OSAGE COUNTY — Last week Maries County submitted an application for a grant through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to pay for 75 percent of the cost of purchasing and installing a large generator, which will power the entire courthouse in the event of an electrical outage.

At last Thursday’s Maries County Commission meeting, Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said the deadline for the Hazard Mitigation Grant through SEMA was the day before, but they were able to do what was needed to apply for the grant before the deadline.

Critical facility generators are mentioned as an eligible project in the grant information.                                                                                                         

One thing that was needed was an estimate, a ballpark number on what the big project will cost. Stratman said local electrician JC Harker did the county “a big favor” by coming to the courthouse to work to get the county commission a good, solid number on what the project will cost. 

With the help of MRPC’s Project Development Manager, Kelly Sink, she and Stratman were able to submit the notice of intent needed for the hazard mitigation grant application. It also needed to be added to Maries County’s hazardous mitigation plan and it was. “We got it done,” Stratman said.

In the electrician’s estimate $17,530 was for copper. Stratman said copper is “terrible expensive” right now and the electrician was not sure how much of it will need to be replaced. That total cost is for not over 100 feet of copper, Stratman said.  Also in the bid is a 3RS service rated transfer switch, 800 amps and a 250 kilowatt generator. Also in the price are costs for excavating and concrete work. The total came out to about $156,000, which is less than Stratman thought it would be. However, there are always contingencies and things happen so Stratman said they estimated the total cost at $175,000. The grant is a matching grant with Maries County paying 25 percent of the total cost, which at $175,000 is $43,750. There will be an opportunity for in-kind work with dirt and lawn work on the outside of the courthouse, work the county can do with a bobcat and a dump truck. 

Stratman said if the county does not need $175,000, it will only spend what it needs to on the project. The new generator will be located in a different place, which is right behind the World War I Memorial, a statue of a US soldier, which were called Doughboys. 

If the county is successful with this SEMA hazard mitigation grant, there will be a couple of days during the installation process when the sheriff’s office and 911 Dispatch will use the old generator until the new one is installed. The new, larger generator will be located near the current generator on the east side of the courthouse building. Once all is in place with the new generator, everything will be hooked to it. 

If they get the grant award, the county commission will put the project out to bid using Harker’s specs. 

“I hope we get it,” Stratman said.

Water billing software

Belle Mayor Josh Seaver was at one of last week’s Maries County Commission meetings to make a request for some of the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPC) money. Seaver said he knows the commissioners are making a list of requests for the money. Maries County already has received half of the total of $1.6 million it will receive in ARPA money. 

He gave the commissioners a letter stating the City of Belle would like to “formally request” the commissioners approve $20,000 in ARPA funds.

If the commissioners approve it, $10,000 of the request will be used to pay for new water/sewer billing software. The remaining $10,000 will be used for computer and networking equipment and other “ancillary costs associated with these upgrades.” 

The new software and equipment will give Belle the capability for online bill pay, the ability to remotely dispatch public works employees to water/sewer system issues, and to remotely read, connect and disconnect water services. Seaver said all of these capabilities will reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposures to employees and people doing business at the city administration building. It also will limit the amount of time public works employees must spend inside the administration building. Citizens will not need to enter the city administration building to pay water bills, check account information, apply for water accounts and more.

Seaver said Belle has the capability but needs the software to go online with bill paying. It will be via satellite with the remote reads and turnoffs. It has the capability to be able to read a whole street. 

Stratman said one of the infrastructure items listed in the ARPA information the county received mentions partnering with them for water system improvements. Sever said the city is still looking at it but it is so costly they have to look elsewhere for funding, which could reach up to $15 million. He said the last two weeks have put a spotlight on Belle’s water system problems. The problems aren’t “super time sensitive” though.

Stratman said the county still does not have completely clear guidance on how it can spend the ARPA money. But, the commissioners know they will be bringing the county’s 911 Dispatch Center up-to-date with new equipment and technology. But it is expensive. Those 911 upgrades are their number one priority with the ARPA money. The commissioners will keep Belle’s request with the others, adding they will spend all of this money within the time frame given to them. “I don’t intend to send any of the money back,” Stratman told Seaver. 

Maries County has until Dec. 31, 2024 to obligate the ARPA money, and until the end of 2026 to spend it. “We hope to have 911 figured out by that time,” Stratman said.

Everybody at Home

Treasurer Rhonda Slone had some early third quarter sales tax revenue numbers to share with the commissioners. All three of the county’s half-cent sales taxes and the sheriff’s law enforcement sales tax showed gains over the previous year of 10 percent for the first eight months of 2021. One of the county’s sales taxes brought in $219,476.12 during that time. The law enforcement sales tax generated $72,537.66 in the first eight months of the year. 

However, the county’s use tax is down 40 percent for the first eight months of 2021. Stratman said in June the county “slammed it” as the comparison is far apart. In June 2021 the county received $6,760.70 in use tax. This compares to June 2020 when the county received $62,142.10. 

Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said the big difference is because last spring everybody was home and getting free money from the government. The $62,000 also indicates Maries County residents were shopping online, which is where the use tax comes from. 

Slone said with the increase of 10 percent in sales tax it means people are continuing to shop locally, in Maries County, which is a positive for everyone who lives here. She said surrounding counties are seeing an increase in sales tax as well. 

Stratman said when figuring whether or not Maries County had a revenue reduction in 2020 from 2019, it was probably the big increase in use tax revenue that kept the county from having less revenue in 2020. 

In August one sales tax brought in $29,756.08. That same sales tax in 2020 brought in $25,043.64. 

Restitution Board 

The Maries County Law Enforcement Restitution Fund is governed by a five-member board of county citizens. The board needs some new members and there are rules about who appoints them. The sheriff appoints two members, the presiding commissioner appoints two, and the coroner appoints one. 

One member, Ron Lewis, has died. Member, Richard James resigned from the board, and another member, Lawrence Buschmann would like to come off the board. That leaves two members, Robert Lemberger and Justin Smith. 

Stratman said Sheriff Chris Heitman spoke with Rev. Chris Slocum who agreed to serve. He is the pastor of Vienna First Baptist Church. Stratman spoke with Rev. Clifford Wagner, Jr who also agreed to serve on the board. He is pastor of the Vienna Christian Life Assembly. There is another board vacancy to be filled on a nomination by Sheriff Heitman.

This citizen board is supposed to meet annually to determine how to spend money that comes from when criminal cases are settled and the prosecuting attorney as part of the punishment asks for $100 to up to $300 be paid to the law enforcement restitution fund. The money is used to pay things for the prosecutor’s and sheriff’s offices, which the board has to approve. The board has not met since 2018 and there is about $28,000 currently in the fund. 

State pay for PA salary

Fagre suggested talking to 62nd District State Rep. Bruce Sassmann about possible legislation for the state to pay the prosecuting attorney’s salary for all third class counties, making it a state office. He said the state already pays the circuit clerk, the clerk’s deputy, and the associate judge, all who work in the county’s court system of state laws. The prosecuting attorney is the only one in the court system who is paid by the county. Fagre said the state should pay because the state gets all of the fine money. Fagre said there are a lot of lawyers in the legislature and they may be able to find the money for it.

County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers said they need to be thinking about how the county will pay for the $30,000 annual increase in the sheriff’s salary, which will start at the beginning of the sheriff’s next term, which is in 2025. The state legislature approved this substantial raise but did not include funding to pay for it. 

15 miles

When questioned there was brief discussion about the Meramec region’s transportation advisory committee (TAC) priorities for road and bridge projects. The Tier 3 projects are currently unfunded but should additional funds become available for transportation projects, a 15-mile realignment of US Highway 63 between Maries County and Freeburg is listed as number three in the 11 projects submitted to the TAC for prioritization and narrowed down to five.

The US Highway 63 project is from about two miles north of Freeburg at Osage County Road #524, going south to Maries County Road #332, which is called Little Flock Church Road. In last week’s edition of this publication it was printed MCR #332 is in Osage County, when actually it is in Maries County. 

Money has not been committed for this project but when discussing about it in the past, the commissioner noted there may be infrastructure money coming down to states and counties from the federal government so it is at least possible.