Transportation fund renewal, building codes top Cape council agenda

Two of the top items to be discussed by the Cape Girardeau City Council on Monday night are building codes and the fifth renewal of the Transportation Trust Fund.

The council voted at its last meeting to place the TTF renewal question on the Aug. 4 ballot.

The final vote will be Monday night. The half-cent sales tax dedicated specifically to transportation projects reaches its sunset at the end of the year.

In many ways, TTF 5 presented a lot of firsts for the city. This is the first time it focuses on renovating of existing infrastructure, rather than construction of new. It also is the first time residents offered input on the project list through the interactive "Cape Cash" experience -- using fake money to decide how they would distribute funds among eight recommended projects and maintenance needs.

A key area of focus for the council has been how much money should be allocated to projects vs. general maintenance, which covers projects such as sidewalk and street repair. In past discussions, council members have expressed support for dedicating nearly half of the TTF 5 funds -- conservatively estimated at about $22.5 million over its five-year lifespan -- to maintenance. The council also has been unanimous in its support of rededicating $3.2 million previously allocated for the TTF 4 Armstrong Drive project -- set aside because of high right-of-way costs -- to street maintenance.

Discussing the final project list, including costs and the division of funds between projects and maintenance, will the focus for the council during its study session.

Another major item up for discussion is updating building codes. The Board of Appeals has considered updates in a series of meetings that began last year. A public hearing Wednesday was designed to answer questions and gather input.

New building codes are published every three years. The city typically has adopted every other code cycle, or every six years, according to city reports.

The city is scheduled for an Insurance Services Office -- or ISO -- visit later this year and could lose points on the ISO rating for any codes more than five years past the publication date. Some of the enforced codes are from 2009 and 2008. A negative change in the ISO rating could increase property insurance rates.

Council will discuss the issue with staff Monday night but will bring an ordinance regarding new codes to the council in the near future. The plan is for new codes to be in effect by July 1.

Other business

Items to be voted on during the meeting include a final reading of an ordinance that would increase court costs for domestic violence shelters. Approval would change the fee from $2 to $4, with funds going to the Safe House for Women.

It also will consider resolutions authorizing agreements with Nip Kelley Equipment Co. for construction of sidwalks on Kingsway Drive, partly paid for by a federal Safe Routes to School Program grant. Nip Kelley submitted the lowest bid of $138,943.90 for the Safe Routes project. It also was the lowest bidder on the city-funded Kingsway Sidewalk Project -- which extends the sidewalk built under the Safe Routes to School Program -- at $107,492.30. TTF 4 funds will pay for construction costs. Once complete, the new sidewalk will begin at Kurre Lane and end behind Food Giant, 1120 N. Kingshighway.

One of the final items up for council consideration is an ordinance enacting a new section of the city code related to walking along roadways. The existing ordinance does not specify medians as part of the roadway, according to staff reports. That means pedestrians are not prohibited from standing or congregating in medians. The ordinance would prohibit pedestrians from using the median for any purpose other than crossing the roadway.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.