OSAGE COUNTY — During the Aug. 4 Osage County Commission meeting, Western District Commissioner Dale Logan said the contractor had begun pouring the Pentecostal Bridge deck. “They did a little over 300 yards,” he said.

Logan said there were several minor issues early on, but overall the pour went well. About 90 to 100 yards remained to be poured that week.

Logan said he anticipates the bridge opening around Sept. 1, with a large grand opening ceremony to follow a few weeks later.

• Interim County Clerk Brooke Dudenhoeffer told the commissioners another clerk had called her about House Bill 1825, which was signed into law July 13. The bill changes the salaries of elected officials whose terms begin after Aug. 28, 2026, but the salaries are still based on the county’s assessed valuation.

Dudenhoeffer had highlighted which county officials would be affected after the November election and which would be affected after the next election cycle. Those salary changes will be covered in a separate article next week.

• Sheriff Michael Bonham told the commissioners about the drowning at Rollins Ferry, which was covered in a separate article last week. A 72-year-old male from Fulton jumped into the Gasconade River to retrieve a boat, and never resurfaced. Several officials commented on how slick the edge of the river is there.

Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin asked Bonham if the plumber was coming to look at the newest inmate-supplied hole in a jail wall. Bonham said the plumber had already assessed it, but had not sent a quote yet. Bonham said he was also waiting for a bid from Schaeffer Electric regarding changing which items are powered by the courthouse generator in the event of a power outage. Griffin said neither he nor Groundskeeper John Kennedy had received the quote, either.

Bonham told commissioners a new law will change how days served are calculated for people convicted of crimes. He said the department’s new software should handle the change, but deputies will have to account for time inmates spent incarcerated in other counties after being arrested on Osage County warrants.

Bonham told commissioners his office is receiving about 1,000 calls for service per month. He said summer is usually a little slower, but that was not true this year. Information about their calls for service last month was shared on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

• Commissioners discussed how to distribute a donation received for local schools through a foundation run by the county’s liability insurance broker. Griffin suggested having the check reissued directly to the schools, while Commission Clerk Brandy Boessen suggested having the foundation load money directly onto the provided gift cards for the commissioners to distribute. Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Peters said the funds should be divided equally among the county’s three schools, and wondered if they could be used for teacher supplies.

Logan again recommended switching the county’s health insurance broker to Higginbotham, saying the company had provided good service and offered additional services beyond insurance coverage. Griffin was concerned about language in the agreement referring to a 36-month commitment, but Logan called Alan Fay at Higginbotham and received confirmation that the county could terminate the agreement at any time if it was dissatisfied with the company’s services. The commissioners then unanimously approved switching the county’s health insurance broker to Higginbotham.

Dudenhoeffer later asked for clarification about family insurance and whether coverage through Higginbotham included vision, dental, and life insurance, which are also offered through the county’s current broker. Fay told Logan he would reach out to Dudenhoeffer the next day. Logan offered to return to be part of the conversation if necessary. Griffin said he agreed with Peters that the commissioners do not want to cut any benefits that were previously available.

• Patrick Kliethermes told commissioners he had obtained all 12 signatures needed for the proposed closure of CR 736. He said the required notice was ready to be posted at Cooper Hill Church as well as the fire station and community center in Belle. Griffin asked that it also be posted on the county’s website. Kliethermes said he had obtained the final landowner’s signature. A public hearing on the proposed closure is scheduled for Oct. 13 at 9 a.m. Griffin thanked Kliethermes for his work on the project, telling him he had done things for the county that other people would not have done.

• Peters said he had received another complaint about CR 321 (Scout Cabin Road) involving property damage caused by a former county employee who had operated the county’s whipper. Peters said the employee had already been let go because of other property damage he had caused. The woman who contacted Peters was unhappy about the damage to her property, but understood that the commissioners were taking the matter seriously. Peters said he had explained the steps she needed to take.

• Commissioners voted to renew membership to the Meremec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) at a cost of $7,294.

• Griffin said he was surprised to find that an opening had been knocked through the wall into the Recorder’s Office expansion, but the work had not been completed, with the drywall and other finishing work still undone. He said he would check on why the contractor had stopped working on the project.

• The commissioners were asked during the previous meeting whether the Christmas on Main Street committee could use the square’s large parking lot to set up a synthetic ice-skating rink. Griffin said Judge Brandt and Circuit Clerk Beth Billington had said there would be court that day but that attendees could park elsewhere, and Legends Bank had offered its parking lot for additional parking.

The commissioners discussed which portions of the square are county-owned and agreed they were comfortable with the event as long as the county doesn’t have to pay for additional insurance. The matter will be added to next Tuesday’s agenda after the insurance question is answered.

• Griffin said he had received a citizen inquiry regarding a when CR 303 will be chip & sealed. Peters said he was okay with waiting for spring so the ground around the new culverts could settle.

ROAD & BRIDGE

Griffin asked Osage County Road and Bridge Foreman Neil Mantle why ditches had not been pulled in some areas, and Road and Bridge Foreman Neil Mantle said solid rock prevents crews from digging deep enough in several locations. He said a roughly $5,000 rock chipper would help, but one compatible with the skid steer would cost about twice as much.

Mantle said the rock also complicates culvert replacement and contributes to washouts on CR 508, where crews need to either raise the road crown or lower the ditches. Peters said one mini excavator will not allow the pipe crew to replace even a quarter of the necessary culverts within two years, and Mantle said a second machine would allow two crews to work simultaneously.

Peters said a second mini excavator should be considered in next year’s budget, but replacing snowplow trucks takes priority over both the excavator and rock chipper, with three or four trucks currently out of service.

• Peters told the other commissioners Jason Vanderfeltz of BFW submitted BEAP paperwork for a slab on CR 734 at Little Third Creek. Griffin said the county should slow down on submitting BEAPs until officials are certain the funding will be approved.

Peters then asked whether two smaller slabs on CR 319 could be completed in-house, and Mantle said they could, and that they had exhausted other options.

Peters said the worst slab was at Luystown, at the junction of CR 313 and CR 312. The county had fixed the slab up the road from it, but the Luystown slab still needed repairs. Logan said the slab on CR 508 is considered a box culvert and is therefore being considered for the county’s soft match.

• The commissioners unanimously approved purchasing a 2019 Ford F-550 plow truck for $52,500 from Capital Improvements funds. The truck has about 29,000 miles and includes a plow, spreader, and dump bed. Peters made the motion, seconded by Logan. The county planned to pick up the truck Thursday.

• The road report for July 28, 2026 to Aug. 3, 2026 showed quarry rock was hauled on CR 303 (331.65T), 305 (171.28T), 506 (353.43T), 507 (145.48T), 508 (99.37T), 508 (306.49T), 804 (32.21T), & 810 (470.19T); culverts were replaced on CR 305 (2) & 804; road work was done on CR 303, 305, & 508; trees were removed on CR 310, 424, & 432; signs were placed on 305, 506, & 508, brush mowers were working on CR 201, 203, 205, 209, 231, & 261; and grader operators were active as follows: G03 (305, 432, 435, & 810), G04 (506, 506, 507, 525, & 531), G05 (725A & 727), & G06 (236 & 263).

• Trailer TRLR26 (2025 Doolittle) and plow trucks PT29 (2014 Dodge Ram two-ton) and PT39 (2005 Ford F550) were serviced out-of-house.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Health Department Administrator Kim Sallin discussed plans for the Quick Care grand opening, scheduled for Sept. 25 from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Griffin suggested inviting area mayors and other municipal elected officials, along with representatives from MRPC, Compass Health, and the state health department. Sallin said the event would include a coffee truck and bakery in the morning and Sweet Bee’s Shaved Ice in the afternoon.

Sallin said she and Quick Care Nurse Practitioner Samantha Casteel had recently met with Dr. Rakestraw, the Health Department’s new medical director. Sallin said Rakestraw was very supportive of the program and offered several new ideas. “He’s the perfect one to be collaborating with,” Sallin said. They also met with State Tech counselors, who agreed to promote Quick Care to students and their families.

Sallin said the Health Department’s existing workload had increased and one nurse would soon be on maternity leave, affecting the current staff’s ability to assist with the Quick Care. Casteel raised concerns about being able to room her own Quick Care patients during busy periods. Sallin proposed hiring a medical assistant who could assist with Quick Care and fill in elsewhere in the Health Department as needed. Peters and Logan opposed hiring another employee before Quick Care had established sufficient demand. “This is a big blindside cost,” Peters said. Sallin said the hiring process takes more than six weeks, while Casteel asked commissioners to revisit the issue if she reached 10 patients per day, noting that 14 per day could lead to burnout. Peters said he would be open to reconsidering at seven or eight patients per day.

Sallin said the Quick Care had also generated interest through the Rural Health Transformation Project, with Gasconade and Osage counties serving as a hub, and she believed funding through that project could eventually support the medical assistant for the duration of that project. Sallin said her current budget could support a medical assistant through the end of the year if commissioners approved the expenditure. Peters said that substantially changed his opinion, and Logan agreed. Sallin said she would bring cost figures to commissioners the following week.

Quick Care was scheduled to open Aug. 10, with about 15 sports physicals already scheduled for Aug. 7.

911/Emergency Management

Osage County 911/EMA Director Ron Hoffman told commissioners a small tornado had touched down near Chamois on July 31. He said the warning sirens were activated and the National Weather Service was aware of the storm, but the touchdown itself was not reported and officials learned about it through Facebook.

Hoffman also asked commissioners to sign paperwork for a $44,615 Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) application.

FINANCIAL

• Bills totaling $194,300.68 were approved by commissioners, with the following totals by department: 911/EMA ($1,165.29), Assessor ($1,970.06), Building & Grounds ($1,361.64), Circuit Clerk ($49.57), Collector ($3,699.74), Commission ($52,500), County Clerk ($747.40), Health Department ($9,638.48), Misc. ($7,958.12), Prosecuting Attorney ($545.46), Road & Bridge ($102,079.73), Sheriff-Jail ($10,138.40), Treatment Court ($500), and Road and Bridge Misc ($1,673.35).

• The end-of-month bank balances for July showed a total of $15,775,010.70, including AS23 - Assessment ($303,688.31), AX08 - Annex Building ($318,182.89), BG89 - Building & Grounds ($270,013.24), CC55 - Conceal Carry ($11,395.01), CI88 - Capitol Infrastructure ($1,568,738.84), DS61 - DSSSF Fund ($110), ES48 - Election Service ($23,358.62), FC46 - Family Court ($35,188.64), GR01 - General Revenue ($1,876,231.41), HD23 - Health Department ($286,576.56), IS63 - Inmate Security Fund ($46,261.92), JR60 - Jail Renovation ($2,928,896.79), LACTF - Local Assistance ($117,073.47), LE25 - Law Enforcement ($1,243.91), LERF - Law Enforcement Restitution ($6,631.14), LF38 - Civil Fees Fund ($4,804.67), OE22 - Emerg. Management ($98,445.18), OPIO - Opioid Settlement ($122,418.45), PA18 - Bad Check ($16,539.91), PA26 Prosecutor Training ($5,819.33), PB21 - Pentecostal Bridge ($63,283.53), RB02 - Road & Bridge ($1,423,274.24), RF36 - Retirement ($79.58), RF42 - Recorder’s Fund ($47,222.51), RR30 - Rollback Reserve ($964,564.19), SE19 - Special Elections - ($5), SF49 Law Enforcement-911 ($484,923.38), UT33 - Use Tax ($4,731,080.49), VD24 - Domestic Violence ($1,606.50), and HA56 - HAVA Elections ($8,060.05). Please note that not all of these funds are controlled by the county commissioners. Some are controlled by elected officials or committees.

The county also has $616,692.59 in CDs, including Road & Bridge ($119,808.24), Rollback Reserve ($468,468.48), and Law Enforcement-911 ($28,415.87).

• Checks were submitted for signatures.