County commission asks Rep. Cook to look at legislation for more local control to help small counties from being forced to consolidate

By Laura Schiermeier, Staff Writer
Posted 7/20/22

MARIES COUNTY— Missouri State Representative Bennie Cook was at a Maries County Commission meeting last week. What began with a conversation about using a space in the courthouse to meet with …

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County commission asks Rep. Cook to look at legislation for more local control to help small counties from being forced to consolidate

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MARIES COUNTY— Missouri State Representative Bennie Cook was at a Maries County Commission meeting last week. What began with a conversation about using a space in the courthouse to meet with constituents became a discussion about small counties running out of money, potentially losing the county’s autonomy and being forced to consolidate with other counties in order to continue to afford to provide services to citizens. 

Cook is a Texas County Republican legislator representing the 142nd District. Until Dec. 31, 2022, Maries County will be represented by State Rep. Bruce Sassmann, 143rd District. However, due to redistricting, Maries County, along with Texas County and a portion of Phelps County, will be the new 143rd District, beginning in Jan. 2023. But, voters will see Cook’s name on the Republican ballot in the August Primary Election, and if he wins then, he will be on the November General Election ballot.

At last week’s meeting, Cook said the reason he came to the commissioners is that he hopes to get elected in August and November and would like to use space in the courthouse on occasion to meet with Maries County citizens who have state issues they would like to discuss with him. Cook said most issues can be handled with a phone call or an email to his office in Jefferson City. With the price of gasoline high it would be easier to use a space in Maries County to meet with people of the county. He wants to do the same thing in Phelps and Texas counties. How often he would be at the  courthouse in Vienna would depend on the need. He also is considering a mobile office to go to each community in the district and do this every quarter. He said he’s been going out and meeting people in the new district but tells Maries County citizens Bruce Sassmann is their current state representative until the end of the year.

Maries County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said the county has provided this service before. Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel asked Cook if he wants to do this before the election and if that is the case, the county is obligated to do the same for all candidates. Cook said he’d like to be at the courthouse in Vienna on Monday, July 25 at 10 a.m. for the first visit. He told the commissioners the new district is very long and spread out. The commissioners didn’t have a problem with Cook using the break room for his hour-long visit in the county. 

Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said a proposition has been placed on the August ballot to make Maries County’s prosecuting attorney a full time position, rather than the part time position it is considered now. If voters approve the proposition by a simple majority vote, it will increase the prosecutor’s annual salary from $52,101 to $146,812, an increase in pay of $94,711. Fagre asked Cook, if the proposition does not pass, if the Missouri Legislature would look at the county salary commission legislation and come up with a salary increase for the prosecutor that is a more reasonable increase and one the county can actually afford to pay. Or, for the prosecutor’s salary to be paid by state, said Rodgers. Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said the county will need the state to pick up the tab “especially if it does pass.”

Cook said they have had conversations about it, saying, “It’s a tough sell but it will come up.” Fagre said Maries County potentially could lose local control and he thinks changes to the salary commission legislation will help them not set the scale too low or too high, the way it is now. 

Stratman said they are concerned the small counties are being crowded out. The legislature passes laws that push costs to the county, such as what they did with the sheriff’s salary increase which was tacked on to a bill in a previous session. It increased the sheriff’s annual salary by $24,630 to $73,406, which the county is paying him for currently. Both Cook and Sassmann said they voted for this bill, which contained other support for law enforcement. 

“We will get where we can’t keep up,” Fagre said. 

Cook said in Ozark County they are shutting down the sheriff’s office. It is happening in rural counties and the legislature needs to think about it. Drewel said all of the smaller counties may go this way. “Would it save money to consolidate? Is it about money or about control?”

Cook said there will be issues, such as who do you call when you need help. On the budget side, it will be tight. Drewel said the county could go broke in the next two to three years and he asked what the solution is. The east side of the county added $4 million in valuation this year, but inflation outran it in increased costs to the county. Cook said he doesn’t want to see consolidation and he knows high gas prices are cutting in on budgets. Drewel said it has already begun at the “bottom of the state. Will it migrate up?” Cook said he worked at a sheriff’s office and they joked about getting the horses out. They are all feeling the pinch of inflation but he thinks they should “steer clear of consolidation” and he’s not heard talk about it. Stratman said consolidation of counties is very unpopular. 

Cook asked if the associations are discussing this and was told not really. He said Ozark County made the news with cuts to the sheriff’s office. It was way over budget and they made the decision to not go out unless it is an emergency. Rodgers said, “Everybody thinks their call is an emergency.” Cook said seeing a law enforcement vehicle is a presence. He said they need to talk about this now and figure out a solution. Other small counties have issues, too. Drewel said the county is headed that way, and Fagre said it’s right around the corner. Cook said there is no solution yet.

Prosecutor Anthony “Tony” Skouby came to the meeting. Drewel asked Cook if the state will help pay for the prosecutor’s salary and Cook said he’s not sure or what the impact will be across the state. Skouby said the state paying the prosecutor’s salary makes sense. “I represent the state but you (the county) have to pay me.” He said there are eight counties in the state with no prosecuting attorney candidate on the ballot because nobody wants to work for the pay. He said the sheriff’s office is trying to save money with the jail and has begun to cook the prisoners’ meals. The jail is full. He said the inmates are getting a hot breakfast and lunch and bologna for supper in an effort to cut costs. 

Cook said in Texas County the Extension Office and sheriff’s office have a garden worked by jail inmates. Skouby said he is judge for St. James and asked St. James for a greenhouse and a shed for people to work at for their community service. It might teach them something. Cook said in Texas County it is an opportunity for the inmates and they like being outside. They pick the produce and help prepare it. They may have had a grant to help pay for it. 

Drewel asked Cook to talk to representatives in other counties. He thinks he will find the counties are not in “as good of shape as they appear.” He said the county is not in bad shape now but it could go the other way if things don’t change. Cook said he wants to be proactive instead of reactive and will talk to a MAC representative about it. 

At the county commission meeting three days later, Rodgers said she received an email from MAC, saying effective July 1, 2022, the associate court judge salary is being increased to $150,035, an increase of 2.2 percent. This was done by the state. The state pays the judge’s salary.

Since the sheriff’s salary is 50 percent of the judge’s salary, the sheriff’s salary will increase again to $75,017.50. 

And, the proposition on the August ballot if approved by voters will increase the prosecuting attorney’s salary to the same as the judge’s salary, so it too will be $150,035. 

The commissioners, county clerk and county treasurer said the county can’t sustain these raises. The county has reserves that may last about two years. After that, deep cuts may need to be made.