PROPERTY STANDARDS GROUP CONSIDERS LEAD PAINT AND GOVERNMENT INTRUSION

Lead paint, and whether city officials should be given the power to regulate its levels in Cape Girardeau homes, will be the topic Tuesday at the final meeting of the city's minimum property standards review committee.

The committee, which will meet at 6:30 p.m. at city hall, was selected by the city council to recommend a code of minimum housing standards before the first council meeting in August.

"The lead paint problem has been one of the toughest and most talked about items we have dealt with," said Brian Shelton, a member of the committee who has raised questions about intrusion of privacy.

"One of the things that has bothered me about dealing with lead paint in homes is giving the city the power to mandate how much paint has to be applied or removed in homes," said Shelton. "It seems the state has enough regulations already to take care of that."

Charlotte Craig, administrator for the Cape County Health Department, said the state requires notification of any cases of children with 10 milligrams or more of lead paint in their bloodstream.

Craig will attend Tuesday's meeting to answer questions about lead poisoning.

"There are laws to protect us against the very thing we're trying to take care of," said Shelton. "I think we need to let that become the basis of when and where we become involved."

Dorothy Hardy, who also is a member of the committee, has wrestled with the issue of lead paint both as a concerned citizen and landlord.

"On the one hand, I want children and families to live in a safe and healthy environment," Hardy said. "But on the other hand, I couldn't afford to remove any lead paint that might be found in the property I own. That would run me out of business.

"It's a dilemma I still haven't resolved."

Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III, who is helping steer the committee, said common sense and compromise will have to the overriding factor in regulating lead paint levels.

"Obviously it wouldn't be economically feasible to allow any tenant to force his or her landlord to remove paint just because there is lead in it," said Spradling. "It could be that we would have to deal with lead paint as cases are reported by the Cape County Health Department."

The minimum housing standards review committee also has dealt with the issue of responsibility between landlord and tenant.

"We've gone over that several times and still haven't resolved just who is ultimately responsible when property is either damaged or in need of repair," said Spradling.

"The responsibility of taking care of property and lead paint will be the two things we will have to work hardest on before the committee comes up with a recommendation."

Spradling said he hopes this will be the final meeting.

"But if we need another meeting to address all the issues, we'll schedule one," he said. "I have to commend the committee on how hard they have worked on this. We really didn't get hung up on too many issues."