Confusion that arose during a recent Maries County Commission meeting regarding how members of the new 911 board would be appointed and when elections would take place was resolved mid-week after Sheriff Mark Morgan contacted The Advocate to provide clarification. 

Morgan’s call provided answers to questions raised at the meeting when commissioners encountered conflicting language in a separate statute that did not appear to match the voter-approved measure. 

Morgan explained that the correct statutes governing Maries County’s 911 sales tax and the formation of its dispatching board are RSMo 190.335 and RSMo 190.339, not the unrelated section referenced.

Because Maries County’s tax was established under this section, 190.335—not the conflicting statute found at the meeting — controls the method of creating the 911 board and how its members must be selected. 

 

This process is by an appointment of members to the board by the county commission. These members hold their positions until the next general election, when seats will be filled by voter approved candidates.

Morgan further noted that RSMo 190.339, specifically subsection 3, governs how the resulting revenue must be used, requiring that all funds be spent strictly on the operation, equipment and maintenance of the county’s emergency communications system.