VIENNA — A Missouri state employee countered Maries County Prosecuting Attorney Anthony (Tony) Skouby’s warnings about outright prohibiting marijuana because it is a constitutional right, according to County Clerk Rhonda Rodgers during the May 7 meeting.

The employee shared her feedback with Rodgers after reading a recent article in The Advocate, covering Skouby’s advice to the commissioners. Rodgers declined to the give the name of the person, saying that she is “a citizen.”

Voters approved legalized marijuana usage in November 2022 for people 21 and older, but the Missouri Constitution allows prohibitions while driving and working. However, because it was legalized through a constitutional amendment, Skouby was concerned at the April 16 commission meeting that a strict policy would be like prohibiting the First Amendment right to free speech and could lead to a lawsuit.

The state employee told Rodgers that everyone signs the drug policy and that disciplinary action occurs if you test positive for any prohibited substance.

“She said, ‘The county has a policy, just like the state has a policy. That is your policy. You can do whatever you want to do,’” Rodgers said.

The commissioners reviewed the Missouri Office of Administration’s (OA) drug policy, which was last revised in 2019 before Missourians voted to legalize marijuana. It requires that on-duty employees not be impaired by alcohol or any drug that affects their ability to work safely and acceptably.

Employees also can’t use or distribute illegal drugs on state property or while working for the state. They may be subject to drug testing, and violating the policy can result in disciplinary action.

The commissioners recognized that OA’s policy was more succinct than their drafted employee manual.

“A lot of it says the same thing over, just a different way,” said Patrick Kleffner, western district commissioner.

The commissioners liked the language but suggested seeing if there was a more up-to-date policy to reflect the changes to state law.

Ervin Cable Construction, LLC, is requesting to install underground fiber internet cables in the county and emailed Deputy Clerk Renee Kottwitz regarding acquiring the necessary permits and utility right-of-way access. The meeting minutes say that the request would be discussed during the May 11 meeting. However, the commissioners did not talk about it at the next meeting.

Rodgers told commissioners that there was a finding in the routine audit that happens every four years, conducted by a private firm on behalf of the state auditor. The state audits the county for finances and procedures, but it uses an independent firm to review procedures. The commissioners discussed their response in closed session, but the report will be available at auditor.mo.gov after completion.

For National Day of Prayer, Christians from churches in Vienna visited the commission to pray for the Lord’s blessing as they make financial decisions. The visitors were Pastor Chris Slocum, John Green and Chuck Norris from First Baptist Church and Pastor Clifford Wagner Jr. from Vienna Assemblies of God.

Wagner led the group in prayer.

“Lord, I pray over the commissioners of this county,” he said. “That You give them wisdom beyond their years and in all situations, that they make the best decision for the county that they represent.”

The commissioners are discussing their options to fix the broken vending machine at the courthouse. Dustin Pogue of Supreme Vending in Rolla told Rodgers that the machine’s control board likely needs to be replaced.

Repairing it would be expensive because it is old and not covered under warranty. If a purchased part did not work, then the county would lose that money. Instead, Progue offered a pre-owned machine for $1,500.

Rodgers also reached out to International Blends in Jefferson City, but they do not service Vienna because it is too far south.

During the May 14 commission meeting, Kleffner opened the machine to examine to control board and get a part number to see if he could order the part. They also discussed reaching out to the Maries R-1 School District for what they do for vending machines.