Jobs going unfilled in Cape Girardeau city government

Citing a story written last week by Southeast Missourian business editor Jay Wolz on unfilled jobs in the fast-food industry, Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox indicates the problem of employment vacancies is also being seen at City Hall.

Fox said approximately 20 municipal jobs, some of them considered entry-level, are either unfilled or will shortly become available in Cape Girardeau city government.

One of the more high-profile roles is to be filled is city engineer.

"Everybody is having trouble finding help," Fox said.

"It seems there is a shortage of applicants, (and) we're doing our best with our recruiting efforts, but we're struggling in some areas," said city manager Scott Meyer, who is himself retiring in June after 12 years.

"(The number of) applicants as a rule is down and without people with specific skill sets, you don't have a lot of choices," he added.

"(Job-seekers) perhaps can go to a metropolitan area and make a lot of more money," Meyer said.

Police chief Wes Blair echoed Meyer's thinking Thursday.

"When the economy is good and a lot of other jobs are out there that pay more, it can be difficult to find folks willing to put their lives on the line every day," Blair said.

Blair said he has as many as four openings for police officers, plus four more covering the jail and dispatch.

"It's a struggle to find people willing to enter law enforcement these days," said Blair, chief since 2013.

In December, the Cape Girardeau City Council gave approval for the first time to permit applicants from states adjoining Missouri to apply for work in Cape Girardeau's police department.

"We've already had a few (applicants) from Illinois go through our process and I believe we did hire somebody and that person is in the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy now," Blair said.

"We used to advertise a police opening and might have 100 applicants; now we're lucky to get 10, and of those, many may not qualify," Meyer said.

Blair agreed with those numbers, adding the situation is more dire of late.

"Our last two (hiring) processes, there were none certified to be police officers," he said.

Newly named development services director Anna Kangas points to a handful of openings with job announcements posted on the city's website -- www.cityofcape.org -- among them code enforcement officer, inspections technician, MS4 inspector and stormwater coordinator.

This story is updated.