Cape Girardeau may require licenses for landlords

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) -Cape Girardeau city officials want to issue licenses to landlords. They also want to inspect rental property at least once every three years.

Assistant City Manager Ken Eftink says that the city will work with the City Council to develop the guidelines that will be used to determine the licensing procedure and inspection criteria.

"It’s more of a neighborhood protection program," Eftink said. "If you have one house on the block that is in poor condition or has other problems, it really brings down the value of the other properties on that block. So to protect that neighborhood, you try to make sure that all the houses on that block are being properly maintained."

The city currently does not have a licensing system in place for landlords.

Eftink says that the inspection will include a checklist of basic items that should be in good condition, such as the foundation, windows, doors, chimney, and roof.

The city will likely hire two addition employees to act as inspectors. Eftink says the licensing fees should cover the cost of the program.

The City will work with City Council over the next few months to hammer out the details of the program.

The city will take input at a public meeting on Thursday, June 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the Osage Center.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

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Cape City Council to consider rental inspections and licenses

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The city of Cape Girardeau may soon call for landlords to become licensed as well as require rental inspections in hopes to enforce property maintenance codes.

The Neighborhood Protection Program was designed to provide safe living environments for tenants, protect property values, and encourage reinvestment, which Assistant City Manager Ken Eftink believes can be accomplished one block at a time.

"The goal is to protect neighborhoods, basically protecting one block at a time. If you look at a house that is in a dilapidated condition it brings down the values of all the other properties on that block," Eftink says.

Eftink asked for City Council approval last night and will meet with landlords this week before drafting an ordinance.

In other news, the Cape Girardeau City Council voted to authorize the Safe Routes to Schools grant of over $175,000 that will install nearly 5,000 feet of sidewalks around local schools.

The council also passed an ordinance that will require businesses that play outdoor music to apply for a seasonal Outdoor Music Venue Permit.

Matthew Caldwell, KRCU

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Cape Girardeau to redraw ward boundaries

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (KRCU) - The City of Cape Girardeau is going to look closely at its ward boundaries after receiving the latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Cape Girardeau has six wards, and each ward should have about 6,300 residents.

The city’s population grew from 35,349 to 37,941.

Assistant City Manager Ken Eftink says that areas west of town exhibited the fastest growth.

"That’s where most of the new construction has taken place. In our case, to the northwest we had the Whispering Oak area coming in to the city limits. To the southwest, we had the Dalhousie area coming in to the city limits," Eftink said.

The City Manager’s office redraws the ward boundaries, which are then approved by City Council.

In addition to ensuring an equitable distribution of population amongst the wards, Eftink says that they must take into consideration where council members live.

Eftink says that he is interested in seeing the 2010 census data for the downtown region to see if efforts to encourage residence in the historic district are bearing fruit.

Jacob McCleland, KRCU

Image courtesy of the City of Cape Girardeau

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