The city of Cape Girardeau is taking a hard look at electrical contracting.

Currently, anyone who pays $35 can obtain a permit to do electrical wiring in a new home or house that is being remodeled.

This $35 seems little guarantee that the work will be up to standard. In fact, the city building inspectors have documented a number of substandard work. In one particular case, it required six inspections before the work was brought up to proper specifications.

A recent public hearing weighed the options of testing and licensing electrical contractors. Many of those speaking favored the testing as a way to better assure performance. One engineer brought up the issue of penalties -- suggesting that those who repeatedly fail to comply with electrical codes pay fines.

It does seem a waste of city staff time and effort to recheck some electrical projects time and time again.

A number of cities provide testing and licensing under the Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) national guidelines.

The danger would be a new layer of government red tape. We encourage the city to continue investigating the possibilities -- keeping in mind that regulations should promote safe construction, not stifle it.