was purchased by the city for $6 million in 2012. The unallocated funding, if approved, will added to the $460,000 in the existing budget. The $2.3 million would be enough to payoff that note, pending revenue, Ziebold said at the meeting.

The $400,000 sewer infrastructure work would be completed in conjunction with the street renovations for West End.

"We're putting in a beautiful new street on West End, and we don't want to come back and cut it open in a year," Ziebold said.

He added that he has seen municipal officials do that previously and it was "devastating" to the integrity of the roadway.

The $4.6 million in improvements to the roadway between Rose and Bertling streets began at the end of August. Fronabarger Concreters are adding additional driving and bike lanes to the roadway and areas of parking. City engineer Amy Ferris said in an interview in early September she expects the project to be completed by next spring.

The other piece of the ordinance will use a little more than $118,000 in grant funds to help CGPD revamp and upgrade its body cams.

Since 2018, wearing body cams has been a standard practice for CGPD officers. Wear and tear and the fast-paced innovation for technology requires them to be replaced and refurbished routinely, chief Wes Blair said at the meeting.

The department applied for the grant in 2020 and was awarded the funds that year. CGPD will use the money to rejuvenate and expand its current camera roster to 6, Cpl. Ryan Droege, CGPD's public information officer, said in an email Friday. The grant money can only be spent on body cams.

"It is important to keep these cameras up to date because of the vital role they play for our officers and our community," Droege said.

He said they help with evidence collection and the prosecutor's case.

Droege, who served as CGPD's crime analyst in 2018, spearheaded the effort to begin the use of body cams at the department. The initial $154,000 contract was for three years and 50 cameras.