SUNDAY LIQUOR STUDIED; COUNCIL COULD LIFT BAN ON SALES IN CITY

Only hours after Sunday liquor sales were approved statewide, Cape Girardeau City Councilman Al Spradling III asked for passage of a similar local law.

Gov. Mel Carnahan on Monday signed into law legislation that allows liquor stores, groceries and convenience stores to sell packaged alcoholic beverages on Sundays.

At Monday's city council meeting, Spradling successfully placed the local Sunday liquor law on the agenda for first reading, and the measure received unanimous approval but only after it was amended.

The amendment, suggested by Councilman Melvin Gateley, changed the date for consideration of the measure from Monday to the council's next meeting, June 21, essentially removing the item from Monday's agenda.

"This is a critical issue, and the citizens of Cape Girardeau ought to have a chance to consider it first," Gateley said.

Mayor Gene Rhodes joined Gateley and Councilmen Doug Richards and Mary Wulfers in voting for the amendment, while Spradling and Councilmen Melvin Kasten and David Limbaugh opposed the change.

After the split vote, the council unanimously approved the motion as amended. During the council's study session Monday, Spradling characterized the issue in economic terms.

"The way it is now, people in Cape Girardeau go across the river to Illinois on Sunday to buy liquor," he said. "It's another issue of revenue leaving the city for a product that is now legal in the state on Sunday.

"For our merchants, I think we have an obligation to provide the service."

But other council members said the public first should have a chance to voice their opinion about the law as applied locally.

City Attorney Warren Wells said the state law enables cities to continue to restrict Sunday liquor sales.

"I don't think there's any lack of availability for alcohol in our community," said Gateley.

He referred to the council's 180-page agenda packet Monday 80 pages of which were devoted to liquor license applications.

"We have 80 pages of this type of item from something that just came from Jefferson City today," Gateley added.

Richards said that although he received several calls from merchants urging the city to pass a local law to allow the sale of packaged liquor on Sundays, he favored placing the measure on the agenda for the next council meeting.

"Maybe that would give us time to at least get more input from the community," he said.

Wulfers said: "It is a touchy situation. For years and years our state has had a law against this for certain reasons."

The new state law does not allow bars to open on Sundays, although previous law lets some of them do business if they sell a minimum amount of food, a practice which continues.

In other action, the council heeded the recommendation of the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) Advisory Board to reject a new contract with the Chamber of Commerce to operate the CVB.

The city will instead operate the CVB, a move that wasn't contested by chamber officials. The new contract will take effect in July.

In other business, sponsors of a controversial zoning request withdrew their proposal because of neighborhood resistance to the plan.

Melvin and Doris Schmidt, property owners at 2910 Kage Road, and Gwenn L. Freitag, a local veterinarian, had asked the council to rezone the tract from residential to commercial and grant a special use permit for Freitag's small animal veterinary clinic.

The city's Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the proposal despite the objections of several residents of the area.

About a dozen of those residents attended Monday's meeting, but left without commenting after Schmidt and Freitag withdrew the request "due to apparent opposition."

In other action the council:

Gave first reading to a six-month extension of the cable television franchise with TCI Cablevision of Missouri Inc.

Approved a resolution authorizing a contract with Lappe Cement Finishing Inc. for the extension of Minnesota Street to Southern Expressway.

Appointed Bob Bohnsack, Debra Willis, Bernice Coar-Cobb, Brenda Dohogne, Denice Essner, Elmer Trapp, Michael R. Wallace, and Councilman Doug Richards to a Housing Assistance Task Force.

20Approved motions endorsing the applications for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the Alliance Building at 7-15 S. Spanish, and the George B. Clark House, 6 S. Fountain.

20Gave initial approval to the request of Robert and Elizabeth Lowry to construct a driveway on an undeveloped city street right of way.