VIENNA — The Maries County Commission last week gave its approval and support for Sheriff Chris Heitman to apply for a matching grant to upgrade the county’s 911 Dispatch communication system.

The grant is through the Missouri Department of Public Safety-Office of Homeland Security. It is federal money through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 911 Grant Program.

Heitman said the county’s equipment is 10 years old and he’d like to try for this grant to help pay for what could be a $200,000 expense to upgrade the equipment. The grant his office received 10 years ago was a 10 percent match. This grant requires a 40 percent local match.

The grant can be used for costs associated with the purchase of hardware, software and hosted services associated with enabling Next Generation (NG) 911 calls to be received, processed and dispatched. All projects must be within the NG911 strategy. Applicants for this grant opportunity must ensure the purchase of hardware, software and/or services comply with current NG911 standards, but need not meet every standard. Total federal funding provided for the grants is $2,880,389. Funds from federal sources may not be used as matching funds, but 911 fee funds may be used for the match.

Heitman said last time it cost Maries County $20,000; this time it will cost $80,000. However, the sheriff said this upgrade is needed because the current equipment is outdated.

Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said he would hate to let 60 percent of the money go. He said if they don’t update now, it certainly will cost more later to do so.

Heitman said the new equipment will allow cell phone users who call into dispatch to live stream from their phones, including photos and video. He doesn’t have any price quotes yet but thinks the updates could cost up to $200,000. Maries County should have “a pretty good chance” of getting the grant. “We’re due and can show a need for it,” he told the commissioners.

Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said there are about 9,000 people in Maries County and about 14,000 people in Osage County. He wondered if they can do some type of co-op with this new dispatching equipment. Heitman said the cost of labor would still be there for each county.

Also each county is better able to provide service for its citizens. Stratman said he thought with technology there might to be a way, adding he was trying to think outside the box. Heitman said if another county is answering Maries County’s 911 calls, they would have to give the funding to that county and the county would lose local control of 911 Dispatch. “I don’t think 911 would be better if we went with Osage County,” he said.

Fagre said he remembers Commissioner Jim Kleffner and what he said about 911—that it should have been nationwide.

Heitman said what is needed is a new call in center and enhanced trunk lines.

Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel said they asked voters to approve a 911 surcharge on cell phones to help pay for the county’s 911 Dispatch Center. Maybe they can try it again next spring. “If we don’t try, we could lose $120,000 and eventually have to buy the equipment anyway.”

Stratman said MRPC can help with the grant as the county has grant writing hours that come with its annual membership dues. The grant application is due soon, on June 19, 2020.

The sheriff was asked is sheriff’s deputies more and more are using GPS rather than road signs. He said they use GPS but still need the road signs, too.  Heitman may ask for letters of support from the cities to accompany the grant application.

First Request

Maries County received its first request for Covid-19 reimbursement from the CARES Act money it received. The county has $1,020,000 in CARES Act money in its bank account. Through MRPC, Maries R-1 School District requested reimbursement of $22,084.99 for expenses incurred due to the coronavirus. Some of the expenditures were costs related to providing and transporting meals to children who requested the meals after school was closed in mid-March until the end of the school year in May.

Stratman said MOAD is going to request funds to purchase a sanitation system to disinfect ambulances after patient transports.

Slab Cracked

Fagre said MCR #211 is closed at the Deeken’s slab as it has a crack in it and it caved in. It can’t be repaired until the water of the Little Maries River goes down. With all the floods last year, the damage to the slab began and the Road One crew worked on it several times but did not get it done. Fagre said it cracked straight across the slab and he hopes to have some boxes put in. It is one of the longest slabs he has, is a bus route, and serves a lot of people. There is another way out. He is asking Jeff Stricklan to do the repairs, but it has to stop raining.

Drewel said Road Two roads are about 95 percent good. Fagre said Road One roads are 50 percent messed up but getting closer to good. The rainfall received last week because of the tropical storm was from three to six inches, depending upon where in the county a person lives.

Use Tax

Maries County Treasurer Rhonda Slone reported on June sales tax and use tax revenues. Sales tax revenue was up about one percent as one of the county’s three half cent sales taxes generated revenue of $25,531.89.

What was surprising about the numbers is that use tax revenue was up 55 percent for June at $62,142.10. The month before it was up as well at $12,588.59. March use tax revenues were big also at $30,523.64. Thus far this year the county has received $123,540.56 in use tax. This compares to the same time period in 2019 when the total use tax received was $55,277.57.

Initially, county officials thought sales tax revenues would be greatly declined because of the coronavirus shutdown. People were asked to stay home to flatten the curve of the virus spreading so that hospitals would not be overwhelmed with people with the disease. Instead, people did stay home and when they ventured out for groceries or general supplies, they shopped locally, staying within their communities. Thus the county’s sales tax revenues have remained fairly steady.  Heitman predicted this when the shutdown first began, saying people will be shopping at G&W, Mace’s, and the three Dollar Generals in the county as well as the other retail establishments. He said larger cities that have a lot of retail probably will not fare as well as Maries County as the shopping will be concentrated among fewer businesses.

What is most surprising is the big jump in use tax, which primarily is from internet shopping. Apparently while staying at home, county residents were shopping online.

Drewel said he thinks the Road One fuel budget will be less than anticipated because of the decreased price of fuel for the road district.

Tom Reed

Tom Reed, 40, Owensville, was at the commission meeting to introduce himself to the commissioners. He is running as a Republican candidate for State Representative, District 62. This is the state representative seat currently held by Tom Hurst.

There are two other Republican candidates, Bruce Sassmann of Bland and Chris Beyer of Osage County. A Maries County native, Nancy Ragan of Vienna, also is running for the position, and is the only candidate on the Democratic ballot.

Reed currently has four businesses—Midwest Spray Foam, Car Quest Auto Parts, Midwest Auto Service Center, and Crooked Moon Distillery. In the auto service center, he has five to seven full time mechanics.

Reed is a 1998 graduate of Owensville High School. After graduating, he went to work for an auto supply and found out he wanted to work for himself and not someone else.

Fagre commented MoDOT surely could have benefited from the Missouri Legislature passing an increase in the gasoline tax. The day before, it was announced MoDOT employees will be taking a pay reduction because of the down turn in the economy caused by the coronavirus shut down. He asked Reed’s opinion on an increase in the gasoline tax.

Reed said he talked with other county commissioners and they talked about low water slabs and not being able to get people to turn in bids on road projects. He said they need to fix roads. Some of the main highways are better than others. He is not advocating for raising taxes, but “some things have to be done.”

Stratman said the state legislature passes a bill then throws into it a bunch of other things. He thinks the bills should be of a specific purpose. Fagre said such bills are thrown out and a lot of good things in the bills are lost.

Stratman said the legislature needs “to bite the  bullet and pass a gas tax.

“We’re living in the late seventies,” Fagre commented about gasoline tax revenues to fund road work for the state, counties and cities.

Fagre said if the last gas tax had been approved, it would have brought an additional $246,000 to Maries County’s road districts.

“Gas tax is a true user fee,” Stratman said. “I’m not advocating for more taxes but we have needs.”

Reed said all internet sales need to include use tax. Stratman said that would put all of the businesses on the same playing field.