OSAGE COUNTY — Osage County officials said last week they still cannot clearly determine some Linn annexation boundaries, creating concerns involving emergency dispatching, taxation, and law enforcement jurisdiction.

Although a judge has already ordered a new election involving approximately 40 affected voters, Osage County 911/EMA Director Ron Hoffman said county mapping and addressing records still do not clearly establish some Linn city boundaries, creating concerns for emergency dispatching.

“The annexation is, for 911, it is mind-blowing,” Hoffman said. “We have no idea.

“I got so many questions, but nobody knows anything,” he continued. “I don’t understand none of it, and I don’t even know who to ask. But, according to the judge, it’s in effect right now.”

“That affects you severely, doesn’t It?” Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Peters asked.

“The best thing about (the sheriff) is (that) he covers everything,” Hoffman said. “But how do we send the city PD to an address we ain’t sure of? Just because somebody said so.”

“We have full jurisdiction in the whole county, including the cities of the county,” said Sheriff Michael Bonham. “They, on the other hand, do not... So, I mean, the danger’s for them, not us.”

Hoffman also questioned who is responsible for replacing signs on former county roads that were annexed. “I mean, the deed to the road didn’t change,” he said. “So is it a city road?”

Much of the discussion centered on whether the city had submitted complete deed documentation for all properties it intended to annex.

Assessor Tina Kammerich questioned whether part of the annexation could legally be considered contiguous to the rest of the city because Hwy. 50 was not annexed between the two areas. She said the city told her it was not affected by the highway. “I was always told they have to be contiguous, like they have to touch at some point, but out there it goes out to (State) Tech, and then it jumps across the road, and it picks up, like, the fairgrounds, the school, the old nursing home, and then it comes up, and it gets Eagle Stop. So, then, again, we’re jumping across Highway C.”

Griffin asked the group if they thought the Linn city officials would be willing to come in to discuss the issues with the commission and other elected officials.

Hoffman suggested the county contact an attorney with knowledge of annexation procedures. “They still don’t have the community center, Lakeside, or Cedar Grove apartments,” he said.

Kammerich said city officials told her those should be part of the annexation. “I said, ‘I cannot annex them in, so I get the deed work for them,’” Kammerich said.

“Who’s in charge of the city that’s setting this up so Squirrelly?” Western District Commissioner Dale Logan asked.

“Carrie is the one that started sending me all the stuff,” Kammerich said of Linn City Clerk Carrie Grellner. “So, I have been in contact with her millions of times, and she doesn’t answer.

“She sent her treasurer down because she doesn’t want to talk to me,” Kammerich added. “I don’t know why. So, the treasurer came down, (Jenna Lansford), and I said, ‘This is exactly what you need to go to the Recorder’s office and pull, because my mapper, Eugene, said these are the deeds that you’re missing.’ So, I said, ‘You need to go to the Recorder’s office, pull these and I’ll get these entered into the annexation.’ (She said,) ‘Okay, I will.’ Crickets.

“So, that is why it is so blotchy,” Kammerich continued. “Because, if you tell me they have Lakeside, I’m not putting that big of a company on without the correct paperwork. And that’s like out there at Classic Buildings. They only had the front corner. Those buildings back there, they didn’t annex none of it, because they didn’t pull the right deeds.”

“Didn’t they have something from Belle, Missouri?” Bonham asked.

“Yeah, they pulled one deed that was from Belle, and I told her that,” Kammerich said, clarifying that her office had not included that in the annexation. “I said, ‘You just need to hire a surveyor. You show them what you want annexed, get it passed, and they will pull the right paperwork.’”

Conversation continued about which specific areas around Twin Ridge were and were not included in the annexation.

“I’ll settle this,” Peters said. “Drive down there, and you’ll see where the city ends, and the county starts. You’ll be able to tell it in the road.”

“Everything that they have given me is mapped and taxed as of right now,” Kammerich said. “I am not going to pick up the backside of that Classic Buildings because it’s not technically annexed in, because I don’t have the deed work for it. I’m not going to touch Lakeside. I’m not going to do any of that. I have on the books and I have taxed what they have given me so far in the ordinances.”

“It’s the city’s responsibility,” said Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin.

Hoffman and Bonham agreed that fire and EMS services were not affected by the annexation, since Osage Ambulance District and Linn Fire Protection District cover those areas either way, but that law enforcement was impacted. Bonham reiterated that the annexation limits affected Linn PD, not the Sheriff’s Office.

“Should we wait and reach out to the new mayor when that happens,” Griffin asked. “Because the current mayor has known this problem for a year and a half and has not did a thing.”

Bonham said he already had, because having Linn PD cover the annexed areas would shift that burden from his office.

“What should we do? Shall we reach out to (County Attorney Amanda Grellner) and see what she says?” Griffin asked.

“We just have to make sure our i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed,” Logan said. “The city can worry about their own crap.”

Collector Denise Nolte said she felt like the county should get a lawyer to make sure everything they’ve done is correct as it deals with the collection of taxes.

Griffin said his understanding is that the county has done everything it can do, and they can’t force the city to do something.

“They haven’t really done nothing yet that affects us, except now with the taxes,” Hoffman said.

“Yeah, but it affected our County Clerk when the voting got messed up,” Griffin said. “We’ll reach out to Amanda and see what she says.”

• Another lengthy discussion centered on whether the county should screen its own creek gravel for road maintenance. Peters urged caution, saying fuel costs, equipment wear, labor, and screening expenses could quickly outweigh savings from producing gravel in-house. He estimated operating costs for equipment and personnel could exceed $150 per hour. Logan argued contractor prices continue rising and said he would support purchasing additional screening equipment in the future. Griffin noted creek gravel lasts longer than lighter rock products.

• Commissioners also briefly discussed the possibility of enacting an ordinance restricting future data center development in Osage County. Logan said he believed data centers damage farmland and communities, while Griffin expressed concerns about water and power usage.

• Another major topic involved Brightspeed’s request to install buried fiber optic lines along county roads. Commissioners said they opposed allowing lines to be buried in the roadway itself because future road or culvert work could damage them. They discussed requiring any lines to remain outside roadway ditches and at least three feet deep. Griffin said the county planned to send a letter to Brightspeed requiring utility work remain outside the roadway and drainage ditches.

• Assessor Kammerich said approximately 85% of assessment forms had been returned, with remaining property owners facing late assessment penalties.

• Treasurer Valerie Prater and commissioners discussed possible upgrades to county accounting and payroll software. Prater said estimates for new systems ranged from roughly $125,000 to $200,000, but that she had not yet found another program she was confident in, and commissioners noted money had already been reserved in the budget for future technology upgrades.

• University of Missouri Extension Office Engagement Specialist in Community Economic Development Elizabeth Anderson reported a provisional offer had been made for a new office support employee and said extension officials had approved moving forward with a search for a dedicated Osage County agricultural business specialist.

• Bonham reported the jail currently houses 28 inmates, including 18 from Cole County, and said the county recently added four new beds.

He also discussed ongoing grant applications, increased domestic calls, and rising food costs at the jail.

• Commissioners also discussed drainage and erosion issues along CR 621, with Peters arguing that years of insufficient road material and grading had contributed to runoff problems affecting adjacent landowners.

Peters and Logan spent several minutes debating erosion problems along County Road 621. Peters argued that years of insufficient road rock and grading had caused drainage problems that now funnel water into private property, while Logan questioned how much responsibility belonged to the county. Peters said recent work had already been done to redirect some of the water flow and reduce erosion.

• Much conversation centered on county records and digital storage. Patrick Kliethermes said scanned records already exist digitally through the recorder’s office and suggested future officeholders should maintain access to those files. Commissioners also discussed where physical records could be stored, including the possibility of using a shipping container, though concerns were raised about moisture and mildew damage.

• Commissioners later discussed obtaining bids for culvert work and addressed another drainage complaint involving a collapsed driveway culvert along County Road 303. Griffin said water crossing the roadway was creating ongoing maintenance problems for the county.

• The commission later heard from Bryan Boyce of Great River Engineering, who discussed training opportunities through the Missouri Association of County and City Transportation Officials (MACCTO) conference and the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP). Boyce also encouraged the county to consider in-house CDL training to address workforce shortages in road departments.

Boyce said many counties struggle to recruit qualified workers because requiring a CDL often eliminates otherwise strong applicants with farm or equipment experience.

“Don’t box yourself into not being able to choose the right person for the right job just because they lack a license,” Boyce said.

Road & Bridge Foreman Neil Mantle agreed the county could benefit from the approach.

“There are some people out there that will probably come to work for us, but physically can’t because they don’t have their CDL,” Mantle said.

ROAD & BRIDGE

Mantle told the commissioners eliminating the uniform supply company and buying t-shirts, a hoodie, a winter coat, and boots for employees would cut uniform costs in half. Employees would be required to maintain their own uniforms, but Mantle said the employees he’d spoken with were receptive to the idea. Only about half the employees wear the uniform pants, he said, and he himself has yet to receive uniforms that fit.

• Mantle said the department is already nearing its culvert budget limit after purchasing two large culvert pipes for a bridge repair project.

Commissioners discussed whether to repair the damaged bridge deck or replace it with a culvert. Mantle said replacing the bridge with a culvert would likely be faster and less expensive, while also widening the roadway. Peters said the county has “a pile of culverts to replace” and argued that the county’s road problems largely stem from failing or undersized culverts.

“We don’t have near enough money in that budget for that,” Peters said.

After discussion about water flow, costs, and repair timelines, the commission voted to replace the damaged bridge deck on County Road 705 with a culvert.

Commissioners also discussed the possibility of increasing the culvert budget through capital improvement funds and debated how future reimbursement from the individual who damaged the bridge would be handled. Griffin said the county intends to seek repayment.

“I told him he would be hearing from us,” Griffin said. “If he doesn’t pay, we’ll take him to court.”

Mantle also proposed purchasing culverts in bulk to reduce costs, noting that buying a semi-load of commonly used culverts could immediately reduce prices by 5%-7%.

• Commissioners also discussed ongoing drainage and driveway culvert issues throughout the county. Peters said keeping water off county roads is critical to reducing maintenance problems and improving road conditions.

“We have to do a better job on keeping the culverts and the road ditches open, keeping the water in them, and keep water from getting on the road,” he added.

Peters suggested increasing the culvert budget in order to have State Tech interns work on replacing culverts all summer.

• Mantle asked if the county had ever provided bottled water for employees during high heat. Commissioners expressed surprise they weren’t already providing them.

• Quarry rock was hauled on CR 303 (388T), 503 (500.37T), and 504 (220.71T); a culvert was replaced on CR 606 (34.22T of rock placed at culvert site) and (18.95T of rock placed at culvert site); road work was done on CR 606, 725, and 751; trees were removed on CR 201 and 202; brush mowers were working on CR 317; and grader operators were active as follows: G01 (CR 412, 413, 416), G03 (CR 303, 503, 504), G04 (CR 506, 507, 509, 516, 551, 708), G05 (CR 711, 715, 717, 718), and G06 (CR 312, 314).

• Grader G05 (2023 672G John Deere) was serviced in house. Whipper W41 (2006 John Deere 6615 w/Alamo Machete Mower) and dump truck DT56 (2025 International HV507) were serviced out of house.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Health Department Administrator Kim Sallin reported that a state-sponsored pre-med intern had begun work at the department, and that she was interviewing candidates after a nurse resignation and that several applicants had applied.

She also said the mammogram van would return on July 10.

FINANCIAL

• Bills totaling $73,166.33 were approved by commissioners, with the following totals by department: 911/EMA ($940.60), Assessor ($4,953.29), Building & Grounds ($811.20), Circuit Clerk ($253.14), Collector ($2,714.85), County Clerk ($4,338.06), Election ($11,636.48), Health Department ($1,926.64), Juvenile & Family Court ($2,941.78), Misc. ($6,612.01), Prosecuting Attorney ($570.10), Public Administration ($276), Recorder ($276), Road & Bridge ($24,675.34), Sheriff-Jail ($6,706.34), and Treasurer ($899.48).

• Sales tax distribution received from the state of Missouri showed $495,065.30 collected in May, including $63,085.59 to General Revenue, $68,564.44 to Jail Renovation (JR60), $34,284.77 to Capitol Improvements (CI88, $30,856.29) and Building & Grounds (BG89 $3,428.48), $68,567.45 to Prop P, $68,162.69 to Prop R, $68,564.43 to 911/Law Enforcement, and $123,835.93 to Use Tax.

• The April Statement of Monthly Collections from the collector showed county tax distributions of $3,578.26 to General Revenue, $6,170.35 to the County Retirement Fund (CERF), $859.47 to the County Assessment Fund, and $12.03 to the County Collector’s Office.

Taxes collected for the school districts were: $6,753.36 to R-1 (Chamois), $9,447.38 to R-2 (Linn), $20,172.99 to R-3 (Fatima), $5,491.24 to Maries County R-2, and $0.00 to Gasconade County R-2.

A total of $2,404.19 went to special road districts, including Osage County ($1,811.20), Belle Special Road District ($238.28), Chamois Special Road District ($152.67), West Special Road District ($125.96), and Linn Special Road District ($76.08).

Ambulance districts received the following: Osage ($1,179.85), Ozark ($475.48), and Maries ($365.89), for a total of $2,021.22.

Fire Districts received a total of $2,258.40, including Belle ($351.24), Bland ($25.38), Chamois ($301.32), Cole ($0.00), Linn ($1,160.74), Meta ($343.25), and Osage ($11.41).

Cities received a total of $1,297.78, including Argyle ($63.49), Belle ($418.06), Chamois ($405.13), Linn ($383.56), and Meta ($27.54).

• Checks were submitted for signatures.