OSAGE COUNTY — Osage County’s voting equipment passed public testing without issue, Interim County Clerk Brooke Dudenhoeffer told commissioners on March 31. The test was conducted by a bipartisan team of two Republicans and two Democrats using a sample ballot deck provided by the county’s vendor, with results checked to ensure the tabulators recorded votes accurately and totals matched as expected. Open to the public and observed by representatives from the Secretary of State’s office, Dudenhoeffer said the testing “went flawless.”

• Commissioners also discussed Senate Bill 3. Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Peters said information from a recent meeting at the capitol indicated lawmakers are considering redirecting grant funding from local colleges such as Lincoln and Truman Universities, though details were unclear as to where the funds would be redirected and for what purpose.

Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin said removing that funding could “devastate” smaller institutions.

Commissioners also raised concerns about how proposed tax changes would affect residents. Western District Commissioner Dale Logan said eliminating certain taxes would not remove the burden, but shift it elsewhere.

“You’re going to pay it anyway,” said Western District Commissioner Dale Logan.

He added that a move toward higher sales taxes could disproportionately impact lower-income residents.

“The problem that I see is the people in the lowest income bracket, senior citizens, for sure the ones that are living on Social Security … that are basically paying no income tax now, so they’re not getting any kind of a break … but yet their sales tax is going to go from six or seven percent to 15 to 20 percent,” Logan said.

• Commissioners discussed concerns about the county’s health insurance during the April 2 meeting, with several noting issues related to out-of-network coverage. Officials said some employees have reported unexpected out-of-pocket costs and confusion about what services and providers are included under the current plan. Dudenhoeffer encouraged employees to contact the county’s insurance representative with specific questions, noting he could review individual situations and help determine whether issues stem from network limitations, billing practices, or plan selection.

• Commissioners unanimously approved an agreement involving Turkey Hill Road near Freeburg and a section of CR 542 near Meta. Under the arrangement, Osage County will continue to maintain a portion of Maries County’s Turkey Hill Rd, while Maries County will take over maintenance of a portion of Osage CR 542.

Maries County currently pays Osage County $3,300 per year to maintain Turkey Hill Road. Under the newly approved agreement, Osage County will pay Maries County $2,400 per year for maintenance of the section of CR 542.

Both counties will be responsible for providing materials for the road in their county.

“That saves us from running a grader down there just to do eight tenths of a mile,” Logan said.

• Commissioners approved a $6,200 change order for the Pentecostal Bridge project near Westphalia during the March 31 meeting. The change order is related to site conditions, as officials said rising river levels altered the ground and required additional consideration for runoff and compliance with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Osage County is responsible for 52.7% of the cost, or $3,271.12, and will seek reimbursement for the remaining portion.

• Griffin reported that a failing motor in the courthouse geothermal system is making noise and will need attention. Rather than replacing the motor at an estimated cost of about $5,000, officials said a spare motor could be rebuilt for roughly $400 to $500, with a similar cost to rebuild the pump. The plan is to rebuild the spare unit first and install it, allowing the current motor to be removed and repaired later without taking the system offline.

• Patrick Kliethermes reported that a state-supported imaging project to digitize county road and right-of-way records has been completed. He told commissioners the records have been processed and are ready, with delivery of the finalized materials still pending.

• Commissioners approved a cost of $540 per year to supply internet service to the Hwy. 100 property for security cameras.

They praised 911/EMA Director Ron Hoffman for his ongoing work at the property. Griffin shared a report from Hoffman outlining efforts to organize materials, move equipment, install internet service, and clean up the site, including removing debris and preparing areas for future use. Commissioners said Hoffman had put significant time into the project and is taking pride in the work, with Griffin noting the property may not look finished yet, but “we’re going to make it look good.”

ROAD & BRIDGE

Road & Bridge Foreman Brad Sneller described a recent complaint from a resident about drainage issues in a subdivision, but noted the situation falls outside the county’s responsibility. Because the affected ditches are located within private property, he said the county cannot perform work without encroaching into residents’ yards, and suggested property owners may need to address the issue themselves.

Commissioners agreed, noting the county cannot perform ditch work beyond established right-of-way, particularly where drainage paths have shifted over time.

• Logan said a Facebook comment likened CR 711 to “driving on a cattle trail,” and asked Sneller about that area. Sneller said recent grading work had already been completed. He added that previous rock applications have not held up well in some areas, in part because material was spread too thin to provide lasting coverage.

“We were putting it down so thin, it didn’t make any difference,” Sneller said.

• Peters said rock was needed on CR 706, 724, & 726, which Grader 2 worked on the previous week. “There’s little areas in the county that we’ve gotta put white rock on, and not because we want to, because there’s no other place to get it economically,” he explained.

• Quarry rock was hauled on 202 (35.21T), 303 (102.29T), 411 (222.82T), 421 (198.68T), 423 (48.39T), 431 (32.86T), 432 (103.95T), 435 (51.24T), 602 (297.23T), 604 (231.44T), 606 (102.65T), 806 (68.25T), & 808 (167.7T); road work was done on CR 602, 604, & 606; potholes were filled on Old Hwy 50 & CR 512; an exposed culvert was covered on CR 303; trees were removed on CR 211, 303, 634, & 731; brush mowers were working on CR 302, 304, 305, 306, 308, 309, 309A, & 310; and grader operators were active as follows: G02 (609A, 704, 706, 709, 711, 725, 725A), G03 (CR 300, 301, 302, 506, 507, 605, 806, 807, 808, Concrete Plant Rd), G04 (506, 507, 514, 515, 525, 526, 531, 631, 637, 638), G05 (411, 602, 604, 606), G06 (313).

• Grader G06 (2016 12M3 AWD) was serviced both in and out of house. Dump truck DT27 (2000 Sterling Single Axle), truck T49 (2015 Kenworth T800), dump trucks DT56 (2025 International HV507) and 57 (new one), and car C36 (2020 Dodge Durango) were serviced out of house.

FINANCIAL

• Bills totaling $257,579.65 were approved by commissioners, with the following totals by department: 911/EMA ($3,626.72), Assessor ($7,903.16), Building & Grounds ($95.22), Commission ($1,127.92), County Clerk ($706.66), Election ($4,926.40), Health Department ($2,439.55), Misc. ($4,727.17), Public Administration ($819.16), Road & Bridge ($24,497.46), Sheriff-Jail ($4,971.89), and Road and Bridge Misc ($201,738.34).

• An income report for the County Clerk for the month of March showed a monthly total of $958.50, including Liquor License ($690), Auction ($53), Notary ($105), Plat Books ($105), and Misc/CC ($5.50).

• The end-of-month bank balances for March showed a total of $16,679,676.31, including AS23 - Assessment ($386,622.55), AX08 - Annex Building ($324,794.00), BG89 - Building & Grounds ($253,217), CC55 - Conceal Carry ($9,365.07), CI88 - Capitol Infrastructure ($1,522,431.96), DS61 - DSSSF Fund ($180), ES48 - Election Service ($21,241.34), FC46 - Family Court ($33,991.51), GR01 - General Revenue ($2,132,156.50), HD23 - Health Department ($304,878.52), IS63 - Inmate Security Fund ($26,735.47), JR60 - Jail Renovation ($2,632,194.71), LACTF - Local Assistance ($115,603.90), LE25 - Law Enforcement ($686.73), LERF - Law Enforcement Restitution ($4,451.67), LF38 - Civil Fees Fund ($3,571.53), JR60 - Jail Renovation ($2,632,194.71), LACTF - Local Assistance ($115,603.90), LE25 - Law Enforcement ($686.73), LERF - Law Enforcement Restitution ($4,451.67), LF38 - Civil Fees Fund ($3,571.53), OE22 - Emerg. Management ($114,072.50), OPIO - Opioid Settlement ($108,049.49), PA18 - Bad Check ($15,967.75), PA26 Prosecutor Training ($5,391.72), PB21 - Pentecostal Bridge ($1,560,523.91), RB02 - Road & Bridge ($1,389,341.58), RF36 - Retirement ($78.60), RF42 - Recorder’s Fund ($44,256.57), RR30 - Rollback Reserve ($952,180.65), SE19 - Special Elections - ($7,407.53), SF49 Law Enforcement-911 ($460,131.62), Operations ($14,028.76), SR25 Sheriff Retirement ($95), UT33 - Use Tax ($4,227,250.28), VD24 - Domestic Violence ($717.84), 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 $611,000.88 in CDs, including Road & Bridge ($117,126.05), Rollback Reserve ($466,076.71), and Law Enforcement-911 ($27,798.12).

• Checks were submitted for signatures.