The Stoddard County Commissioners began their meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis saying a prayer. The Commissioners' meeting is open to the public and anyone can join them and listen or even speak their concerns.
Senate Board 40 Appointment
Two board members are up for reappointment as board members. They are Wayne Jean and Dale Holman.
Motion to re-appoint Wayne Jean and Dale Holman to the SB40 Board made by Commissioner C.D. Stewart. Seconded by Commissioner Carol Jarrol. All three voted yes and the motion passed.
Water District #5 Update
"We began last week on the valve projects and meters have been ordered and are in. We will need to get the computer and software to read those meters," stated Dave Cooper, president of the board for Water District #5.
He also had bills that were pre-approved by the Commissioners to be paid out of the ARPA funds. Those bills will have to be approved through Bootheel Regional Planning Commission before a check can be issued. He also gave a summary of their work thus far and a list of the expenses incurred for reimbursement.
"We are very gracious as to what you have done for us for the water district," continued Cooper. "The board did vote to raise the rates. I believe it is $24.50 for the first 1,000 gallons and then $7 for each 1,000 gallons after that." That was required to maintain future expenses.
Jim Grebing, Bootheel Regional Planning Commission - Update on ARPA Funding
"I will have a revised sheet later this morning on the updates for the ARPA Funding. We will get all this processed tomorrow and give you an update. The only change was the city of Advance," stated Grebing.
"We need a copy of the bid for New Lisbon and the advertisement for the bid in the newspaper is also needed. This in regards to two bridges that need to be repaired," continued Grebing.
There was much discussion on the Broadband project for the Puxico Rural/Stoddard County - Economic Development may have some funds available, but not a total amount of the overage of $900,000 bid. They can reduce the scope of the project, but the tricky part is you have to fall within a low income area to meet the CDGB grant. So the Commissioners are going to gather more information as to what to do with the broadband as Puxico and Wappapello rural areas are in great need of internet. It's taking way too long to decide on when this project will get off the ground. There are lot of layers to this onion of the grants awarded/available.
Josh Speakman, County Collector
Spearman recently attended the Cyber Security meeting in Cape Girardeau. He wanted to know if a company could come in and do some training with elected officials. "They can point us in the right direction on what to do for Cyber Security," stated Spearman. "Would that be something you (the Commissioners) would entertain as it would take about 2 hours. I could reach out to the person and have all the office holders come in and do the training."
Mathis stated he had no problem doing it and the other two commissioners were in agreement. They will proceed with this training.
Homestead Tax - Missouri homestead law allows for a $15,000 exemption, which is applicable to "a dwelling house and appurtenances, and the land used in connection therewith." In other words, the state's homestead law is limited to homes, corresponding buildings, and the land on which they stand.
Senate Bill 190 was discussed in detail. It is on Governor Parson's desk to be signed into law. This act modifies provisions relating to the taxation of seniors.
Courthouse Clock Update
Rain was pouring in on the workers who were updating the clock on the old courthouse.
William Dowdy, maintenance for Stoddard County, got a bid from R.L. Person Construction to repair the roof. The Steeple Repair on the Cupola of the old courthouse came in at $120,998.00. With this large of an amount it would need to be bid out.
R.L. Persons Construction was the only one who bid last time on the repairs of the courthouse roof. No motion made, but the Commissioners should bid this out before proceeding.
Loyd Rice with GoSEMO Fiber Update
City of Puxico did not get any bids for the CDGB grant so GoSEMO Fiber decided to go ahead and put fiber within Puxico city limits without obtaining this CDGB Grant per Mr. Rice.
The Commission is looking for additional information before they decide on what to do with the rural CDGB broadband grant that has been approved; however due to prevailing wages the bid came in over $900,000.
There are three options on the table for the Commissioners to choose from and they will discuss together and decide at a later date. They want what is in the best interest of those people who need internet and the County.
Motion to approve the minutes from Tuesday, May 30, 2023 made by C.D. Stewart. Seconded by Commissioner Jarrell. All three voted yes and motion passed.
Motion to approve the closed session minutes from Tuesday, May 30, 2023 made by Carol Jarrell. Seconded by Commissioner Stewart. All three voted yes and motion passed.
Motion to go into Closed Session at 11:45 a.m. made by Commissioner Jarrell. Seconded by Stewart. All three voted yes and motion passed.
The Stoddard County Commissioners began their meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer. It was a full house with more than 15 people in attendance. Mr. Mathis began with the closing of County Road 570.
Closing of County Road 570 Update
Sally Cato and Mrs. Blackshire approached the Commissioner a few weeks ago regarding the Blackshirt property and wetlands and would like to close the County Road 570 which runs through their property. Rick Shipman was also in attendance today and is a property owner on CR 570. He is in agreement to consider the road abandoned as it is no longer being maintained by Castor township.
"I drove out there yesterday," stated Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis.
Dale Moreland, Castor Township, had instructed and gave permission to Auten Land Services LLC to lay pipe along CR 517 which also crosses onto the easement of CR 570. Auten Land Services has destroyed some of the property and gates on the property owned by Mrs. Blackshire and Mr. Shipman.
"I have been told that they will put this back into working order with the gates and land," stated Rick Shipman, landowner.
"I will talk to my clients and see what they want to do with Auten Land Services and how they have conducted themselves. I am sure the family will want to receive some compensation for the damage. I have been dealing with Bob Conrad with Auten Land Services," stated John Scott, attorney for the Blackshirt family who was also in attendance.
County Road 527A
Donnie Foster had attend the Commission meeting a few weeks ago and has requested that County Road 527A be closed.
"I also drove out there yesterday," stated Mathis.
The discussion was more with the bridge out there and who would maintain the bridge if the road was considered closed. Will the township maintain the bridge or the property owner is the question.
"We took out the old bridge. It was an iron bridge with wood flooring," stated Moreland of Castor Township. "Foster owns 100 acres now around the bridge. We have replaced the bridge with pipes and rock around it to keep from washing out."
"If you look at the bridge, it is starting to cave in and needs more rock on the north side too," stated Foster.
"The Township and Mr. Foster will need to get together and decide who will be maintaining the bridge and where do we close it from the bridge, before the bridge," stated Mathis.
Moreland announced there would be a meeting at the Castor Township office on Tuesday, June 6th at 6:00 p.m. and they can work out all the details at that time.
New Business - City of Essex
"We have been trying to get a grant for our streets as nothing has been done to those streets since 1970's," commented Jena Mitchell, City of Essex Clerk.
"We wrote the application in December 2022 and it has been denied due to lack of funds. We believe it is because of the cash-match and not enough in-kind money. So we are thinking they are needing a little financial help with this application. I am thinking about $50,000 in ARPA Funds," stated Tiffany Belcher from Bootheel Regional Planning Commission.
"Currently we are obligated with all of our Funds, however there are some of the projects might not spend all their money and we could be able to help," commented Mathis. "Get all your information together along with the amounts and we will at least get your name on the list for potential funding."
New Business - Harold Greene, Consultant for Ozark Total Healthcare DBA Ozark Physical Medicine
"We are the bidder for the Broadband Project," commented Harold Greene, consultant for Ozark Total Healthcare. "However the bid was over $900,000 above the amount of money available."
The previous Commissioners dedicated $1 million dollars for Broadband for the Puxico area and awarded that money to GoSEMO Fiber. Then Bootheel Regional Planning Commission helped with a CDGB government grant in the amount of $1.4 million dollars.
Once the bid meeting occurred there was only one bid and it was for $3.82 million dollars. If the bid is accepted the options are to either shorten the miles of fiber ran or ask CDGB for more monies.
Another option is to not accept the CDGB grant and just award the $1 million to GoSEMO Fiber and allow them to go ahead with the rural portion of Stoddard County near Puxico and they will pay for the rest of the fiber.
Tiffany Belcher, Bootheel Regional Planning Commission stated, "Because the bid is over $900,000 a committee has now been created because of prevailing wages and the costs of products keep rising. You can put a contingency on there if CDGB has the funding to cover the overage or cut back on the miles to get the cost down. There are 76 miles to cover in the Puxico rural area."
"We are willing to go in either direction. We can either scale the project back or if CDGB has the funds, we are more than willing to do either," stated Harold Green with Ozark Physical Medicine.
"The County would be the owner of this project for Broadband infrastructure if they so choose to go this route and accept the CDGB Grant from Bootheel Regional Planning Commission. It would be a five year contract then the Internet Service Provider (ISP) would take over both the maintenance of the fiber lines as well as from the pole to the homes.
Greene stated that there are several ISPs in the area including, but not limited to AT&T, Windstream in Wappapello, and GoSEMO Fiber. "We have a tendency to go with GoSEMO Fiber," stated Greene.
"I would have bid on the city of Puxico Broadband project; however I did not have time. GoSEMO Fiber didn't give me time to bid on that project and we would have been the only bidder there as well. If I can give my two cents worth if anything I would like someone in Stoddard county to get these grants," stated Greene.
Note: The Bid Announcement is placed in the print newspaper for two weeks and that was done by the city of Puxico in both the Dexter Statesman and the Puxico Weekly Press.
Board of Equalization Update
The Board of Equalization opens the first Tuesday in July; however that falls on July 4h so it will be open July 5th - 19th. Mary Worley and Mike Bollinger are on the board and can be available if anyone has questions..
"We had to raise countywide 10% on residential owners due to it being state of Missouri mandated." per Dan Creg, Stoddard County Assessor.
The Commissioners will open the Board of Equalization at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.
Other Business
Motion to approve the Minutes from May 15, 2023 made by Commissioner C.D. Stewart, seconded by Commissioner Carol Jarrell. All three voted yes and passed.
Motion to approve the Minutes from the Closed Session Minutes for May 15, 2023 made by Commissioner Jarrell, seconded by Commissioner Stewart. All three voted yes and passed.
Motion to approve the Minutes from the Closed Session Minutes for May 17, 2023 made by Commissioner Jarrell, seconded by Commissioner Stewart. All three voted yes and passed.
Motion to approve the Minutes from May 22, 2023 made by Commissioner Stewart, seconded by Commissioner Jarrell. All three voted yes and passed.
Motion to approve the Minutes from the Closed Session Minutes for may 22, 2023 made by Commissioner Jarrell, seconded by Commissioner Stewart. All three voted yes and passed.
Motion to go into Closed Session at 11:15 a.m. made by Commissioner Jarrell, seconded by Commissioner Stewart. All three voted yes and passed.
The Stoddard County Commission opened their meeting with a prayer and the pledge of Allegiance.
Presiding Commissioner opened with a letter from Daniel W. Craig with regards to his resignation as the Stoddard County Assessor effective 11:59 p.m. on June 30, 2023.
"I am proud of the many accomplishments made by the dedicated staff of the Stoddard County Assessor's Office and I am confident that these successes will ontinue after my departure. It has been the highest honor to serve the people of Stoddard County.
"We will have to wait word from the Governor's office as to the procedure to fill the vacancy," commented Mathis. His term is through 2024.
Closing Stoddard County Road 570
The property adjoins the property of Rick Shipman. "I think that we need to contact Shipman out of courtesy and have his approval to close that road," stated Commission Mathis.
Sally Cato, representing the Blackshire family, stated that the road has not been maintained. The only thing that happens on that road was dumping illegally of trash.
Loyd Rice, GoSEMO Fiber Broadband Project
Rice stated that there were not any bids for the city of Puxico from he CDGB grant. The grant is very layered in specifications on the the project.
"The Puxico town portion of the CDGB came in real layered. It makes the bid follow the Davis - Bacon rules which includes some bonding, prevailing wages and affirmative action rules," stated Rice.
The only two options are to scale the project back or to go back to CDGB and change the scope of the project. Due to prevailing wages the project is going to almost double in cost for the 76 miles of laying fiber.
GoSEMO Fiber has told the city of Puxico they are moving forward within the city limits to get fiber there. It's good business sense for the Coop and we are tired of waiting on funding from grants etc.
There is bid opening slated for this Thursday for the County at Bootheel Regional Planning. There may not be any bids on Thursday, but GoSEMO will not be bidding. There may be other option down the road.
Jim Grebing, Director Bootheel Regional Planning Commission
He was unable to attend this week. Via text to Commissioner Mathis he stated that he had not received approval on the payment for the Duck Creek project from the attorney. We are working on speeding up this process.
ARPA Funds
Motion to approve the project by Castor Township to asphalt County Road 413 up to $200,000 of ARPA Funds made by Commissioner C.D. Stewart. Seconded by Commissioner Carol Jarrell. All three voted yes, motion passed.
County Road 249. Motion made by Commissioner C.D. Stewart to approve ARPA Funds for New Lisbon Township for box culvert for County Road 249. Seconded by Commissioner Jarrell. All three voted yes, motion passed. Bids will be need to be obtained.
Terry Bates, board member of New Lisbon Township, brought in a bill for the Bridge repair on County Road 271 from Payne Contracting LLC.
Other Business
Wayne Jean, Board Member of the Stoddard County Sb-40 Board sent a letter to the Commission to be re-appointed to the SB-40 Board since his term expires on June 30, 2023. The letter stated, "I have enjoyed serving on this board for the last 3 years. We have worked very closely with the Stoddard County Sheltered Workshop. they appear now to be getting better financially. We have also financed many improvements in their building. The work on the building will go on for a few more months before being completely finished.
Motion to approve Wayne Jean, Board Member for the Stoddard County SB-40 Board will be placed on next week's Agenda.
The minutes for the May 15, 2023 meeting were not available to approve, nor the closed session meeting that was held after the regular meeting.
Motion to Approve Ads and Abates for April 2023 made by Commissioner Jarrell. Seconded by Commissioner Stewart. All three voted yes and motion passed.
Motion to accept the Promulgation Statement from Beau Bishop, EMA made by Commissioner Stewart. Seconded by Commissioner Jarrell. All three voted yes and motion passed.
Motion to go into closed session made by Commissioner Stewart. Seconded by Jarrell. All three voted yes and motion passed 11:13 a.m.
Note: I attend this meeting everyone Monday from 9 a.m. - Noon. Normally 3 hours unless they go into closed session.
Every day when law enforcement officers pin on their badges, they make an extraordinary commitment to the American people: to rush toward danger regardless of the risk and to faithfully stand up for the rule of law. Across our neighborhoods, towns, and cities, they put themselves in harm’s way, hoping to return home safely to their families. On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during Police Week, we celebrate the remarkable courage of our law enforcement community and honor the fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their fellow Americans.
As a Nation, we expect a lot from our law enforcement officers. They save lives by keeping our roads, subways, and highways safe and responding to domestic violence incidents and natural disasters. We ask them to ensure public safety, build trust within our neighborhoods, and protect the well-being of our communities. Too often, they are also called upon to respond to mass shootings, drug overdoses, mental health crises, and more. Being a law enforcement officer is not just what they do; it is who they are.
The same is true for their families, who sacrifice alongside these heroic Americans. It takes a special person to marry or be the child of a law enforcement officer — knowing the uncertainty as their loved one walks out the door and dreading the possibility of receiving that phone call.
No memorial can ever fill the void left in the hearts of those who have lost a loved one in the line of duty. But their sacrifices in full service to their communities and to our Nation will never be forgotten. We will continue to honor their memories with actions that help keep our law enforcement officers and communities safe from harm.
When I took office at the height of the pandemic, State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement budgets were shrinking. Some agencies were facing their lowest staffing levels in decades, undermining their ability to perform their jobs. That is why we provided crucial funding to help police departments build new training facilities, recruit new personnel, and give officers a raise. I also expanded benefits for first responders who were disabled in the line of duty and their families. And I signed laws improving officer wellness by expanding critical mental health resources to address the physical and emotional trauma that so many members of our law enforcement community experience.
Meanwhile, I have taken steps to keep law enforcement officers safer on the job by signing the most sweeping gun safety law in nearly three decades. It helps keep more guns out of the hands of dangerous people, including by broadening restrictions on domestic abusers, which is critical because domestic violence calls can often turn deadly for police. This law also supports crisis interventions, including extreme risk protection orders, and provides a billion dollars to address the mental health crisis in America. We are also strengthening background checks for 18 to 20-year-olds trying to purchase guns, helping prosecutors crack down on illegal gun sales, and reining in ghost guns that police across the country are increasingly finding at crime scenes.
As I have often said, when it comes to keeping our communities safe, the answer is not to defund the police. It is to fund them with the resources and training they need to protect and serve our communities and to build trust with the American public. My Safer America Plan calls on the Congress to invest in recruiting, hiring, and training more than 100,000 additional officers for effective, accountable community policing, consistent with the standards of my policing Executive Order. My plan also invests in programs that send social workers and other professionals to respond to calls that should not be the responsibility of law enforcement. And it invests $5 billion in proven crime-prevention strategies like community violence interruption. We must not accept the false choice between public safety and public trust; they are two sides of the same coin.
At the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., there is a quote engraved on the wall that reads, “It is not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived.” Today, during this week, and year-round, we express our gratitude for the courageous women and men of our Nation’s law enforcement community. We honor the memory of the members who made the ultimate sacrifice and pray for their families. And we recommit ourselves to the sacred task of creating a safer and more just Nation for all Americans.
By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962, as amended (76 Stat. 676), and by Public Law 103-322, as amended (36 U.S.C. 136-137), the President has been authorized and requested to designate May 15 of each year as “Peace Officers Memorial Day” and the week in which it falls as “Police Week.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 15, 2023, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 14 through May 20, 2023, as Police Week. I call upon all Americans to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities and salute our Nation’s brave law enforcement officers and remember their peace officer brothers and sisters who have given their last full measure of devotion in the line of duty. I also call on the Governors of the United States and its Territories, and appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day. I further encourage all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes and businesses on that day.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.
JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
