Cape council gives initial approval to $71M budget

The Cape Girardeau City Council made several decisions on budgets and funding at its regular meeting Monday.

The council gave unanimous first-round approval to the roughly $71 million budget after no one appeared to speak at the public hearing held on the matter. The amount is nearly identical to last year's budget. Final approval will be given at the council's next meeting June 16.

Also approved at Monday's meeting was a resolution authorizing the city to apply for the 2014 COPS Hiring Program Grant. It would allow the city to receive funds from the U.S. Department of Justice to hire three new police officers. The grant would provide 75 percent of the funds with a 25 percent match from the city.

Police chief Wes Blair said hiring three more officers would mean less overtime for current officers, which could help keep costs down enough to retain the three new officers after grant funds were no longer available. Councilman Wayne Bowen said he was happy to see such an opportunity was available and called it "a great proposal."

The council gave unanimous approval to an ordinance executing a contract with the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority to continue providing fixed-route shuttle services in the city. The approved contract, which provides identical services to those available last year, represents the eighth year such services were provided at a cost of $110,000.

Finally, an ordinance was approved appropriating $73,000 from the Convention and Tourism Fund -- which collects a 4 percent hotel/motel tax and 1 percent restaurant tax -- to pay for improvements to Cape Splash. As part of the agreement, Markey and Associates, which designed the entire facility, was contracted to design a speed slide. Officials with the city's parks and recreation department hope the newest addition will be complete by 2015.

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401 Independence St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.