COUNCIL PANEL URGES CITY BOARD CHANGES

Three Cape Girardeau councilmen have recommended changes in the operation of city advisory boards, including requiring board members to be city residents.

The special committee of councilmen Richard Eggimann, Melvin Kasten and Tom Neumeyer recommended future board appointments be limited to Cape Girardeau residents.

The lone exception would be the airport board; the committee has suggested allowing residents of Cape Girardeau County and northern Scott County to serve on the airport board.

Eggimann said the exception should be made because the airport serves the region.

The three councilmen met for the first and only time Tuesday morning at City Hall. They plan to make their recommendations to the full council later this month.

Neumeyer voiced concern about the proposed residency requirement for city boards, but was outvoted by Kasten and Eggimann. He said such a requirement would exclude Cape Girardeau businessmen who live outside the city limits.

"They do have an investment in Cape," he said. "I think we are excluding some good people."

Currently, only four of almost 170 advisory board positions are filled by people who live outside the Cape Girardeau city limits.

The councilmen also agreed that no one should be allowed to serve on more than one city board at a time. Several people now serve on more than one board.

The councilmen said the city needs to do a better job of advertising board vacancies and encouraging citizens to apply for the volunteer posts.

The committee recommended that council members be barred from serving on advisory boards, except as ex-officio members.

Councilman Melvin Gateley is the only councilman serving on an advisory board. He is a member of the Vision 2000 Community Relations Committee.

The committee of councilmen also recommended eliminating several one-time boards that have completed their tasks, such as the minimum property standards committee and the solid-waste task force.