PUSHING THE LIMITS: CAPE CONSIDERS ANNEXATIONPLAN

If a developer wants to build a new subdivision outside the City of Cape Girardeau and then have the city annex it, that developer had better be prepared to build a subdivision to conform to Cape Girardeau standards.

That is the essence of a recommended policy on annexing new territory written by members of the city's staff. However, members of the City Council disagree over whether to adopt the policy.

More specifically, the proposed policy states that the city wouldn't hook up new water and sewer services to any subdivisions outside the city limits unless the developers submitted a petition for annexation and agreed to build everything to conform with city codes. The city would inspect the property while it is under construction just as if it were part of the city. Meanwhile, city planners would review the use to see whether it conforms to the comprehensive plan.

Water and sewer service would not be hooked up until the city annexes the property.

The policy would not affect any existing agreements the city has about hooking up utilities or annexing a property.

Mayor Al Spradling III supports the policy.

"It would be silly in my mind to have somebody start developing a major subdivision that they want to have in the city, and they put in a 20-foot-wide street and 3-inch-thick asphalt," he said. If the city annexed such a subdivision, the poorly paved streets would have to be rebuilt and wouldn't be wide enough to accommodate city fire engines and garbage trucks, he said.

He noted that his law practice represents several clients who are suing developers for damages from poorly constructed homes outside the city limits. He hasn't had any similar suits from within the city, he said.

Councilman Richard Eggiman opposes the policy. Contractors have complained to him about the expenses of building to meet city codes.

The city could generate revenue by selling water and sewer services outside the city limits, Eggiman said. He added that the policy would encourage the piecemeal annexation of small plots rather than bringing in large tracts at one time.

Councilman Jack Rickard agrees with Eggiman. He said that following the proposed policy could result in not being able to supply water to a new subdivision if it doesn't border on the city.

Spradling doesn't believe the city could use water and sewer service to unincorporated areas as a revenue enhancer. "You can get revenue from it, but they forgot the cost of the trunk line going out there," he said. Unless the developer makes a special arrangement to pay for the trunk line, the city only gets revenue from the residents' water and sewer bills, Spradling said.

City Manager Michael Miller said annexing a residential area generally means providing city services that cost more than the revenue added from taxes. New businesses in the city might add sales tax revenues to the city's coffers, but homes only add property tax and payments for city utilities. Sales tax is the city's major source of revenue.

Spradling said the city doesn't have specific plans for annexing any areas right now. But the city can have an interest in controlling more territory, Spradling said. For example, it may want to have a hand in controlling runoff from stormwater that flows into the city from a nearby area.

Jackson, however, is in the process of figuring out whether and where it should plan to grow, said Mayor Paul Sander. The city has contracted with the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission to recommend revisions to the city's comprehensive plan. "Out of that plan we'll rank areas in priority of what would be the most likely areas," Sander said.

Sander said Jackson has grown as fast as it could absorb new areas, not by aggressively looking to annex but by having developers asking the city for annexation before they build new subdivisions.

"We've had all that our infrastructure could handle," Sander said, noting that the city must provide hook-ups for sewer, water and electricity for everything it annexes.

About three years ago, Jackson annexed Gardenview Acres, a subdivision of about 75 homes and is just now finishing installing sewers there.

Sander said he and Spradling have spoken informally about annexation policies. He expects the two cities to have formal meetings about annexations near both cities.