ZONING: PETITIONERS WANT VOTE ON ISSUE

JACKSON - A petition drive by two Cape Girardeau County residents could force the county commission to place county-wide planning and zoning requirements on the November ballot for voters' approval.

Darrell Hanschen and Richard Schmidt initiated the petition drive, which Hanschen said Sunday has yielded about 2,000 signatures.

"We're going to start turning them into (County Clerk) Rodney Miller (today) for verification," said Hanschen. "If we get 1,237 registered voters on the petitions, the issue will be on the ballot Nov. 3."

Hanschen, who lives near Fruitland, said that when voters approved county planning and zoning in November 1972, most voters had no idea what the measure would entail.

Voters then were given the opportunity to check one of the following options: "For County Planning and Zoning" or "Against County Planning and Zoning."

By a 201-vote margin, planning and zoning were approved, and the county has worked gradually toward a zoning ordinance during the past 20 years.

Schmidt and Hanschen held a public meeting Feb. 5 to discuss planning and zoning issues with county residents. Hanschen said that the 150-200 people who attended the meeting had little idea what sort of requirements and restrictions county planning and zoning would include.

"There were a lot of people interested in the subject at the meeting," he said. "A lot of them had no idea what county zoning was all about.

"Once we get enough signatures and get them certified, then our main objective is to educate the public. We're going to leave it up to the people to make an informed vote on this issue and not leave it up to two of the three county commissioners."

The county planning commission recently completed hearings in all 10 county townships on a proposed zoning ordinance. The county planning commission is considering possible changes in the law based on comments at the public hearings.

Once the final measure is drafted, it will go to the Cape Girardeau County Commission for final approval.

But Hanschen said the public hearings were sparsely attended, and he contended the zoning ordinance should be submitted to the voters.

"You mention county zoning and people just are not aware of what it's about," he said. "I'm all for county planning. I think we're a progressive county and we need it. But the way it's set up needs some changes."

Hanschen said he's wary of the zoning committee that would be appointed by the county commission to rule on zoning issues. He said that short of costly litigation, there's little property owners can do to appeal decisions by the committee.

"These people in Cape County who complain about too much government, they don't know what government is, until they get this set up," Hanschen said. "A lot of us county residents, whenever we moved out of the city we knew we were giving up some things in terms of fire protection and police protection.

"But we chose that to live where we live, and now they're trying to bring it to us."

Hanschen said that he'd be satisfied with a county-wide vote on the issue, regardless of the outcome. "If a majority of people want it, we'll live with it," he said.

He said the petition signatures should be verified in "a few weeks." In the meantime, he'll continue to gather more names.