HERMANN — Although in no hurry to commit to a plan for using its $2.8-million allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money, the Gasconade County Commission might soon begin receiving requests from local government agencies looking to partner with the county on infrastructure projects.

“It’s time to let people start putting in applications for consideration,” said Presiding Commission Larry Miskel, R-Hermann, at last week’s Commission session.

The city of Bland already has reached out to the county for possible help in funding its water upgrades and on Thursday Southern District Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore, R-Owensville, mentioned that Public Water Supply District No. 1, which serves the Peaceful Valley subdivision, has asked for a share of the county’s ARPA money to help finance the district’s wastewater upgrades.

“I think it would be good to partner with them,” Lairmore said. He added, however, that the county’s help with other agencies’ project should not be an open-ended arrangement. He said the county should have limits on the amount of ARPA money used on projects of other local agencies.

County governments still are awaiting more-detailed guidance from federal agencies on the use of the ARPA money. To this point, county government leaders are being advised to move slowly before committing the use of the money. Gasconade County commissioners and their counterparts across the state might learn more about the use of the money just before Thanksgiving when the Missouri Association of Counties holds its annual conference at the Lake of the Ozarks. A discussion of the status of the ARPA funding is on the conference agenda.

In other matters at last week’s session, the Commission was still dealing the aftermath of the last round of coronavirus-related funding from the federal government — the CARES Act money and the final batch of work that was financed with the $1.7 million.

“The porch project is done,” noted County Clerk Lesa Lietzow, “and we can walk on it.”

The front entrance area had been crumbling for some time, posing a hazard for those entering the courthouse. The area was roped off in recent weeks with public entry re-routed to the north-side door while repairs were made. The front doors were scheduled to be reopened with a new porch surface on Monday.

But the biggest courthouse improvement project involving CARES Act money — new doors featuring automatic entry — remains something of a mystery for local officials. County administrators said they have not heard anything about the new doors for some time.

The other courthouse project was the purchase of two hands-free water fountains. Those were purchased through an Owensville company and have been installed.

The county clerk noted that a third meeting was held recently between the various officeholders and a telephone company regarding a new phone system for the courthouse offices. This company offered much of the same information heard previously from representatives of two other communications companies.

The county is considering replacing the system that was put in use two decades ago, a system that is limited in its ability to transfer callers needing to talk with multiple county government offices about a particular issue.

Lietzow said a cost analysis of the three proposals is being prepared for the Commission’s consideration. Any new phone system would be included in the 2022 operating budget, which Lietzow will begin assembling in the next few weeks. As the chief budget officer, the county clerk gathers budget requests from the various county government departments and crafts a proposed spending plan for the Commission to consider. This annual chore normally begins in November with the Commission reviewing the budget proposal during December.

A final operating budget usually is approved in January in time to pay the county’s first monthly bills of the year. The county’s new fiscal year begins Jan. 1.

Lietzow also mentioned another regular task on the horizon: The convening of the Salary Commission.

In each odd-numbered year, the Salary Commission gathers to consider pay raises for those officeholders elected or re-elected in the next year, affecting about half the county officeholders. State law prohibits elected officials from receiving a pay raise in the middle of their current term.

Another November meeting will have the Commission sitting down with MoDOT District Engineer Preston Kramer and representatives of Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) to iron out a priority list of local transportation projects for the state’s ongoing Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). The 5-year TIP is updated each year with some projects being completed, others moved up or lowered in ranking and others possibly removed from the list.

That meeting is set for Thursday, Nov. 18.