Cape mayor gives COVID-19 update, talks budget impact

Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox said the State of Missouri is working at getting medical equipment for areas that have been affected by the new coronavirus, and cost-saving measures will have to be found to deal with the city’s budget, which will take a hit because of the outbreak.

Fox spoke with the Southeast Missourian on Sunday evening following his weekly call with other Missouri mayors and Gov. Mike Parson.

The group included mayors from Cape Girardeau, Springfield, Columbia, Kansas City, Independence and St. Louis.

“Everything at the state level changes by the hour,” Fox said. “Everybody’s concerned about shortages of personal protective equipment, and the state did send out a large shipment Thursday and Friday to those places that need it the most.”

According to Fox, Parson said it won’t be long before Missouri will be doing thousands of tests a day for COVID-19.

“We’re not seeing a whole lot more cases in Missouri,” Fox said referencing the governor’s comments, “but as the testing picks up you’re going to see more cases.”

Mobile testing will begin Tuesday in Cape Girardeau. Fox said currently there are 16 mobile testing sites around the state.

The governor, Fox said, is looking for manufacturers who can produce medical products such as masks and ventilators. Fox said both hospitals in Springfield are short on ventilators but the Missouri Hospital Association assisted with the purchase of 225 more.

In addition to St. Louis and Kansas City, both of which have issued state-at-home measures, Fox said Springfield and Columbia are considering similar actions as they continue to see more cases of COVID-19. These orders, according to Fox, come through the county. Cape Girardeau County has not announced a similar order.

The state, Fox said, is attempting to delay things such as driver’s license renewals and tax filings, moving as much as they can 60 to 90 days out. And the state has temporarily relaxed regulations on day cares due to the influx of families needing the services as all Missouri schools are temporarily closed.

Fox said he is aware some individuals question why they have not heard more from him, but he said much work is taking place behind the scenes. Fox said he receives daily reports and participates in a daily call with county leaders to get updates.

A challenge for the city, Fox said, will be to balance its budget and find cost-saving solutions.

“Every city in this state itself, the toughest thing is going to be looking at our budgets and deciding what we’re going to cut to make budget,” he said.

“It’s going to be deadly to our budget because we depend on sales tax,” he said, “and people just aren’t out shopping and buying things. It’s going to make it a tough year for us right now because our fiscal year ends June 30, and we’re working on that budget right now. And there was already a deficit. Trying to correct things and cut things next year. But then we have to look at the next year and our income is going to be so down, it’s really going to be challenge.”

Fox said this could mean doing business “differently than what we’ve done” before until the city is able to see its revenues return.

Two big-ticket items are the Central Municipal Pool and a new leisure pool proposed near Jefferson Elementary. While Fox said he believes school officials want to proceed with the proposal, he’s unsure how the city can find the necessary funding with an already-constrained budget now taking an additional economic hit.

“I don’t want to add anymore money to our budget right now,” he said, adding unless the state passes internet-sales tax legislation or another “massive income” is available, he “doesn’t see it happening right away.”

A council retreat scheduled for April 17 will likely be canceled, he said. The city is also considering how to implement virtual meetings. Advisory committees are not meeting at this time.

The local COVID-19 commission will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. today. The group includes the mayors of Cape Girardeau and Jackson, Cape Girardeau County commissioners, representatives from SoutheastHEALTH and Saint Francis Healthcare, the county public health department and chambers of commerce.

The Southeast Missourian will stream the news conference on semissourian.com.