HERMANN — The Gasconade County Commission is hoping to meet with Sheriff Scott Eiler during tomorrow’s weekly session in an effort to determine the fate of program that issues permits for All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and Utility Vehicles (UTVs) — vehicles that for the most part have not been reported by the owners as personal property.

The permit program was begun with then-Sheriff John Romanus as a way to track the off-road vehicles that were causing damage to county roads. The idea at the time was the Sheriff’s Department would provide ownership information to the County Assessor’s Office, which, in turn, would add the off-road vehicles as personal property items on the residents’ list of property to be assessed each year.

County Assessor Paul Schulte has noted that assessors in other rural counties have been dealing with this issue for some time, also.

In terms of taxable property, these vehicles have a significant value, Schulte said.

“You’ve got some of these that are $50,000 running around,” he said.

Eiler has explained that the revenue generated does not outweigh the cost of permitting the vehicles. The Sheriff’s Department under Eiler has been reluctant to carry through with the program — which stymies the County Assessor’s Office from including the vehicles on the list of property items to be assessed.

“I think we need to know if Scott is going to do permits or not,” said Southern District Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore, R-Owensville, noting that the sheriff “doesn’t like continuing the program because of the cost of doing it.”

But, as Northern District Associate Commissioner Jim Holland, R-Hermann, added, Eiler should formally bow out of the permit process, rather than just stop doing it.

“You know, it was the Sheriff’s Office that wanted this, so it’s the Sheriff’s Office who is responsible for it,” Holland said, adding that if Eiler doesn’t want to continue the program he should formally announce that to the Commission.

Lairmore again said that the Sheriff’s Department and the Assessor’s Office need to work together closely on the permitting-and-assessment of the vehicles.

“That’s the only way it’s going to work,” Lairmore said. If the sheriff decided to get out of the program, county administrators might consider shifting it to another department. At last week’s session, it was suggested that perhaps the county’s Road Department might be the permitting agency. The county assessor said some other counties have the County Clerk’s Office serve as the permitting agency. That’s not something County Clerk Lesa Lietzow would want to take on, considering the other duties handled by her office and the office’s limited staff.

Meanwhile, a decision by the top judge in the 20th Circuit regarding days off during Christmas for some courthouse employees has county administrators prepared to take up the issue of days off as they work on next year’s operating budget.

20th Circuit Presiding Judge Craig Hellmann issued an order that said state offices would close at 1:30 last Friday afternoon and be closed all day on Tuesday, Dec. 26. That decision affects essentially the county’s Circuit Clerk & Recorder of Deeds Office. The Circuit Clerk’s Office is a state-funded office but the Recorder of Deeds portion of the office is a county government office.

But with the Circuit Clerk’s Office closed on those days, the Recorder of Deeds staff member was away from work by taking an administrative day, as explained by Circuit Clerk Jennifer Schneider. There also was one employee in the Division 4 Associate Circuit Judge’s Office — another state office — who was off by taking an administrative day.

Presiding Commissioner Tim Schulte, R-Hermann, said the administrators need to establish a formal way to handle days off for county employees.

“We’re going to be in snow season here soon and it’s always a fiasco,” Schulte said, adding that snow-day closings should be considered during the upcoming budget work.