Looking for ways to finance repairs to county roads damaged by trucks hauling loads of clay from local quarries, Gasconade County administrators are researching the possibility of requiring a bond from the trucking companies.

That notion was mentioned during last week’s session of the County Commission, meeting in Owensville City Hall, by Northern District Associate Commissioner Jim Holland, R-Hermann.

The damage to roads done by dump trucks loaded with clay has been a concern for county government officials for some time. Holland said officials would be talking with the clay haulers about some sort of bond “just to put the road back to where it was” before the clay mining began. “It’s bad when the trucking companies call and say we need to fix the road,” Holland said during the Commission session, noting that he has received a couple calls from the companies about road conditions.

In other road-related matters, county administrators will be talking with Owensville city officials about using a city-owned piece of ground near Pioneer Truss as a stockpile site for road materials. Holland noted that the county is taking steps to brace for the coming bad weather.

“We’re getting ready for the winter, salt-wise,” he said.

The county also is considering replacing its well-used brush cutters which are pulled behind tractors with a single piece of equipment that would have an extended reach by the cutter. The current brush cutters have been out of operation for repairs most of the year, officials said.

“We have to decide what we want to do,” Holland said. “Our brush cutters are worn out,” he added.

County crews also will be picking up the pace on removal and trimming of trees that are threatening the county’s roads, he noted.

“We’ve really got to get the (amount of) cutting up,” he said, adding that the trimming has been set aside in recent years while crews focused on road maintenance and, most recently, culvert replacement throughout the county.

Meanwhile, the Commission and County Clerk Lesa Lietzow will spend some time post-session working on revisions to the employee handbook. That project likely will take place next month. The three commissioners are getting familiar with the proposed revisions, they said.

“I need to go through it,” said Presiding Commissioner Tim Schulte, R-Hermann. “I have some questions,” Holland added. “I’m working on it,”said Southern District Associate Commissioner Ron Hardecke, R-Owensville.

On another front, the county’s Salary Commission will meet Monday, Nov. 17, at 8 a.m. The panel, comprised of most county government officeholders, meets every other year to consider salary changes for the officeholders elected at the next upcoming General Election.

The county is moving forward with sponsoring a student at the law enforcement academy to serve as a Gasconade County sheriff’s deputy for at least three years. This is becoming more common for city and county governments having difficulty finding applicants for open positions in their police departments and sheriff’s departments.

The county clerk told the Commission that if after receiving training and certification as a law enforcement officer, if the deputy leaves the agency for another jurisdiction, he or she would be liable to repay the county for its sponsorship. However, the clerk noted that this method has been used before and was quite successful.

“The last time we did this, the deputy stayed far longer than the three years,” Lietzow said.