HOUSE NUMBERING LAW HINGES ON SELF-INTEREST

Cape Girardeau's city council took time this week to again visit the issue of house numbering. This might seem a rather rudimentary part of municipal regulation ... and it would be were it not for the general neglect the city's house numbering ordinance inspires. With renewed effort, and with a renewed reason, the city wants homeowners to live up to the law. We see no good reason why homeowners shouldn't oblige.

On Monday night, the council acted to amend a city ordinance relating to house numbering, adding a provision for supplemental numbering (along the curb) but not changing the previous requirements. According to the ordinance, Section 24-1 of the municipal code, owners of residential buildings must attach to them Arabic numbers (not script) that are at least four inches tall, visible from the street and in a color that contrasts with the building.

This cause arises from time to time, a fact that demon~strates both ongoing civic concern and historic lack of success. In 1982, for example, the council revised wording in the ordinance to specifically mandate citizens to place numbers on their residences or places of work. Prior to that, property owners were merely required "to have their premises plainly numbered." The semantic change might have prodded some persons into compliance, but public safety officials here still report difficulties with finding house numbers on many residences.

As was noted in the 1982 discussion, an ordinance without a commitment to enforcement eventually loses its steam. In fact, there is a penalty for non-compliance with city codes that could include fines or even jail time. We don't recommend any harsh justice in this regard. Instead, we believe a renewed bit of education is needed.

There are two reasons citizens should want to comply with this ordinance. One is that the city is about to implement an advanced 911 system, one paid for by telephone customers, that will provide dispatchers with an instant display of the address where the emergency call is being made; this advanced technology is less effective if emergency personnel can't locate the address that has been so conveniently supplied. The other reason is mere self-interest; the quicker an ambulance driver can find your house, the better your chances for survival in a life-threatening situation. Put a less menacing way, the quicker a pizza driver can find your door, the quicker you can eat.

As a homeowner, take a positive action in advance to help yourself, as well as protecting your investment in the new 911 system. Comply with the house numbering law.