Council passes nuisance party ordinance

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The city of Cape Girardeau is now just ten days away from enacting a new ordinance that aims to bring an end to what it views as nuisance parties.

Bill number 1181, aptly dubbed the nuisance party ordinance, was approved at Monday nights City Council meeting.

The ordinance was first purposed by a group of citizens who were fed up with all night college blow outs in their neighborhood.

The ordinance seeks to curtail loud and unruly parties of over ten people by enacting tougher punishments for those hosting the parties, if need be.

Mayor Harry Rediger says that the city needed the ordinance.

“We were glad to get that brought forward this evening for the citizens. It’s been an ongoing issue and rightfully so, we should taken action; were glad to get it accomplished,” Rediger says.

A similar ordinance is on the books in Columbia, Missouri.

Even with Cape’s nuisance party ordinance, the mayor and members of city council are still planning to do more to end raucous college parties.

They plan to purpose an ordinance that will allow for landlords to inspect their property and potentially terminate the lease if they feel that parts of the contract are not being fulfilled.

The possible ordinance is intended to allow landlords and neighbors to deal with problem tenets and neighbors.

Mayor Rediger describes the nuisance party ordinance as a stop gap and the first step in allowing residents to take their neighborhoods back.

“That ordinance will, will uh protect even more the neighbors and citizens of our community because that will give us some teeth on the landlord side, this really does not,” he said.

A public meeting will be held at the Osage Center this Thursday at seven p.m. to discuss and get feedback on the matter.

Tim Filla, KRCU

Posted in: Cape Girardeau City Council,Harry Rediger,nuisance party ordinance