QUOTA: MEASURE NECESSARY FOR FUNDING

The Cape Girardeau City Council will consider a resolution Monday that would formally adopt an updated Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program for the Municipal Airport.

Last year, the city adopted the program, which essentially sets a quota for the percentage of minority contractors who participate in city projects that use federal funds.

Doug Leslie, public works director, said in a letter to the council that the Civil Rights Department of the Federal Aviation Administration requires that the city update and revise the program.

Through the program, bidders on airport projects must make efforts to subcontract at least 10 percent of the dollar value of the contract to small business concerns owned and controlled by "socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (DBEs)."

The contract said that individuals "presumed" to be socially and economically disadvantaged include "women, black Americans, Hispanic Americans, native Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, and Asian-Indian Americans."

According to the program, each bidder on applicable city contracts will have to submit information concerning their "DBEs," and if the bidder fails to achieve the 10 percent goal, "it will be required to provide documentation demonstrating that it made good faith efforts" to do so.

Bids that don't meet either the goal or the "good faith" requirements, apparently would be rejected under the program.

In his letter to the council, Leslie said, "The revised program must be updated and approved by the FAA before additional grant-funded projects can be awarded."

City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said Sunday that the updated airport DBE program was drafted from a similar plan for the Spirit of St. Louis Airport in St. Louis.

In other business, the council will consider first reading of a law to increase the speed limit on Broadway, between Kingshighway and Clark, from 25 to 30 mph.

The Cape Girardeau Police Department recommended the change after it conducted a "speed study" on the portion of Broadway that was widened this year.

Sgt. Al Moore of the department said in a report on the speed study that the 30 mph zone from Kingshighway, which has a 35 mph speed limit at its intersection with Broadway, will give drivers ample time to slow to 25 mph east of Clark near McDonald's restaurant.

"With a tolerance of the speed limit, traffic will be traveling above the 30 mph, and if we set it at 35, we would have them traveling near 45 mph and then reducing to 25 mph," Moore said.

"With a 30 mph speed zone we would have sufficient distance to reduce to 25 mph prior to reaching McDonald's and a large volume of traffic."

Moore said in the report that he was against raising the speed limit more than 5 mph on Broadway, because it would increase the opportunities for congestion and accidents.

Moore said Broadway at West End Boulevard and the section of Broadway between West End and Park Avenue are two of the top 15 accident locations in the city.

"Many of the accidents on Broadway are now a result of the speed problem as they are rear-end collisions where a stopped vehicle is struck in the rear while stopped, slowing down, or just starting to move," he added.

"(Thirty-five) mph would create a very serious problem because of the large volume of traffic on Broadway and the many turn lanes along with the narrow street."

The council also will consider appointments to the Vision 2000 Community Relations Council, the Convention and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board, the Bicentennial Commission, and the new Board of Examiners.