Casino funds mulled for police, fire radios

To meet the demand for increased public safety needs, the Cape Girardeau City Council discussed the possibility of using casino funds for radio equipment upgrades for the police and fire departments.

The council gathered in a special planning session Thursday evening to discuss fiscal discipline, where city staff provided details about fiscal challenges facing the city.

The challenges named by staff were primarily in the departments of public safety and public works. Some issues were one-time costs, such as equipment purchases. But others, such as infrastructure, were recurring costs.

Fire chief Rick Ennis said the city's public safety department is facing several challenges that would require significant fiscal discipline. The need for a new police station and updated fire facilities has long been discussed by council, but Ennis said the departments also were dealing with equipment issues.

As with all other forms of technology, radios and walkie-talkies are evolving and it's important for public safety officials to keep up with the technology, he said. Radios used by Cape Girardeau firefighters operate on the 400 megahertz spectrum, but Ennis said that spectrum is becoming crowded. He equated it to condensing eight-lane traffic into four lanes.

The 700 MHz spectrum has been designated by the Federal Communications Commission for public safety use. By switching to that public safety band, Ennis said it would eliminate white noise and interference officials deal with in the current system. The upgrade also comes with better "in-building penetration" that Ennis and police chief Wes Blair both agreed was a problem.

To switch to the 700 MHz band, new towers with different antennas would have to be built and new radios would have to be purchased. Ennis said the cost could range between $1.5 million and $3 million, depending on possible funding from the state.

The fire sales tax, which is up for renewal by voters this fall, typically pays for public safety equipment needs, but city manager Scott Meyer said staff recognized the one-eighth-cent tax would not keep up with current needs and fund the radio upgrade.

Because the equipment is a one-time cost and will create greater efficiency once implemented, staff suggested using the innovation fund -- which is funded by casino money -- to pay for the upgrade. Meyer said he believed it was the right move because public safety was one of the city's highest priorities.

"If you don't have safety, you don't have anything," he said.

Although council ultimately expressed support for the move, many members stressed the importance of not being too dependent on casino funds. Councilman Mark Lanzotti said he would be "very cautious" about using casino funds for long-term funding obligations and that doing so would be a "complete 180" from sentiment expressed previously by council.

But he and the rest of the council agreed, without taking any formal action, because it was a one-time cost that filled such a great need for the city, the use of casino funds in that case was appropriate.

Staff also discussed public works issues, such as the outdated transfer station and deteriorating roads. Public works director Tim Gramling said 25 percent of all city streets were rated poor or worse, and 21 percent of all sidewalks were in need of repair. The staff suggested making these improvements a higher priority when determining the focus of TTF 5 funds.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.