An agreement signed Thursday morning by Gasconade County and city of Owensville official clears the way for the county use a site to store winter road materials such as salt and cinders.

The deal was developed as part of the county’s plan to strategically place materials in different areas of the county in order to more quickly respond to winer-weather conditions in the farther reaches of the county. This storage site is an unused parcel of city property.

Presiding Commissioner Tim Schulte, R-Hermann, said because of the agreement, the county “is going to be able to get service to our citizens” sooner than if the material had to be hauled from the county’s Road Department storage.

“It works out great for everyone,” noted Owensville Mayor Kevin McFadden.

The pact was signed by city and county officials at Thursday’s County Commission session held in Owensville City Hall.

In other matters, the Commission gave formal approval for the proposed office space swap involving the Circuit Clerk’s Office and the County Assessor’s Office. The relocation of the offices is planned during the time workers are preparing the new Recorder of Deeds Office on the first floor. County Assessor Julia Baker will be moving her department’s operations into the space that now houses the Circuit Clerk’s Office, which is adjacent to the Recorder of Deeds Office.

Circuit Clerk Jennifer Schneider and her staff will be moving to the second-floor space that now houses the County Assessor’s Office.

Voters in November will be electing this county’s first Recorder of Deeds. Since its beginning, Gasconade County has had a department that handled both the Circuit Clerk’s Office — part of the state’s judicial system — and the Recorder of Deeds Office, which is a function of county government. The County Commission decided last summer to separate the two as a way to improve a more-efficient delivery of services to county residents.

After Schulte raised the issue of splitting the offices some time ago, Circuit Clerk & Recorder of Deeds Jennifer Schneider took up the call, researched the division and built a case for separating the offices. The office swap will allow the Circuit Clerk’s Office to be physically closer to the other offices with which it works most closely — the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Department office, which are on the second floor, along with the main courtroom.

Likewise, County Assessor Julia Baker’s department will be closer the other county offices with which it primarily deals — the County Collector’s Office and the County Clerk’s Office and the Recorder of Deeds Office.

The move will be made with minimal expense, Baker said, noting that the only significant cost will be for furniture for the Recorder of Deeds Office. Officials had been concerned that the computer server in the existing Circuit Clerk’s Office might have to be relocated to the second floor,depending on the requirement of the state courts system. However, it can remain where it is as long as it is contained in a secure cabinet.

“Go for it,” Schulte told Baker, regarding the office relocation. “I think it’s a good thing just to make up more efficient,” he added.

Meanwhile, the County Commission agreed to increase the taxpayers’ contribution for county employee health insurance. The county’s Health Care Team was able to negotiate a slightly lower rate increase — from 10 percent to 9 — in the premiums for those county workers taking part in the insurance program. The county’s contribution will go from the $691 per employee now being provided to $753 per person for the upcoming coverage.

For the current health insurance coverage, county government was initially hit with a proposed 26-percent rate increase.

Schulte lamented the sharp increases seen in recent years for providing health insurance — a major component in the recruitment of workers by county government and public school districts.

“It is what it is, What do you do?” the presiding commissioner said. “It’s better than it could be,” he added, referring to the 9-percent increase.