OSAGE COUNTY — The anticipated opening of the Pentecostal Bridge has been delayed because concrete from the first deck pour has not yet passed testing, Western District Commissioner Dale Logan told commissioners during their Aug. 11 meeting.

Logan said approximately 300 yards of concrete were used in the first pour. Although the concrete tested satisfactorily as it came from the trucks, subsequent tests had not produced the required results. The contractor had up to 28 days for the concrete to cure and pass testing.

The final deck pour had not been completed while the county awaits additional test results.

Logan said representatives remained optimistic that the concrete would pass, but the bridge would not open around Sept. 1 as previously anticipated. If the concrete passed soon, he said the opening would be delayed by at least two weeks.

Commissioners also discussed whether the delay could result in liquidated damages. Logan said they should wait for the test results before determining how to proceed.

“Let’s hope we don’t have to worry about it,” Logan said.

Logan praised Gene Haile Excavating for its work and communication throughout the project.

“They have just been wonderful to work with,” he said. “They’ve done a really good job. I hope they do more work for us in the future.”

• Shelley Klebba returned to discuss plans to install an ice-skating rink on the courthouse square during Christmas on Main Street on Dec. 11 and 12.

Klebba said Circuit Clerk Beth Billington and Judge Sonya Brandt had confirmed that court would be held that Friday. She proposed asking courthouse employees to park in the Legends Bank parking lot so attorneys could park near the courthouse.

“I’d hate to forgo a community (event) for ten cars for two hours,” Klebba said.

“We can talk to department heads and get that squared away,” Logan said.

Klebba said organizers had backup locations available for the rink, but believed the square was the best location because it would place the rink near the tree lighting and other activities.

“The square is just where this needs to happen,” Logan said.

The rink and associated seating would occupy an area approximately 40 feet wide and 52 feet long. Commissioners discussed traffic flow and concluded that closing the affected portion of the square could be safer than allowing vehicles to pass near children using the rink.

Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin said Groundskeeper John Kennedy would place cones to block off the necessary area before the rink was set up Friday morning.

The event will carry liability insurance, and Logan said the county must be named as an additional insured on the policy.

• During the monthly department updates, Griffin said Alan Fay of Higginbotham Insurance would meet with county officials at 9 a.m. Aug. 18 to discuss employee health insurance. He encouraged elected officials, department heads, and employees to attend, provide input, and bring questions.

Logan said he was particularly interested in learning more about self-funded insurance. Although the county would not change to a self-funded plan this year, he said it could be an option in the future if the county could protect itself from costs exceeding an established limit.

Logan also wanted to determine whether Osage County could partner with other counties to form a larger insurance group. The county insured approximately 40 employees, and he said combining with other counties could increase the group to 100 or 150 employees and potentially reduce rates.

Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Peters said self-funded insurance appeared advantageous while employees were healthy, but costs could increase when participants had pre-existing conditions or needed surgery. He said he was concerned about employees’ out-of-pocket expenses, not only the county’s costs.

Because Kammerich and two insured employees in the assessor’s office were scheduled to attend training Aug. 18, officials asked Fay whether the meeting could be moved to Aug. 25. Fay was unavailable that day, and commissioners kept the Aug. 18 meeting.

Treasurer Valerie Prater said she will be on vacation Sept. 11-18, so her office will be closed.

Recorder of Deeds Cindy Hoffman said contractors had returned to work in her office. Books removed as part of the project were undergoing quality-assurance checks and were expected to be returned soon.

Beginning Aug. 28, the fee to record a document would increase by $2, from $24 to $26 for the first page, following a change approved by the legislature. The fee for each additional page would remain $3. Hoffman said recording fees had not increased since 2003. She planned to post the new rates on the county website and provide documentation in her office.

Hoffman said she would attend training Sept. 16 at the Courtyard in Columbia, but her deputy would be in the office.

Osage County University of Missouri Extension Office Engagement Specialist in Community Economic Development Elizabeth Anderson said the youth program associate was no longer employed by Extension. The Extension Council planned to discuss whether and how to fill the position at its next meeting.

Anderson also said the Osage County agricultural business specialist position had been posted on the Extension website. Anderson said the position had been advertised nationwide and that she planned to promote it through social media and a press release.

Collector Denise Nolte said the county’s tax sale was scheduled for later in August, but only one parcel remained on the list, and she expected it to be resolved beforehand. “If it is, we’ll have nobody on the tax sale,” Nolte said. “That’ll be two years in a row, which is amazing for me and amazing for the citizens not to have to go through that.”

Nolte also planned to seek bids from at least three companies to replace the collector’s Governmentor software after receiving notice that it would be phased out by 2028. She said the county paid approximately $12,000 annually to maintain its current system, while one replacement she was considering would cost approximately $22,000 per year. However, she said the new system would offer more capabilities, eliminate several spreadsheets and manually written checks, and save her time. It would also work directly with Vanguard, the assessor’s software. Nolte said she would return with additional information after receiving bids.

Nolte later told commissioners that an ordinance drafted by Travis Elliott, an attorney contracted by the Missouri Association of Counties to provide legal assistance to member counties, combined provisions addressing SB 3 and SB 190. She asked commissioners to have a separate ordinance drafted for SB 3 because the measures were separate statutes. She also raised concerns about what would happen under a combined ordinance if SB 3 were overturned in court or the county’s status under the law changed.

Osage County 911/EMA reported that it would host an application briefing in the Emergency Operations Center the following day for local agencies receiving federal disaster funds.

The department also reported changes to its geographic information system, saying it would use SDR and would not maintain GIS services in-house for the time being.

Interim County Clerk Brooke Dudenhoeffer said certification of the Aug. 4 election went well, and the subsequent verification was completed without errors. A total of 4,205 of the county’s 10,109 registered voters cast ballots, for a turnout of 41.6%.

“That’s amazing,” Dudenhoeffer said. “Absolutely amazing. The 41% — it’s a very, very good turnout for August.”

Dudenhoeffer attributed the turnout to the amendments on the ballot. The clerk’s office ran out of nonpartisan ballots after significantly more voters selected them than she had anticipated, but staff members used a machine normally used to print small numbers of absentee ballots to produce additional ballots.

The office next planned to complete pro formas and assessed valuations, advertise the information needed to establish tax levy rates, and begin preparations for the November election.

Dudenhoeffer said the entire clerk’s office staff would attend election training Tuesday through Friday during the first week of September, and the office would be closed. A Show-Me grant covered the cost of the training.

Assessor Tina Kammerich said her office had completed its 11A work and would send fieldworkers out to begin collecting information for the 2027 tax year. After all tax levies were set, staff members would abate and recreate the small number of bills received since the 11A was completed.

Kammerich said the assessor’s office would attend annual Vanguard training Aug. 18 and 19 at the Stoney Creek Inn in Columbia. Vanguard was the office’s real estate and personal property software. Staff members planned to drive to and from Columbia both days.

Griffin said commissioners had received a question about how compensatory time should be handled when an employee worked additional hours one week but fewer than 40 hours the following week.

Dudenhoeffer used the Health Department as an example, saying Sallin allowed employees to choose whether to receive compensation for additional hours or reduce their hours the following week when feasible. Sallin said she strongly encouraged employees to take equivalent time off, but did not require it.

Dudenhoeffer said a different department recently reported an employee working 45 hours during the first week of a pay period, then working 35 hours and using five hours of previously earned compensatory time to reach 40 hours during the second week. She asked whether the employee should also receive overtime pay or compensatory time for the five additional hours worked during the first week.

Sallin said she would not allow an employee to use compensatory or vacation time to complete the second week while also earning compensatory time during the same pay period. Dudenhoeffer said that was the situation that prompted her question.

Officials said required overtime caused by storms, fallen trees, and other emergencies had to be treated differently from optional scheduling. Dudenhoeffer asked department heads to use the comment section on time sheets to document when overtime had been authorized or required.

Logan said he reviewed time sheets to determine whether reported overtime was consistent with storms and other work demands. Dudenhoeffer said the new time sheets had helped, but she continued to find errors, some of which could result from insufficient instruction on calculating compensatory time.

Peters said commissioners could not micromanage the Road and Bridge Department and expressed confidence that employees were not working unnecessary overtime. No formal policy change was approved during the discussion.

• Logan said a box culvert slab on County Road 508 at Little Profit Creek near Meta did not qualify the county for additional soft-match credit that could have been used on a future project. He said the county had received confirmation that the structure remained classified as a slab because it was in the water. A similar project in the Eastern District was unlikely to qualify, but Logan said the county would still submit a request for a determination.

• Commissioners unanimously accepted Wegman Plumbing’s $8,700 bid to repair two damaged jail cells, with the expense paid from the Jail Renovation Fund. Griffin said the two unusable cells could otherwise hold four inmates, and the county was losing revenue while they remained out of service.

ROAD & BRIDGE

Road and Bridge Foreman Neil Mantle said he planned to meet with Bink’s Trucking and Excavating that day about chip-and-seal work on CR 801. Work was expected to begin the following week and be completed Monday and Tuesday before school began.

Mantle said the newly prepared surface on CR 303 still needed time to firm up. He anticipated completing about half the road after CR 801 and leaving the remainder until spring. If another road was ready before winter, the contractor could possibly complete that one as well.

“The chip and seal is a lot bigger ballgame than people realize, as far as if you’re going to do it, you have to do it right. Otherwise you might as well not do it at all,” Mantle said.

He added that culverts should be installed after a road was prepared for chip and seal so they and the ditch lines could be placed at the proper grade.

• A hydraulic motor had also failed on one of the county’s brush-cutting tractors and probably sent metal through the lines, which would need to be flushed. Rebuilding the motor would cost approximately $1,200, compared with $2,100 to $2,700 for a replacement. If parts arrived promptly, employees expected to complete the rebuild by the end of the week.

• The county’s new brush-cutting tractor was not expected to arrive until the end of September. Logan called the delay disappointing, and Peters said the county would need to reconsider its approach the next time it ordered one. Mantle said that discussion needed to happen soon because the department would not be able to keep its existing machines operating much longer.

• The county’s recently purchased plow truck was said to have performed well during the trip home, although it became warm at higher speeds with the snowplow attached. The problem stopped after the plow was removed.

Its spreader box is approximately half the size of the county’s other boxes. Mantle said the county might eventually sell it and use one of its existing boxes or retrofit it with an electric pump for use in a standard pickup. The seller had expressed interest in buying the box back if the county decided to sell it.

• Mantle also said the department would soon need a pressure washer. A commercial unit expected to last would cost approximately $10,000, compared with $3,000 to $4,000 for one expected to last four or five years. Peters and Logan supported buying the more durable unit if the department had room in its budget, and Mantle agreed to obtain a quote for commissioners to consider the following week. He had previously been told the unit could be installed within two weeks of purchase.

• Commissioners also discussed whether to rebuild a 2010 pintle-hitch trailer. Peters was reluctant to spend between $25,000 and $35,000 on a trailer worth approximately $30,000. Logan supported the rebuild, saying that rebuilding it would give the county a known piece of equipment, which caused Peters to reconsider.

Mantle will obtain an estimate for replacing the axles and deck and repainting the trailer, although he said he believed the county should purchase another plow truck before rebuilding the trailer.

• Mantle said Thomas Hill Energy Center’s cinders were now being sold to a company that did not resell them, so he contacted a source near Mexico. Participating entities apply in September, and the available cinders are allocated based on road mileage and the number of applicants.

He also planned to ask Bink’s Trucking and Excavating about hauling salt for the county again this year.

• Quarry rock was hauled on CR 504 (105.42T), 507 (461.18T), 612 (80.41T), 634 (61.66T), & 635 (225.04T); culverts were replaced on CR 504 (19.72T placed at culvert site) & 804 (16.75T placed at culvert site); road work was done on CR 305, 504, 506, & intersection of 522 & 524; asphalt was placed on CR 319, brush mowers were working on CR 203, 206, 207, & 208; and grader operators were active as follows: G01 (CR 609), G03 (CR 212, 435), G04 (CR 507, 612, 613B, 634, 635), G05 (CR 706, 708, 709, 711, 712, 731, 733), & G06 (241, 242, 243, 244).

• Dump truck DT31 (white 2004 Peterbilt) and whippers W41 (2006 John Deere 6615 w/Alamo Machete Mower) & W43 (2007 John Deere 6615 w/Alamo Machete Mower) were serviced in house.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Health Department Administrator Kim Sallin said Quick Care served six patients on its first day, Aug. 10.

Sallin said staff members were still working through issues with the electronic medical-record system, which required the addition of technology and functions the department had not previously used. However, she believed the opening went as smoothly as could be expected.

Sallin later presented figures showing that the Health Department could afford to hire a medical assistant for the Quick Care within its existing 2026 budget. Peters asked how many employees had helped with Quick Care on its first day. Sallin said one employee had assisted but would no longer be available after school began. She said the medical-assistant position would be presented as a trial because continued employment in 2027 would depend on Quick Care’s patient volume and available funding.

Logan said Sallin had done an exceptional job and demonstrated that she could make the necessary staffing decisions. He moved to authorize her to pursue hiring a medical assistant using her existing budget. “I trust you. You’ve done a great job,” Logan said.

Peters seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Sallin said the TORCH project could provide state funding for Quick Care positions in 2027, although funding had not yet been determined.

Logan asked Sallin to text commissioners the number of patients served each day during Quick Care’s first week. Sallin said it meant a great deal that Logan and Peters had called to ask how the service was going.

Sallin also discussed purchasing a banner inside State Technical College of Missouri’s activity center for $750 per academic year. She said the facility attracts students as well as families attending athletic events, tournaments, and graduations. Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Peters suggested waiting a month to evaluate Quick Care’s patient volume before spending the money.

Sallin asked commissioners to establish which relatives qualified as immediate family members for the discounted Quick Care rate available to county employees and their families. The discounted rate is $20, compared with the standard $40 charge.

She also said not all county employees have identification badges, making it difficult for Quick Care staff to verify eligibility. Commissioners discussed having employees provide a list of eligible family members.

• Sallin raised concerns about the county’s Barracuda email-filtering system. Messages routed through Barracuda could only be reviewed for 30 days, preventing her from retrieving older correspondence. Beginning in fiscal year 2028, the state will no longer pay for the Health Department’s email service, requiring the department to transition to county email accounts, and Sallin said she would require access to historical emails.

Assessor Tina Kammerich said Barracuda had also blocked messages and attachments exchanged between county offices. She said one attachment took three months to deliver because Barracuda rejected each format she attempted to use.

Commissioners agreed to schedule a meeting with Eric Reichel of Remote Computer Services to discuss the problems.

• Commissioners also unanimously approved Sallin’s request for a Sam’s Club membership for the Health Department.

FINANCIAL

• An income report for the County Clerk for the month of July showed a monthly total of $2,575.40, including Liquor License ($893.00), Auction ($0.00), Notary ($15.00), Plat Books ($1,650.00), Election ($0.00), and Misc/CC ($17.40).

• Sales tax distribution received from the state of Missouri showed $525,708.52 collected in August, including $67,942.39 to General Revenue, $73,697.03 to Jail Renovation (JR60), $36,763.20 to Capitol Improvements (CI88, $33,086.88) and Building & Grounds (BG89 $3,676.32), $73,526.56 to Prop P, $73,230.11 to Prop R, $73,696.95 to 911/Law Enforcement, and $126,852.28 to Use Tax.

• The July Statement of Monthly Collections from the collector showed county tax distributions of $3,316.63 to General Revenue, $6,010.53 to the County Retirement Fund (CERF), $761.15 to the County Assessment Fund, and $12.22 to the County Collector’s Office.

Taxes collected for the school districts were: $7,645.72 to R-1 (Chamois), $18,244.53 to R-2 (Linn), $15,869.80 to R-3 (Fatima), $999.77 to Maries County R-2, and $0.00 to Gasconade County R-2.

A total of $2,416.89 went to special road districts, including Osage County ($1,864.56), Belle Special Road District ($239.00), Chamois Special Road District ($307.81), West Special Road District ($0.00), and Linn Special Road District ($5.52).

Ambulance districts received the following: Osage ($1,504.44), Ozark ($169.57), and Maries ($226.41), for a total of $1,900.42.

Fire Districts received a total of $1,914.13, including Belle ($72.78), Bland ($6.36), Chamois ($215.17), Cole ($0.00), Linn ($1,428.38), Meta ($110.60), and Osage ($0.00).

Cities received a total of $1,472.59, including Argyle ($2.37), Belle ($0.00), Chamois ($394.43), Linn ($1,075.79), and Meta ($0.00).

• Time sheets were approved by commissioners.