The Cape Girardeau Ethics Commission may someday muster a quorum. The City Council decided Monday evening to extend the new commission's application deadline to April 15.

Voters added the Ethics Commission to the city charter in April 1996. The charter calls for the seven-member commission to have a quorum of five.

Four city residents -- William Donnelly, John Egbuka, Bo Shantz and Stephen Stigers --applied to be on the commission before the original deadline of March 1.

The charter gives the commission broad powers to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by members of the city council and city commissions, the city manager, chief purchasing officer and municipal judge.

However, the charter restricts the political activities of ethics commission members.

Mayor Al Spradling III said those restrictions may have discouraged some people from applying, but the feeling was that there should be "no contamination" in the committee from those with political connections.

Anyone interested must pick up an application at the city clerk's office in City Hall. Applications must be postmarked before midnight April 15.

In other business, the City Council approved the city's capital improvements plan through fiscal 2002 without change. Members discussed changing the city's road-building plan. The changed would have moved up the connection between Siemers Drive and the new Highway 74 before making improvements to Broadway and Mt. Auburn Road, but the council decided against it.

Tom Mogelnicki, vice chairman of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission, said the commission recommended working on Siemers Drive earlier because it would alter traffic pattern and ease congestion on William Street and Bloomfield Road.

But council members unanimously decided not to change the order. Councilman Tom Neumeyer said voters expect the roads to be built and improved in a certain order and the council should stick to that order.

Mogelnicki said the commission recommended having public meetings to explain the changes.