Grant money from the state transit agency will fund an awareness program and traffic stops several times this year by the Gasconade County Sheriff's Department.

Sheriff Scott Eiler outlined the upcoming efforts — beginning with keeping the roads safe on St. Patrick's Day — to the County Commission at Thursday morning’s session at Owensville City Hall. He said the specific dates of the program aimed at increased seat belt use and curbing drunk driving will be announced by the department on its website.

The Missouri Department of Highways and Transportation grant money will be used to reimburse the county for any overtime the sheriff’s deputies build up during the days of the program.

Presiding Commissioner Larry Miskel, R-Hermann, applauded the program with a tongue-in-cheek caveat: “Sounds good. Just don’t turn us into a speed trap.”

Options for CARES Act funds

In other matters, county government administrators are continuing to consider public health-related items for the courthouse that can be financed with some of the remaining $67,000 of CARES Act money. Among those are new doors for the building, especially at the main entrance on the south side. County Clerk Lesa Lietzow said courthouse personnel are voicing support for installing new doors. “They really like the idea that you’re looking at the front door situation,” she said.

A survey of the various county government departments regarding possible coronavirus-related upgrades to the courthouse attracted a good response, she said, adding, “I think there are some good ideas here.”

The Commission is moving in a deliberate fashion in dispensing the remaining CARES Act funds. The county has until June 1 to allocate the money and there are a dozen or more applications for a share of the money being processed by the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC). That agency, which checks the legitimacy of the proposed uses of the money, will make a recommendation to the County Commission, which has final say over the allocation of the money.

Road material being evaluated —but don’t call it dust control

Southern District Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore, R-Owensville, said another proposal has been made to the county by a company that grinds asphalt shingles into road material as a dust-control agent. This is the second time in recent years that Gasconade County has been approached about using the material on its gravel roads.

A couple years ago, the County Commission gained attention statewide as apparently the first county in Missouri to incorporate the ground shingles into its road material. It was used on only a couple roads and on the driveway leading to the courthouse. The use of the material was put on hold as county administrators focused their attention more on the use of chip-and-seal for some of the gravel roads.

As for the latest proposal, Lairmore said he would talk more with the company making the proposal and get more information about the product. Although, he said, the material would not be considered for dust control.

“We don’t put dust control down,” Laimore said. “Our dust control is chip-and-seal and hard surfacing” of the roads. Any specific dust-control measures are left to the property owners along the county roads.

R&B seeks new manager

Regarding local roads, the job description for the position of Integrated Systems Manager (ISM) in the Gasconade County Road Department is available for review at the county clerk’s office and the Road Department offices in Drake for anyone interested in applying for the job. Debbie Thomas, the agency’s ISM, will be retiring this spring and county officials hope to have a successor hired in short order to allow adequate time for Thomas to train the new ISM. Among the various duties of the ISM has been to serve as the initial Road Department contact with the public calling in about county road issues.

Advertisements for the position have been placed in local newspapers. The deadline to receive applications for the position is March 17.

Sales tax collections trending strong

Meanwhile, County Treasurer Mike Feagan is hoping tomorrow to continue reporting a healthy General Revenue Fund sales tax number. The March reimbursement check from the Missouri Department of Revenue — reflecting sales made during February — were not available as of last week's Commission session.

After an unexpectedly strong showing in 2020 — the county received a record $1.037 million in General Revenue sales tax  — the first two months of this year came in higher than expected. January’s check was $2,000 larger than the January 2020 amount while this February’s amount was $79,218, about $8,000 larger than the February 2020 check.

After the first two months, the General Revenue Fund is running slightly more than $10,000 ahead of the cumulative total for the first two months of 2020. Last March’s check was for $81,773, which was the smallest March amount received in the past five years.

Commissioners are scheduled to return to session at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday) at their first floor meeting room in the county courthouse in Hermann.