Cape Girardeau CIty Council OKs small raise for city workers; water, sewer rates to go up

The Cape Girardeau City Council approved a budget Monday that gives all employees a 1 percent pay increase and raises water and sewer rates for the year beginning July 1.

Council members also heard from organizers of a petition drive over casino gambling, who said they have gathered more than 1,500 of the 2,635 signatures they will need to force a vote on whether the city will allow a gambling boat.

The raises, which will cost the city about $130,000 annually, are the first general pay increases in more than two years. The city has weathered the recession in reasonably good financial shape, city manager Scott Meyer said.

He credited employees who have worked in tight times with making the raises possible. "We challenged them to really flatten the cost of operations," Meyer said.

Mayor Harry Rediger, elected in April, said he was glad to be able to keep a campaign goal of providing at least a modest pay raise this year. The test will be whether the city can continue to help workers keep up with inflation, he said.

"I would like to think that if we can get some new businesses here, we can get the funds to not only provide cost-of-living adjustments but also initiate merit increases," he said.

The increases in water and sewer rates, 5 percent for each service, would bring the basic charge for water service to $9.54 cents for up to 6,000 cubic feet of water per month, up from $9.11, and make the basic sewer charge $4.50 per month plus $1.35 per 100 cubic feet of water used, up from $4.29 per month plus $1.29 per 100 cubic feet of water.

Doug Austin, a leader of Quality of Life in Cape Girardeau, the group pushing the casino petition, said he expects to complete the petition drive by the July 6 council meeting. The group must gather signatures from registered voters equal to 15 percent of the votes cast for governor in 2008.

Cape Girardeau is competing with at least four other cities for the only available casino license. The Missouri Gaming Commission set a Sept. 1 deadline for submitting formal applications. Cape Girardeau voted to allow casinos in 1993 but attempts to develop a property along North Main Street never bore fruit.

After Austin spoke, Rediger suggested that Quality of Life in Cape Girardeau turn in the signatures already obtained so verification by Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers could begin. Austin said he would be back at city hall today to deliver them.

If the petition drive is successful, the question of whether to allow a casino would appear on the Nov. 2 ballot.

The council also heard reports from two agencies that receive city tax support. Old Town Cape executive director Marla Mills said the city's tax support of $20,000 annually has helped generate $11.6 million in public and private investments in downtown Cape Girardeau. Jim Maurer, director of the committee working on forming a Community Improvement District in the DREAM Initiative area, said the group is making progress on defining the borders of the district and convincing property owners to participate.

Tom Mogelnicki, director of the Cape County Transit Authority, said the two services it provides, scheduled bus service and taxi service, have both shown dramatic increases in ridership this year. The bus route has been expanded, the time between buses has been cut and the fare has been simplified so all riders pay $1, he said.

The bus service has seen a 35 percent increase in ridership this year, he said.

The city provides $110,000 a year for the bus service.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, MO

Cape Girardeau City Council action

Monday

Cape Girardeau City Hall

401 Independence St.

Action items

Consent agenda

• Approved an ordinance authorizing the acquisition of property for the Armstrong Drive Project.
• Approved an ordinance establishing utility rates by amending Chapter 22 relating to solid waste fees, and Chapter 29 relating to water rates and sewer service charges, to reflect a 3.8 percent increase in fees at the city transfer station and a 5 percent increase in water and sewer charges.
• Approved an ordinance adopting the annual operating budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
• Approved an ordinance authorizing the city manager to execute a second amendment to reciprocal easement and restrictive agreement pertaining to the Cape Centre Development on Broadview Street.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a contract with Old Town Cape Inc. for the Main Street Program and for the Downtown Strategic Plan created through the DREAM Initiative.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a release of lien on property at 922 Bloomfield St. for the Community Development Block Grant Program.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a release of lien on property at 922 Bloomfield St. for the Good Hope/Jefferson Neighborhood Restoration Project.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute Addendum No. 1 to Amendment No. 1 to a general engineering services agreement with Horner and Shifrin, for the Cape Girardeau levee system certification.
• Approved a motion accepting the improvements completed on the parking lot reconstruction downtown at Broadway and Main and Water streets, a/k/a North Riverfront, and authorizing final payment to Nip Kelley Equipment Co. Inc.
• Conditionally approved of the following liquor license renewals, retail liquor by the drink:

James T. Hudson, d/b/a Alexander's, 433 S. Sprigg St.

Whiskey Business LLC, d/b/a Last Call, 632 Broadway

Independence Place Inc., d/b/a Independence Place, 5 S. Henderson Ave. (Ricky Werner)

Earl Bennett, d/b/a Roxy's Country Saloon, 107 N. Main St.

• Retail liquor by the drink and Sunday sales:

Jessup Community Developments, d/b/a The Venue, 80 S. Plaza Way

Randy Entertainment, d/b/a Show-Me's, 1751 Independence St.

• Approved of the following liquor license renewals, retail liquor by the drink:

Gregory Castorena, d/b/a El Torero, 1740 Broadway

Amanda R. Hastinger (Ottinger), d/b/a The Billiard Center, 26 N. Main St.

• Original package liquor and Sunday sales:

Tamara Z. Buck, d/b/a B&H Convenience, 1021 Bloomfield St.

New ordinances

• Approved an ordinance authorizing the city manager to execute a $110,000 contract with the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority for public transportation services.
• Approved an ordinance approving the record plat of a resubdivision of Lots 13, 14 & 15, Arbor Heights Second Addition.
• Approved an ordinance accepting a quitclaim deed from the Missouri Department of Transportation for a portion of right of way along Route W.
• Approved an ordinance appropriating funds for operating expenditures, debt service payments, capital expenditures and transfers for the fiscal year ending June 30.

Appointments

• Reappointed Dru Reeves and appointed Walter White and Glenn Williams to the Girardeau Goes Green Advisory Board.
• Reappointed Chuck McGinty to the Special Business District Advisory Commission.

Other business

• Denied the following retail liquor by the drink licenses:

Renewal: Ben Burch, d/b/a Margarita Mamas, 701 N. Main St.

New: Cuatro B. Investments LLC, d/b/a Independence Place, 5 S. Henderson Ave.

New: Ben Burch, d/b/a The Drunken Monkey LLC, 36 N. Spanish St., Benjamin Burch, managing officer