The biggest topic at last week’s commission meeting wasn’t bills or routine updates — it was a deep dive into Osage County’s long list of transportation needs, a sprawling conversation with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) that stretched across corridors, bridges, flood zones, and intersections, from Freeburg to Chamois. The annual review is part of a regional process that will culminate in December, when counties present their top priorities to the MRPC Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) for ranking. With more needs than funding, commissioners and planners spent considerable time deciding which projects belonged at the top of the pile this year. The meeting included representatives from MoDOT and MRPC as well as citizen Steve Smyth and District 61 Representative Bruce Sassmann.

MRPC Executive Director Bonnie Prigge opened the transportation session by laying out the task. “Well, good morning, and thank you for having us today. It’s that time of year where we’re ready to come out and talk once again about transportation needs on the state system.”

She explained that each county must leave the meeting with four top priorities, plus two more high-priority unfunded needs, to present at the TAC meeting on Dec. 11.

MoDOT Area Engineer Preston Kramer provided context for why long lists and tough choices have become a permanent feature of transportation planning in the region. “We have the seventh largest transportation system in the country, and we rank 48th in funding.”

Missouri’s size, he noted, combined with inflation and construction costs, means MoDOT routinely has to move projects further out in the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), even after they’ve been approved.

The group worked through Osage County’s project list line by line. Some items had been completed and could be removed, including the recent improvements near State Tech. Others had worsened, such as the bridge on Rt. HH. Kramer noted its deck, superstructure, and substructure ratings had fallen to 5-4-4, officially moving it into “poor” condition. Flooding concerns at Hwy. 89 near the Gasconade River and Hwy. 100 near Bailey Creek remained unchanged and were kept on the list.

Safety improvements at the intersection of Hwy. 63 and Rt. E stayed firmly in the discussion as well. Commissioners and MoDOT staff agreed the area sees peak danger during the late-afternoon traffic surge heading out of Jefferson City. “A turn lane would be huge,” said Western District Commissioner Dale Logan. “I would think there’s enough room there to do that reasonably, right?”

Kramer acknowledged that MoDOT had studied it and believed they knew how to fix the sight-distance issues, but the solution required acquiring right-of-way.

Passing lanes — both existing and proposed — also drew attention. Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Peters asked why Hwy. 63 has several while Hwy. 50 has none between Osage County and Union. Kramer explained that past funding decisions, corridor studies, and crash data had guided early investments, but Osage County was free to nominate specific Hwy. 50 locations for evaluation. “They help break up queues, but they don’t reduce accident rates,” he explained. “They change accident types.”

The long-discussed Linn bypass returned as one of the most important items. Kramer said corridor studies consistently show the stretch through Linn as one of the worst bottlenecks in the region. Several curve corrections and sight-distance issues exist on Hwy. 50, but the Linn segment is the most constrained. Commissioners also asked about the North 19 intersection near Drake, which Kramer said has one of the highest crash concentrations in the region. Both items remained on the list.

As the group reviewed item O-511 — the proposed new Missouri River bridge at Chamois — commissioners examined the broader economic impact such a project could have, including better access across the river, possible redevelopment near the former power plant, and long-term regional transportation benefits. The discussion positioned the project as one of the items to keep in contention for the county’s top priorities.

MRPC transportation planner Anne Freund reminded commissioners that TAC presentations require photos and supporting materials. “I will need pictures of 511 and 545,” she said.

After more than an hour of review, commissioners finalized their priorities. Prigge repeated the list to make sure everyone had it correct. Osage County’s top six transportation needs for 2026 will be:

O-502 — Linn bypass (Hwy. 50)

O-511 — New Missouri River crossing at Chamois

O-504 — Improvements at Hwy 63 and Rt. E

O-545 — Safety improvements at Hwy. 50 and 100

O-546 — New east entrance to State Tech (added/partially funded through State Tech)

O-517 — New bridge at the former ferry location on Rt. J

• Insurance representative Ronnie Staggs told commissioners that United Healthcare, the county’s current carrier, quoted a premium increase of approximately 23%. Two other companies — Aetna and CapPoint — declined to quote due to rate competitiveness. That left two proposals from Anthem: one through the ACA and one through their ABF (balance-funded) plan, and one from Gravie. Both Aetna quotes came in at the same premium, $367,578, a 3.6% increase from this year’s cost. Gravie was slightly higher, at $374,787.

“The biggest difference on the ABF for you guys in how it looks and feels — it is a level funded plan, so it’s like small group self-insurance,” Staggs explained. “But, with this program, it has built-in terminal liability. Not to speak in big terms, but there’s no risk if you leave at the end of 12 months.

“The advantage to the balance-funded options is — if our claims history runs really well, we actually can share in that surplus balance,” Staggs continued. “It’s a 50/50 share. So if, for some reason, they have our max funding of claims at $200,000, we spend $150,000 that, (of) that $50,000 that’s left over, $25,000 would come back to the county. The other $25,000 would stay with Anthem. With ACA, if we have a great year and we run, that money all stays with them to offset any of the other losses that they have underneath ACA.”

Peters didn’t hesitate. “It’s a no-brainer, in my opinion.”

After reviewing employee impact sheets, Peters made the motion to go with Anthem ABF. The motion passed unanimously.

Before leaving after the insurance discussion, Interim County Clerk Brooke Dudenhoeffer delivered unexpected good news about the county’s Workers’ Compensation costs. “Their premium for the 2026 year is estimated at $28,384,” she said. “Whereas the 25 year was quoted at $47,096.”

She credited the decrease to strong safety performance, and indicated the county should receive a sizable rebate for the 2025 year.

ROAD & BRIDGE

Logan notified Assistant Foreman Bradley Sneller that a culvert pipe on CR 608 needed to be replaced. Sneller confirmed he would inspect it, noting he believed it had limestone blocks at its ends.

Peters cautioned him to speak to property owners before moving the blocks: “Some people are really sentimental about that kind of stuff, that older stuff like that — homestead,” he said.

Sneller agreed that his crew could move them to replace the pipe then put them back exactly as they were.

• Peters then asked whether Sneller had made any progress on Cadet Creek Road (CR 412). Sneller admitted he hadn’t reached it yet, explaining they were working through a long backlog.

The delays tied back to staffing issues and equipment limitations, particularly the whipper. Logan asked whether the whipper had been to CR 612 yet, and Sneller said it was being retrieved from Belle for servicing before deploying again.

• Culvert jobs on CR 250 and Bluff Road brought better news.

Sneller confirmed, “It’s all done.”

Peters replied, “I’ll tell you what, you’re kicking butt.”

• Commissioners circled back to a familiar complaint: ungraded roads in the 300s. Sneller said the CR 300s and 400s had been neglected for way too long, but “between getting somebody to run a machine and keeping the machine running, it’s been hard.”

• The winter prep conversation turned to two trouble trucks. One had been in a shop for months with a dead engine. The other wandered badly on the road, despite repairs. Commissioners asked to see maintenance costs for both vehicles, to determine how to proceed.

• Sneller then described a citizen who entered the shop irate about grading on one of the county roads. “If (another citizen) wouldn’t have been there, I don’t know what that guy would have done, because (the citizen) had calmed him down,” Sneller said. ”He was just losing his mind.”

Presiding Commissioner Griffin asked Sneller to confirm the Road & Bridge office had a panic button, and Logan told Sneller they shouldn’t hesitate to use it if a citizen is out of line.

Peters emphasized that they rely on public complaints — but not abusive behavior. “I want people to voice their opinion, because I don’t drive every road in my area,” Peters said. “I 100% want them to voice their opinion. That way, we can fix the problems. But you have to do it in a respectful way.”

• Quarry rock was hauled on CRs 302 (191.83 tons), 522 (32.17 tons), 524 (88.38 tons), 612 (365.84 tons), 623 (84.98 tons); a culvert was replaced on CR 251; brush was removed from upper end of slab on CR 306; brush mowers was working on CRs 504, 505, 607, 608, and 609; and grader operators were active as follows: G02 (CRs 737, 738, 740, 751, 753, 754), G03 (CRs 201, 202, 302, 621, 810, Concrete Plant Road), G04 (CRs 612, 623, 634), and G05 (CRs 501, 602, 606, 607).

• G05 (2023 672G John Deere) was serviced in-house. Plow trucks PT29 (2014 Dodge Ram two-ton) and PT34 (2005 Ford F550) were again being serviced out-of-house.

• Contact was received from citizens regarding condition of CR 501, culvert placement on CR 302, brush concerns on Loose Creek Highway, and complaints about CR 501.

• Compliments were received about grading work on CR 501.

FINANCIAL

• Bills totaling $142,423.48 were approved by commissioners, with the following totals by department: 911/EMA ($1,410.28), Building & Grounds ($738.82), Circuit Clerk ($3,177.04), Collector ($1,431.25), Commission ($53,590), County Clerk ($647.99), Election ($11.68), Health Department ($3,149.90), Misc. ($8,972.59), Prosecuting Attorney ($2,737.10), Public Administration ($895.70), Road & Bridge ($46,818.74), Sheriff-Jail ($17,243.40), Surveyor ($1,529.51), and Treasurer ($69.48).

• Sales tax distribution received from the state of Missouri showed $501,763.43 collected in September, including $62,260.42 to General Revenue, $67,157.77 to Jail Renovation (JR60), $33,569.74 to Capitol Improvements (CI88, $30,212.77) and Building & Grounds (BG89 $27,191.49), $67,141 to Prop P, $66,788.84 to Prop R, $67,157.75 to 911/Law Enforcement, and $137,687.91 to Use Tax. There was also $7.88 collected for the GR01 sales tax that expired in 2017.

• The collector’s October Statement of Monthly Collections showed county tax distributions of $2,156.02 to General Revenue, $4,957.75 to the County Retirement Fund (CERF), $343.82 to the County Assessment Fund, and $1.23 to the County Collector’s Office.

Taxes collected for the school districts were: $3,159.80 (Chamois R-1), $7,596.54 (Linn R-2), $4,499.94 (Fatima R-3), $2,636.20 (Maries County R-2), and none to Gasconade County R-2.

A total of $1,024.77 went to special road districts, including Osage County ($882.37), Belle Special Road District ($0.71), Chamois Special Road District ($71.90), West Special Road District ($37.72), and Linn Special Road District ($32.07).

Ambulance districts received the following: Osage ($575.85), Ozark ($45.20), and Maries-Osage ($835.08), for a total of $1,456.13.

Fire Districts received a total of $953.21, including Belle ($124.30), Bland ($18.77), Chamois ($152.47), Linn ($623.76), Meta ($17.80), and Osage ($16.11).

Cities received a total of $200.31, including Argyle ($0.67), Belle ($2.52), Chamois ($59.11), Linn ($80.35), and Meta ($57.66).

• Checks were submitted for signatures.