ROSEBUD – A higher fee could be in the offing for some of the public-service agencies dispatched by Gasconade County’s E-911 program.

Further study of a possible fee increase will be made by the members of the E-911 Board of Directors after Administrator Mike Lockhart on Sept. 9 reported that a review of service fees going back to 2021 showed the cost “essentially decreased for all agencies” in relation to the number of calls being placed by the dispatching agency. Lockhart’s report was given during the board’s regular monthly session.

A committee of board members earlier considered a possible fee increase, but when the panel’s findings were taken up by the full board last week more questions arose. That prompted members to scheduled another round of committee work before putting a final proposal before the seven-member board for action.

Based on the conversation during the board session, it appears that not all agencies that are dispatched by the county’s E-911program will be facing a higher fee. The county program now dispatches for all public-service agencies in Gasconade County and is in the process of picking up the dispatching for the City of Gerald and possibly for Berger, both of which are in Franklin County.

Gerald officials have agreed to a contract offered by the Gasconade County E-911, Lockhart said. Service will begin once Gerald has in place the necessary technology for the program used by the dispatching agency, he said.

Gerald and Berger have approached Gasconade County E-911 because the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department has opted not to continue entering warrant searches for the smaller communities in that county. Dispatching services for those communities have been provided by Franklin County 911, which no longer operates as part of the Sheriff’s Department but rather as a separate agency under the auspices of the Franklin County Commission.

The E-911 board could take up the issue of fees at its October session.

Meanwhile, the dispatching agency continues the effort to move its money from The Maries County Bank to First State Community Bank. This is the first time a bank other than The Maries County Bank will have served as the agency’s depository. The change to First State Community Bank is projected to be complete around the first of the year.

Lockhart noted that the Rosebud building housing Gasconade County Communications and the E-911 program is beginning to need some work. “This building is 10 years old,” he told the board. “There are some small things that need to be touched up,” he said.

In other matters, the administrator told the directors that he is beginning preliminary work on the Fiscal Year 2027 operating budget. That financial blueprint will become effective Jan. 1, 2027. As part of that task, Lockhart last week obtained permission from the County Commission to gain access to the county’s financial records with the Missouri Department of Revenue to see, as Lockhart described it, “exactly where our money comes from.” The agency has its own tax and it receives a portion of the county’s Use Tax. Last year, that portion amounted to about $200,000, Lockhart said at an earlier board meeting.

The board also last week decided to hold off on purchasing a new vehicle for the agency personnel. “I think it’s time” to get a newer vehicle, Lockhart said, noting that the 2013 Ford Explorer has traveled just over 90,000 miles. “At some point, that vehicle’s going to start diming us,” he added.

He said he received prices for three different vehicles from Hermann Ford, the only new-vehicle dealership in the county: $35,332 for a Ford Ranger; $37,810 for a new Explorer; and $44,098 for a full-size F-150.

Some board members suggested considering buying what Director Josh Krull described as a “gently used” vehicle.

And Board Vice President Clyde Zelch, overseeing the meeting in the absence of President Mike Mueller, said the agency should keep the current vehicle — still considered to be in good operating condition – rather than sell it. “I say we have it, we should keep it,” he said.

The directors agreed to consider the issue for a month before making a decision on a new vehicle.