HERMANN — Recycled plastic bottles, recycled tires, recycled paper and now there is recycled paint.

Gasconade County will have the opportunity to show the public just how well recycled paint looks and lasts.

The Gasconade County Commission Thursday morning granted a request by Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) to use the courthouse as a demonstration location for the use of recycled paint. The regional planning agency, which serves the eight counties in the Meramec Region, has helped develop a way to recycle leftover paint — which, until now, was destined for collection and transport to a special landfill.

The MRPC request comes at a time when county administrators are trying to schedule a paint job for the courthouse. Because of a backlog of work, it appears the courthouse job might not be taken up until sometime this fall. With the paint being provided by MRPC, the wait could be worth it, officials figured.

In other matters taken up during a session featuring a fairly light agenda, Presiding Commissioner Larry Miskel, R-Hermann, said Hermann City Hall asked about the status of the intergovernmental agreements that will govern the distribution of 25 percent of the county’s half-cent law enforcement sales tax to five municipalities in the county. The specific language of the agreements will be crafted by the County Commission. The money will be allocated based on the cities’ populations.

The sales tax, which was approved by county voters in April, will become effective Oct. 1. That means the first check for revenue produced by the tax will be sent to the county by the Missouri Department of Revenue in November, reflecting the sales made in October. Because it will be a new tax, county officials anticipate a smaller-than-normal amount of revenue coming in November and December.

However, the Commission recently agreed that the cities’ portion of the revenue should be passed along beginning with the first reimbursement check from the state. Initially, the Commission considered letting the revenue accumulate during 2023 so there would be a significant amount of money allocated to the municipalities. But at a recent session, administrators agreed that the municipalities should not have to wait for their share of the money and decided to pass along funds as soon as they become available.

Miskel also noted that the Commission had met earlier that morning with Road Department personnel and alerted them to a possible assignment: The removal of a fence encroaching on county highway right-of-way just outside the city of Owensville.

“We had a discussion about Price Road,” Miskel said, referring to the on-going effort to persuade a property owner to move a barbed-wire fence out of the right-of-way of Price Road.

Friday is the deadline for the owners to remove the fence. If the fence is not removed by Friday, a Road Department crew will be dispatched to remove the fence sometime next week. The Commission at its June 30 session authorized the action. The latest letter to the owners was scheduled to be delivered by hand last Wednesday.

“I don’t know if he made contact,” said the presiding commissioner, referring to the process server hired to deliver the letter.

If the Road Department removes the fence, it will submit a bill for the work to the property owners.

The Commission next week could give a quick look at the various county offices’ standing regarding this year’s operating budget at the fiscal year’s half-way point. Miskel said Thursday morning he has yet to dive into the mid-year financial figures. “I’ll review it before next week,” he said.

Southern District Associate Commissioner Jerry Lairmore, R-Owensville, said his review of the offices’ spending shows no surprises. “It looks like everybody is within the parameters” of the budget, he said.

Northern District Associate Commissioner Jim Holland, R-Hermann, said he had made contact with contractor Glen Englert about the new doors ordered for the main entrance and east entrance to the courthouse. Englert is working with the owner of the wood milling company that will be paid $40,000 for the doors aimed at combatting the coronavirus by featuring a hands-free opening mechanism.

“He was hoping to have the doors finished this month,” Holland said, referring to Englert’s account of his conversation with the door maker. “But,” Holland added, “there is no guarantee.”

The money for the doors, as well as funds for new touchless water fountains in the courthouse, came from the $1.7 million CARES Act allocation received two years ago.