HERMANN — Sheriff Scott Eiler is familiar with Hermann City Hall, but last week he might have felt like the proverbial stranger in a strange land when he presented the proposed countywide sales tax for law enforcement on the April 5 ballot.

He was not in friendly territory.

Not happy with the amount Hermann could receive under the proposed 75-25 split between Gasconade County and five of the county’s six municipalities, the Board of Aldermen listened as the sheriff outlined the plan that is aimed allowing the Gasconade County Sheriff’s Department to attract and, more importantly, retain a staff of deputies by offering higher pay.

But the sheriff’s agency’s plight is finding little sympathy from the county seat government officials. City Administrator Patricia Heaney outlined the City Hall’s concerns about the plan last week to the directors of the Hermann Economic Regional Development (HRED) Corporation.

“Maybe the right word is the city is ‘disappointed’ about the way it (the proposal) turned out,” Heaney said, in giving the city’s activity update at the monthly HRED board session. She explained that the city, which would like a larger share of the 25-percent slice of the half-cent sales tax pie, has several concerns about the proposal.

One, she said, is the lack of specific language in the ballot wording about the revenue split between county government and the municipalities. Heaney said officials feel a better split would be a 60-40 divide, rather than the 75-25 split. “It’s not as equitable as we would like,” the city administrator said.

Another issue is the intergovernmental agreement between the county and each city that would be necessary to provide the city’s share of the revenue. Heaney said city officials would like to see an agreement beforehand, rather than wait until after the tax is adopted. “We have no assurances,” she said, “so that’s disappointing. We trust our county officials that they would honor their word.”

County administrators have said intergovernmental agreements can’t be drafted until after the tax is approved – if it’s approved. With opposition clearly voiced by officials of Hermann city government and a non-committal position taken thus far by Owensville elected officials, Eiler acknowledges an uphill climb to win voter approval of the tax that could generate an estimated $1 million, based on revenue produced the past two years by the county’s half-cent General Fund sales tax.

It should be noted that Owensville City Marshal Robert Rickard has publicly endorsed the proposed law enforcement sales tax. Along with Owensville, which would receive the largest piece of the 25-percent share, and Hermann, the other municipalities that would receive some of the money are Rosebud, Bland and Gasconade. Morrison would not receive a portion of the money because it relies on the sheriff’s agency and does not have its own certified law enforcement officer.

Heaney said city officials also don’t like the provision in the proposal that would prevent a municipality from enacting its own law enforcement tax and still receive its share of the countywide tax. Under the proposal, if a city enacts its own law enforcement tax, the share of the county tax it would receive would revert back to the 25-percent pool for redistribution to the other cities. The city administrator added that she feels voters will find the ballot issue confusing. “I’m afraid a lot of voter education will be needed,” she said.

As for the likelihood that Hermann will support the proposal, it doesn’t look promising, she said. “What they (sheriff’s agency) do for our citizens is minimal, compared to our local law enforcement,” Heaney said.

County government officials make the argument that unless more money is available for higher pay for deputies, the Gasconade County Sheriff’s Department will continue to be a training ground where deputies spend one or two years and then move on to a higher-paying position in a surrounding county.