VIENNA — Maries County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers shared her voter turnout prediction for the Nov. 5 general election during the Oct. 21 Maries County Commission meeting.

Rodgers predicted 82 percent, or approximately 5,278 of Maries County’s 6,437 registered voters would participate in this year’s general election. In comparison, the last election, the Aug. 6 primary had 2,496 votes cast in Maries County. The last general election was in November 2022, when Missouri voters elected U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt, and there were 3,450 votes cast in Maries County. In November 2020, the last time the U.S. presidency headlined the ticket, 4,742 Maries County residents cast votes.

Absentee and early voting totals could indicate a rise in the number of voters once counting ends on election night. On Oct. 21, the day before no-excuse absentee voting began, Rodgers said the interest in absentee voting had helped her decide her prediction. She estimated her office was accepting about 20 absentee ballots per day.

During the Oct. 24 county commission meeting, Rodgers said 48 people had been to her office on Oct. 23 to vote early. Voting stations were set up in the commission’s usual meeting room, so the commission plans to meet in the driver’s license testing room for the next couple of weeks.

At the Oct. 28 commission meeting, Rodgers shared that the early voting total had risen to 403 ballots with Oct. 25 being the busiest day yet as 59 people stopped by the office to cast votes.

Those wishing to vote early can visit the county clerk’s office during regular business hours from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. on Monday through Friday. On Saturday, Nov. 2, the clerk’s office will be open until noon for anyone wishing to vote. Rodgers said she would also try to accommodate those interested in voting who are unable to vote outside those hours if they call the clerk’s office to make arrangements. The phone number is 573-422-3388.

Presiding Commissioner Victor Stratman asked if there was a better setup for announcing the results on election night after some of the people gathered on the courthouse lawn to learn the primary totals had difficulties hearing. Western District Commissioner Ed Fagre said he had cleaned the sound system and expected it would perform better. He planned to test it again before election night.

Chief Deputy Scott John, who will soon exit the sheriff’s office to focus on his new job as California police chief, gave the county clerk’s office a list of jail repairs to consider while the jail does not have any inmates. The jail temporarily closed last month because of staffing issues.

The suggested repairs included sealing holes in metal caging around the ventilation system and checking anti-tamper screws in the cells.

Stratman acknowledged that the county should make the repairs, but he suggested waiting until after the election to determine who will be the new sheriff.

Rodgers shared the 2024 railroad and utilities tax figures for the year during the Oct. 24 meeting.

This year, the county billed corporations a total of $1,299,595.27, which is up from last year’s $1,220,864.29 total.

Of the total amount this year, $90,152.97 will go to the county’s General Revenue. Another $35,282.68 will go to Road One, and $22,582.58 will go to Road Two. The rest of the revenue will go to public entities in the county including schools, ambulance districts, fire protection districts, cities and libraries.

Treasurer Angie Stricklan shared the county’s motor vehicle revenue for October. Road One and Road Two share the revenue 55 percent and 45 percent, respectively.

Motor fuel tax revenue totaled $48,352.43 for the month, which was a 9 percent increase from last October. It was the most revenue in one month so far this year.

Motor vehicle taxes totaled $9,363.35, which was a five percent decrease from last October.

Motor vehicle fees totaled $3,484.23, which was a 14 percent increase from last October.

The commission received a package with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) flood insurance rate map and study report. Stratman told Rodgers that if FEMA contacted her office and wanted to schedule a meeting about it, he would be interested in talking with them during one of the commission’s regular meetings. More information about the maps is available online at msc.fema.gov.

A resident had left a message for the commission asking if the plastic screens in county offices could be removed because of difficulties hearing county employees who work behind the screens. The commissioners opted to leave the screens up. They noted that the screens went up during the COVID-19 pandemic, and flu season has begun, so they thought it was better to keep those protections in place.