COUNCIL POSTPONES VOTE ON TRASH-FEE INCREASE

Acting against the advice of Cape Girardeau Mayor Al Spradling III, the city council Monday elected to delay action on a proposed trash-fee hike until the solid waste task force can offer its recommendation June 20.

"I am opposed to this, because I don't feel it's in the best interest of the city or the citizens of Cape Girardeau," said Spradling during Monday night's meeting. Spradling and City Councilman Melvin Kasten were the only council members to vote against delaying action on the proposed amendment.

The city staff recommended that the council raise the monthly residential waste collection rate from $10.54 to $12.13 to reflect higher disposal costs.

Any fee adjustments now will be delayed until after the solid waste task force considers the issue of volume-based trash billing.

"If the solid waste task force recommends that we go to volume-based billing," said Spradling, "it's going to take six months to implement, and that means we'll be operating at a deficit for a long time. The money is going to have to come from somewhere. Where do we go to make up the deficit? Some other program is going to be hurt by this."

But City Councilman Richard Eggimann suggested leaving the fee as it is and looking for ways to speed up the transition to volume-based billing if that is what the task force recommends.

"Maybe we could find a way to cut that six-month period in half," added City Councilman Melvin Gateley.

Assistant City Manager Doug Leslie said the earliest projected date of transition to volume-based billing likely would be October. "A lot of that depends on how quickly the stickers could be printed up and how fast we could figure out how the billing would have to be worked out," said Leslie.

Gateley was adamant in his pledge to keep the residential solid waste pickup fee from rising.

"I appreciate your fiscal responsibility Mr. mayor, but I just don't think the poor people in this town should have to pay that big of an increase before the solid waste task force gives us their recommendation," he said. "We've asked them to study this and give us their recommendation, and I think we should at least wait for that."

Spradling asked Finance Director John Richbourg what the delay would mean in terms of lost solid waste revenue.

"The city would be losing $14,000 each month," said Richbourg.

The council did agree to reject all outside bids for solid waste service and accept the city's $12.13 per month proposed trash fee.

Other provisions of the budget ordinance are to increase the transfer station tipping fee to $34.50 per ton and commercial solid waste collection fees by 15 per cent. Also, water-consumption fees would increase by 5 percent at the middle of the fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The city staff also is recommending that the proposed budgeted amounts allowed for employee health insurance be reduced to reflect changes in the city's policy.

In yet another matter Monday, citizens voiced their concerns over the decision by TCI Cablevision to move C-Span to the local access Channel 5.

Thomas Israel objected to the time-share basis that C-Span and the local access channel would be broadcast.

"I question the priorities here," said Israel. "I don't think I would want to be watching a high-class program like C-Span, which has very good shows on timely subjects, at 3 a.m.

"It seems that if you're going to take away a channel it would be one that wasn't doing very much."

Miki Gudermuth questioned whether or not C-Span would be cut off in the middle of one of its programs. "If C-Span were interrupted, it would be replayed at a different time," said Spradling. "If there were any pre-empting done, it would be by the city."

The city council voted to give TCI a 45-day extension of its operating franchise. The council has granted a series of six-month extensions to allow new contract negotiations to continue.

But TCI has notified City Attorney Warren Wells that it only needs an additional 45 days to complete negotiations.

In other action Monday:

-- The city elected to delay a public hearing regarding the request by Boyd Missouri Inc. to rezone 230 N. Main Street from multiple family residential district to central business district because language in the first public notice must be changed.

The council must hold a public hearing not less than 14 nor more than 60 days after the petition is received. The Division of Planning Services received the petition on June 1.

-- The council passed a resolution acknowledging receipt of voluntary annexation along Bloomfield Road, County Road 206 and Wolf Lane in Briarwood Estates.