HERMANN – Two weeks after it received a cool reception from the associate commissioners, the plan to build more parking spaces at the historic courthouse last week was again sidelined when a motion to act failed to receive a second.

Just as it was two weeks ago, Presiding Commissioner Tim Schulte, R-Hermann, tried to have a vote on what he called a compromise project that would add about two dozen parking spaces to the east side of the courthouse. The original proposal called for additional parking spaces on both the east and west sides of the historic building.

The original design as presented by Paul Winkelmann of Howe Company, the county’s consulting engineers, had an estimated price tag of $1.1 million. The new version, which Winkelmann crafted at Schulte’s request, would add more than 20 regular parking spaces and a couple spaces for handicapped visitors to the courthouse. The new version, which appeared to have taken Southern District Associate Commissioner Ron Hardecke, R-Owensville, and Northern District Associate Commissioner Jim Holland, R-Hermann, by surprise, has a projected cost of $810,000.

But the discussion between Schulte and the associate commissioners – and presumptive incoming presiding commissioner Mark Mundwiller – at times involved heated emotions and raised voices. Before Schulte formally moved to advance the revised plan, several officeholders and other courthouse employees voiced their support for more parking spaces at the courthouse.

Leading off the delegation of courthouse employees was County Clerk Lesa Lietzow, who gave the Commission a brief history lesson of county government. “How things have changed,” she said, referring to the workings of county government – including the workload of the local courts – during her 40 years of service. She said she has been to most of Missouri’s 114 courthouses. “There aren’t many with gravel parking lots,” she said. Except for the concrete handicap spaces, the other spaces contained in the new design would be on a gravel surface.

“I don’t think it’s wrong to ask for more parking for the public,” she added. The county clerk favors the original design with additional spaces on both sides of the courthouse. She pointed to the estimated cost of $1.1 million. “Is that a lot of money? Sure,” she said. But, she added, the county has the money in the bank to afford such a project, just like the other projects that have been done in recent years to improve the courthouse, including the badly needed new roof. “We had no money” for the needed improvements, she said. “We put Band-Aids on the roof forever,” she said.

Lietzow said county officials decided to make the leap and find funding to make the needed improvements, both on the inside and outside of the building. “We’ve done great things here,” she said, mentioning that the county was able use funds allocated by the federal government as a response to the coronavirus pandemic through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the CARES Act. The new roof was financed through a loan from a local bank.

And now, she continued, thanks to voter-approved sales taxes in recent years, county government is able to finance improvements with its own money. “We are finally able to do something here,” the county clerk said, pointing to the Use Tax, which she estimated will produce as much as $675,000 this year. She and other county officeholders have pointed out that there is $1 million in the operating budget that can be used for a project such as the parking expansion.

“We have the money. We can afford to do it. I don’t think it’s wrong,” she told the Commission.

County Treasurer Mike Feagan also supports more spaces on both sides of the courthouse. “I’d like to see the whole works done. It’s a long-term investment,” he said.

Said Circuit Clerk Jennifer Schneider, a leading advocate for more parking spaces: “I think it all needs to be asphalt.”

County Assessor Julia Baker said, “I firmly believe this is the right thing to do and I think we need to do it all.”

Mundwiller, in voicing his position, said he has made regular trips to the courthouse since the Commission session two weeks earlier for a first-hand look at the parking problems. He said those visits didn’t sway him to suppor the project. “I’m not seeing what I’m hearing” about the need for more spaces, Mundwiller said.

There was some discussion about polling the public, a move similar to Mundwiller’s suggestion that any project costing between $300,000-$500,000 be put to a countywide vote. County resident Mark Schaeperkoetter suggested that if citizens were surveyed, they might have an interesting answer for county officials. “If residents were polled, they would pick paving roads over a new parking lot,” he said

Hardecke said he recognizes the parking problem, even though it’s not evident every day. “For my part, I know we need to do something,” he said. However, he said his constituents have concerns about the estimated cost of the project. “The feedback I’ve gotten is that it wouldn’t be something they’d want to spend their money on,” he told Schulte, when the presiding commissioner turned to him for a second to his motion to approve the revised design.

“At this time,” Hardecke said, “I need to listen to my constituents.”

Holland was not swayed by the comments from the officeholders and other courthouse employees.

“I won’t second a motion and I won’t vote on it,” the Northern District commissioner said.

Schulte asked Hardecke if he favored putting the issue on a ballot.

“No, I don’t think that’s appropriate,” the Southern District commissioner said.

Holland was more open to that possibility. “That way we’d know what the people want,” he said.

After his motion received no response from either associate commissioner, Schulte declared the issue had been decided. His response during the session was brief. “Shame on us,” he said.

In a telephone interview after the session, Schulte told the Gasconade County Republican that he had no regrets advocating for additional parking at the courthouse. “I’m true to my convictions,” he said. He added that the consideration of the need to expand the parking areas “got caught up in politics, as it always does.”