The Gasconade County Commission met at the courthouse. Present were Presiding Commissioner Larry Miskel, Southern District Commissioner Jerry Lairmore, Northern District Commissioner Jim Holland.

WARRANTS FOR PAYMENT

Commissioner Jerry Lairmore made a motion to approve the following items: warrants for payment 114510 through 114546. Jim Holland seconded the motion. The motion passed by vote, 3-0.

ROAD CONCERNS AND COMPLAINTS

Presiding Commissioner Miskel started with discussing the Frene Creek road hard‑surfacing project; according to road department records, 7/10 mile has had white rock applied for the base and there is 1.9 miles left to be done, which at current load prices would cost approximately $27,000. At this point in the year, the line item in the budget for white rock is $4,000 over-budget so he has authorized only spending what has to be done to maintain roads based on grader operator input. He will speak with property owners on Frene Creek road who are expecting this part of the project to be complete this year; he will also remind them that they have not completely met their financial commitment of $30,000 to help fund the project. John Buckner, AC editor, asked what caused the line item to go over-budget and Presiding Commissioner Miskel said it was due to excessive rains and flooding conditions this year. Commissioner Holland asked if the contribution of $29,750 that has been received from property owners could be used to purchase the remaining white rock to complete the base this year and then finish completely next year; Presiding Commissioner Miskel could consider it, but still doesn’t know that the county can afford to complete the project fully in 2020. Commissioner Lairmore said he has never agreed to completing this project in one or even two years because he knows the total cost of something like this is $200,000 and the county budget just cannot handle that much expense over one or two budget years; in addition, he asked Commissioner Holland if all the right‑of‑way has now been obtained, because it wasn’t recently. Commissioner Holland said it has now been completed.

Clerk Lietzow provided Commission with an up‑to‑date copy of the Road and Bridge budget, both expenses and revenue, as it stands as of today’s bills paid; while Frene Creek road project is not detailed as a line item in either budget, she reminded Commission that was their choice at budget time in January.

Commissioner Holland pointed out that Price Road was not detailed as a line item either, but the chip and seal was finished this year. Commissioner Lairmore contends that project has been budgeted for since 2016, but never was finished and it was his goal to have it completed this year after going on for so long.

Clerk Lietzow recommended that at budget time, they put more specific information in the budget, or in the budget message, regarding special projects and their intention to do them, but only as funding allows. They currently do that for culvert projects, bridge projects and slab projects, but she thinks they need to do the same detail for these chip and seal and/or asphalt projects.

Clerk Lietzow suggested that when they have their budget workshop with the road department when meeting at Drake next year, they write down the projects that they each hope to see done that year and also if line items in the budget need to be changed or added, that is the time to do it.

Road department will be using their new lowboy trailer (Sept. 19) to take the 2014 grader back to Erb Equipment in Cuba as part of the buyback program and pick up the new 2019 grader purchased. Clerk Lietzow will need to get the new one added to insurance and the trade‑in removed; she added the lowboy trailer and the oil distributor to insurance this week.

GENERAL DISCUSSION

Presiding Commissioner Miskel had received from Public Administrator Fay Owsley, an invoice for legal fees stemming back to February 2017; Commission was advised at that time by legal counsel Ivan Schraeder not to pay and since that opinion has not changed, the invoice will not be paid.

Clerk Lietzow said Glen Englert had come to the Courthouse yesterday to take care of the housekeeping issues remaining from the recent office remodel and some issues with door closures; he had not heard anything from Judge Ike Lamke regarding the courtroom remodeling estimate and neither has the Commission or Clerk Lietzow.

She also said that she has been working on property and liability policy questionnaires for upcoming bidding process from Gallagher, OneBeacon and Travellers’ and also MOPERM’s renewal which will be updated to reflect recent inventory reports received from all offices and departments.

Presiding Commissioner Miskel mentioned being at the Hermann Visitor Center this week and overheard nice things said by an employee there to visitors recommending their coming to the Courthouse and how some employees here were voluntarily taking a moment to take them around to see the building so he said thank you.

ADJOURN

Commissioner adjourned until Sept. 26, 2019.