CITY WILL SPEND OVER $30,000 ON PUBLIC AWARENESS

The city of Cape Girardeau plans to spend more than $30,000 this fiscal year to tell citizens about its municipal operations.

Nestled among the labyrinth of offices in the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau is the city's Public Awareness office.

With a staff of one part-time employee and a $30,450 budget, the new office is designed to report on city government operations -- everything from snow routes to trash bills.

City officials insist they aren't setting up a "spin doctor" office or in any way trying to massage the news.

"What we are trying to accomplish here is to make the citizens aware of what their city employees and government do," City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said.

One way the city plans to do that is by scrapping its current utility bill cards for a letter-sized, more detailed water, sewer and trash bill to be mailed in envelopes beginning in January. By doing so, the city can include information about various city operations.

The new billing procedures will take effect next month.

Mayor Al Spradling III said city officials aren't engaging in some shady public relations effort.

"We are not trying to have a smoothie out there trying to make it sound better than it is or put a different spin on it," Spradling said.

City Councilman Melvin Gateley has been the driving force behind creation of the public awareness office.

Gateley said many of the city's large institutions, such as the hospitals and Southeast Missouri State University, have marketing and public relations departments.

He said the city needed a public awareness office "to foster cooperation between everyone in the city.

"It is so important that citizens be involved in community issues," Gateley said. "We have to have their support and their ideas."

Gateley serves as chairman of the Public Awareness Advisory Board, which will hold its first monthly meeting this morning at 9 at city hall.

In addition to Gateley, the advisory board consists of fellow council members Melvin Kasten and J.J. Williamson, Fischer, Assistant City Manager Doug Leslie and Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Mary Miller.

The public awareness office at 1707 Mount Auburn Road is a one-woman show.

Coordinator Sherri Finley, 31, began work Nov. 1. She will receive salary and benefits of $12,000.

Finley's job description, as approved by the council, calls for developing a citywide newsletter, public information programs for city tax and fee issues, public use of the cable television access channel and information packets for new residents.

Finley also will handle the newsletter for city employees and coordinate city promotional materials, including brochures, signs and billboards.

The job description also states that the public awareness coordinator will be the "primary contact point for news media" on city issues.

But city officials said Monday reporters will still have complete access to the city staff and council.

Spradling said reporters won't have to make inquiries through Finley's office.

Gateley said the job description isn't set in stone.

Finley said she understands the news media's concern.

"They like the way it is right now," she said. "They don't want someone running interference."

Finley, who grew up in Mansfield, La., has 11 years of experience in marketing and sales.

Most recently, she was responsible for branch operations of an international personnel company in Bloomington, Ill.

Finley has an undergraduate degree in public administration and a no-nonsense approach to her job.

She readily admits most citizens don't pay close attention to their city government and think a lot of what city hall does is boring.

Finley said her top priority is providing understandable information to residents.