MARIES COUNTY — As the year 2021 was coming to a close, the Maries County Commission at the Dec. 30, 2021 meeting looked at the year’s sales tax numbers, which were provided by Treasurer Rhonda Slone.

She reported for the year, 2021’s sales tax revenue from its three half-cent sales taxes and the law enforcement tax, were seven percent higher than they were in 2020. It should be noted that 2020 also was a good year for Maries County sales tax revenue, which was attributed to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic when people were shopping in their own community rather than driving to Jefferson City or Rolla. 

One sales tax brought in $337,768.49 in 2021. This compares to 2020 when one of the county’s sales taxes generated revenue of $312,803.96. The sheriff’s office law enforcement sales tax netted $111,658.60 in 2021, compared to $103,622.89 in 2020. 

Sales tax revenues in 2021 were more than the previous month in 2020 in eight out of 12 months in 2021. These months were January, February, March, May, July, August, October, and December. 

While the county’s sales taxes were up in 2021 across the board, the county’s 2021 use tax revenues saw a decrease of 31 percent  compared to 2020. Slone reported total use tax revenue of $126,871.99, compared to 2020 when the total for the year was $183,494.52. Slone said so many people stayed at home and did their shopping online in 2020 as they hid from the COVID-19 virus. 

Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman said the county’s sales tax revenues are up $81,334 from 2020, but use tax revenue is down $56,000. 

“The sales tax made it up overall,” he said, adding maybe the additional sales tax revenue will be enough to pay for the raises for employees and elected officials. 

Slone said maybe county residents will continue the habit of shopping locally. Stratman said another retail outlet is supposed to be coming to Vienna. It’s a Dollar Tree store, which will be located along Highway 63 North at Ballpark Road. 

Internet info

Stratman said he is pleased Three Rivers Electric Cooperative, Linn, is getting involved with internet upgrades as it accepted a $25 million USDA loan to connect 2,000 consumers and build and improve 151 miles of line. He called CEO Roger Kloeppel to congratulate him and offered Maries County’s help. 

The commissioners heard from two persons on the topic of internet. The first was Glen Cantrell, a Telecommunications Coordinator for Sho-Me Technologies LLC, of Marshfield. Cantrell works out of an office in Sikeston. 

“You already have fiber in the building,” he told the commissioners. This makes working with the county much easier for internet, phone lines, phones, data backup, firewall services and more. Sho-Me is a fiber internet company that works with businesses, schools and government. There would be no installation costs and the internet speeds would be from one to 10 GB and beyond. This is priced for specific terms of time and how much GB is desired. 

Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said the county has a contract already with Windstream. 

Cantrell said the company can back feed from a different direction if something happens and service goes down. This is made possible by building “loops” around the state. He said they would make sure it is a cohesive and seamless transition. There is a call center in Marshfield where someone is always there to help the customers.  

The commissioners called IT Manager Shane Sweno as they wanted him to be part of the conversation as he has the technology expertise for it. Sweno said MORENET and Windstream are already being used with a 50 mg connections. He’d like to keep the same IP addresses. The county’s phone contract is up in April, Sweno said. 

The commissioners want Sweno to talk to Cantrell to see where they are at and to get a price quote. Stratman said they have a lot invested in Sweno. He has steered them through this and “not taken us the wrong way yet.” Cantrell said they can do a one-year or three-year contract, whatever the county chooses and is comfortable with. He will bring the commissioners a list of the customers served by the company. Fagre said the prices are competitive.

Michael Gallagher is a Senior Strategic Advisor for World Wild Technology, of Maryland Heights. He has a 130-acre farm off of MCR #506 in the Dry Creek Area and said he and his family really enjoy coming to Maries County. But, he was lucky when the electric co-op ran a line down his gravel road as he could not imagine not having internet. His wife and kids didn’t want to stay at a place without it. His internet is fiber that comes to him via digital subscription line (DSL) off of a telephone pole at his house. It’s through the phone company, which already has the lines in place. It cost $75 a month and is high speed internet. 

Stratman said the area where Gallagher’s place is has rough geographic terrain, and if they can get internet there, they can do it anywhere. 

Gallagher has worked for very large companies and he’s been reading the local newspaper and seeing how the county commission is trying to find technology solutions. He said there are 357,000 people in Missouri without internet access. There are many entities trying to figure this out. He knows broadband and internet access is essential. Digging to bury fiber will take a long time. He thinks a multi-prong solution will be needed.

There is Elon Musk’s SpaceX company’s Starlink satellite internet network, which is changing the world. Gallagher said Starlink “is swamped with demand.” Currently people are trying to figure out what is a viable model for Missouri. SpaceX is rapidly putting up satellites but there is no customer service. People can go online and sign up but the program is not designed to interact with customers on an individual level. Starlink has the band width people want but the customer service is not available to help them figure out how to set up the antenna. Gallagher said approaching a company such as SpaceX saying “we will bring you two thousand customers” and we will pay $150 for the equipment and $40 a month for internet. Gallagher said if people can’t get fiber optic, they should go for SpaceX. Electric co-ops are looking at opportunities but digging fiber is challenging. Old phone lines can be used for digital subscription line (DSL).

Stratman said Bluebird is connecting Maries County with Phelps County for 911. 

Gallagher said everyone is struggling with “the last mile.” That last mile is expensive to put in because of the terrain it goes through. But most places have a telephone pole and a line and this can be used. He said the solution will be a mix with fiber and satellite. SpaceX offers “phenomenal” speeds with asymmetrical offering of 100 up and 1,000 down. This is really fast. Gallagher said with the federal money available now, it is a “once in a generation opportunity” to bring high speed internet to rural America. There are opportunity costs as internet access is critical for businesses. Starlink’s satellites are low to earth. SpaceX has a goal to have 30,000 launches, putting 50 to 60 satellites up each month, using laser technology to communicate between them. He said people can sign up now and 25,000 have, but it’s expensive. The company will make up the expense it has with launching satellites with a high volume of customers. 

Stratman said the county can’t tell people who to have their internet with. Gallagher said no, but they can negotiate a deal and people can sign up if they want to. Stratman said it appears everything needed is there, and it’s just a matter of getting it set up. However, he added the more they debate this internet topic, the more he thinks “we should stay out of it and let the companies figure it out.”

Gallagher said the government has to be involved. He added that good internet will keep people in Maries County. 

Conservation Road Rock

Stratman wondered if Eastern District Commissioner Doug Drewel and Road Two might get some road rock money from the Missouri Department of Conservation when the Rock Island Trail goes through Maries County in the Belle area. Road One gets money for state parks because people who visit them in this county use Maries County’s roads. Drewel is not sure. He said what Road Two could use help with is Old Highway 63, from the little roadside park to the new highway. It’s asphalt. 

Virus

It was reported there are a lot of people who have the virus in both Belle and Vienna. Local hospitals are filling up. There have been more COVID-19 deaths. 

Road #317 Bridge

Drewel said Road Two put a load of base rock on the Lewis Bush place and dug out a stump and a tree there. This was in-trade for using Bush’s field for storage while replacing the bridge on MCR #317. That bridge is now finished.

20 years old

The air handler in the area behind the courtroom is locked up. A representative from Rehagen Heating and Cooling was able to get it going, but Stratman was told a new one is needed. He said the unit is 20 years old and the county probably should just get bids on a new one instead of putting money in the old one. They’ve had trouble with it every spring and fall.

Wrong reading

The county’s water bill from the City of Vienna for the month was $3,014.52. Clerk’s Deputy Renee Kottwitz called city hall and was told they would take a look at it. Later it was confirmed the city was sending a new bill as the meter was read wrong.