FIRE CHIEF WANTS TO REVISE PROPERTY CODE

Cape Girardeau's minimum property maintenance code could hamper public safety officers from doing their jobs, the city's fire chief says.

Chief Robert Ridgeway wants the city council to revise the code before giving final approval to the measure.

The code is scheduled for final readings at Monday night's council meeting.

The council gave first reading to the measure two weeks ago. At that time, the council deleted a provision that would have allowed city officials to make property maintenance code complaints.

Ridgeway said he wants the code amended to allow police or fire officials to file complaints when they observe life- and property-threatening violations.

He also wants the council to waive the five-workday waiting period to allow immediate city inspection of properties when warranted.

In a memorandum to the city manager, Ridgeway said it isn't unusual for firefighters to observe a serious electrical wiring problem while handling a minor emergency at a residence.

"Failure to allow public safety officials to report and have corrected obvious life and property threatening violations would violate the spirit, if not the intent, of the entire code enforcement process, and could quite possibly place the city at risk from a legal standpoint."

But Councilman Richard Eggimann said city agencies already have the power to deal with serious health and safety issues.

Eggimann said the property code is designed to be enforced through citizen complaints. "We want a minimum housing code. We don't want a maximum housing code."

But Councilman Tom Neumeyer said Ridgeway's concerns are valid.

He said the code should be amended to allow the city to file complaints when warranted. "We are talking about an extreme situation where there is an immediate threat," he said.