HERMANN – A property-tax-relief measure for homeowners 62 and older could be placed on the November ballot during tomorrow’s session of the Gasconade County Commission.

Petition drive organizer Cheryl Bohl gathered many more signatures that needed to qualify to put Senate Bill 190 on the county’s General Elections ballot. The measure was adopted two years ago and signed into law but contained a provision making it effective upon voter approval on a county-by-county basis, or through adoption of an ordinance by a county’s governing body. Third-Class counties such as Gasconade do not have ordinance-making authority, which means a countywide vote is needed to put the tax break in place in this county.

Bohl submitted the petitions bearing the signatures two weeks ago. The verification of the necessary number of names of registered voters had to wait until the County Clerk’s Office was finished with the work associated with the Primary Elections earlier this month.

“There was sufficient signatures for putting this on the ballot,” County Clerk Lesa Lietzow said during last week’s Commission session. She note that 579 valid signatures were gathered and that only 395 were needed to qualify for the ballot. Lietzow said the document ordering the issue onto the ballot would be ready in time for tomorrow’s Commission session.

Meanwhile, county officials are awaiting a court ruling on Senate Bill 3, the latest property tax-relief law that goes beyond Senate Bill 190 by making the tax break available to all homeowners, not just those 62 and older. SB 3 is being challenged by county officials, arguing that it’s unconstitutional because it treats counties differently in terms of allowable growth of property values. It’s unclear when a ruling will be announced, but county officials expect that whatever the ruling an appeal will be filed by the losing side.

There’s also a question of whether SB 3 will take precedence over SB 190, which is being placed on the ballot as a back-up plan in case SB 3 ultimately is struck down. When she presented the petitions, Bohl said she thinks SB 190 would take precedence over SB 3 because 190 was put in place through an initiative petition, rather than as a statute.

Presiding Commissioner Tim Schulte, R-Hermann, said the Commission’s outside legal counsel, Ivan Schraeder, should be consulted on the issue in order for everyone to have a better understanding.

Meanwhile, the county’s Road Department continues to battle Mother Nature as it works to repair storm-damaged roads from one end of the county to the other. The hard rains that began in the spring have continued regularly throughout the summer, making some roads rather treacherous for drivers as the rain cuts troughs down the driving lanes. Road Department crews are trying to get back on track with regular road maintenance, but that task is being made more difficult by having to respond to emergency repairs made necessary by the frequent storms.

County officials continue to track the expense being incurred by making the repairs. They hope to get some of that cost back as a result of disaster declarations by the White House, such as the one issued earlier this month by President Donald Trump covering storm damage that occurred June 4-18 costing about $32.3 million throughout 34 counties, including Gasconade and Osage counties.

“Hopefully, down the road, we’ll get some money,” noted Southern District Associate Commissioner Ron Hardecke, R-Owensville.

“I think we’ve got a good chance of getting some money,” added Northern District Associate Commissioner Jim Holland, R-Hermann.