County commission takes speed limit plan a step forward

Though Paul Koeper, Cape Girardeau County's 1st District commissioner, only recently completed a series of town hall meetings with county residents, he's ready to do it again.

This time Koeper will be talking specifically about setting speed limits on county roads.

"You get better roads, you're going to get higher speeds," said Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan during a discussion at Thursday's county commission meeting. Jordan and two deputies, Lt. Vince Diebold and Sgt. Chris Hull, told commissioners as many as three drivers a day are given warnings. About 12 tickets are issued each year, and the department hears more than 75 speeding complaints each year.

The state speed limits are 70 mph for rural interstates and freeways, 65 mph on rural expressways, 60 mph on urban-area highways, freeways or expressways and 60 miles an hour for "all other roads and highways in this state not located in an urbanized area" and not regulated elsewhere. That, Jordan said, includes many Cape Girardeau County roads.

Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones said determining limits "is not going to happen today or next month."

He said many legal questions needed to be answered first, such as fines and implementation costs. Jones, Koe­per and 2nd District Commissioner Jay Purcell agreed to hold public meetings so people can offer their opinions and on limits, penalties and which roads need limits.

Koeper said speed-limit signs and installation would cost an estimated $15,000. Jordan said adding two or three hand-held radar guns to the sheriff's department inventory would cost less than $4,000. He has radar devices installed in one car, he said.

"Hand-held allows you to hide," he said, repeating the statement later and explaining the tactic would be used "when you've got a problem where it's one kid or one family."

The commissioners agreed to have a sheriff's deputy, Koe­per and highway administrator Scott Bechtold work as a committee to draft a plan.

Treasurer Roger Hudson asked how long it would take for fines to pay for implementing the limits. Purcell emphasized that the issue is one of safety.

"We're not out there to create revenue," Jordan said. "We're out there to solve problems."

Other action

The county commissioners authorized the hiring of a replacement for the county's part-time child support officer and opened and referred bids for a used vehicle to the juvenile center director Randy Rhodes for a recommendation. The commissioners also reappointed Charlotte Craig, director of the county health center, as county health officer, and agreed unanimously to have engineer Tom Strickland create a proper bid document for repairs and maintenance to the county jail.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

388-3646