Cape Girardeau City council formally adopts budget

Cape Girardeau City Council members adopted the city's coming fiscal year budget at their meeting Tuesday, June 20.

The budget includes a pay raise of 3% for all city workers and changes to some fees. Water and sewer rates will increase 5% for bills issued after Saturday, July 1. Disconnect and reconnect fees will increase about $1 each. The budget does not address property taxes, since Lisa Mills, Cape Girardeau's finance director, said at an earlier meeting officials would adopt them in August.

The across-the-board pay raises have been challenged by members of Missouri Fraternal Order of Police-Lodge 51, made up of Cape Girardeau Police Department officers, and representatives wanted to address council members Tuesday, but the public comment period at the end of each council meeting is about items not on that meeting's agenda.

Mayor Stacy Kinder noted the budget item on the agenda, and said comments about the budget would need to be made at a future meeting without the budget being on the agenda.

The budget, and other items, were on the council's "consent agenda", meaning those items have been discussed at a previous meeting. Council members approve consent agenda items in mass without discussion.

As council members consider new business at each meeting, there is an opportunity for public comment on each item.

Other action

The group also granted a special-use permit to Tenmile Management LLC for property at 603 N. Henderson Ave. Developer Ben Traxel said he plans to turn the property into an "elegant and tasteful" boutique hotel, featuring seven guest rooms.

In other business, council members adopted a number of measures on the group's consent agenda:

• vacating the city's interest in a portion of an easement located at 433 and 461 Cape West Crossings;
• accepting permanent utility easements from Vernon E. Rhodes Family Partners LLC for property located at 2110 Southern Expressway;
• approving record plats of several subdivisions -- Hunter's Place Third, Deer Creek Road, Veterans Point and Baldwin Creek;
• a resolution acknowledging receipt of an annexation petition for property located at 2797 Benton Hill Road.

In new business, council members read proposed ordinances for the first time:

• amending Schedule C of Section 26-132 of the City Code, by establishing stop signs at various locations;
• amending Schedule F of Section 26-289 of the City Code, by establishing No Parking Zones in various locations;
• amending Chapter 25 of the Code of Ordinances regarding off-street parking requirements for various types of zoned property;
• approving the record plat of River City Centre First Subdivision;
• accepting a General Warranty Deed from Broadview Commercial Properties LLC for property located at the northwest corner of North Broadview Street and Independence Street;
• authorizing the mayor to execute a Special Warranty Deed to Broadview Commercial Properties LLC for property located west of and adjacent to 39 and 45 N. Broadview St.;
• authorizing the mayor to execute a Permanent Sign Easement to Broadview Commercial Properties LLC for property located west of and adjacent to 39 and 45 N. Broadview St.;
• accepting permanent utility easements from various property owners for a portion of a vacated alley right of way between South Park Avenue and South West End Boulevard and from Vada Leasing LLC over a vacated part of Hickory Street;
• accepting easements from various property owners for the Sherwood Drive/Hood Drive/Brookwood Drive Drainage Improvements Project.