Stoddard County voters will be presented with two sales tax propositions during the August election for the sheriff's department and jail operations as well as a jail expansion.
The propositions are estimated to raise $1.4 million over seven years.
County commissioners along with Sheriff Carl Hefner and Chief Deputy Andy Holden have spent the last several months working with Dale Rogers of Robert Stearns and Associates, Inc. on a jail addition proposal within the $7 to $8 million range.
The first proposition asks for a county wide sales tax of one half of one percent for the purpose of maintaining the Stoddard County Jail and Sheriff's office operations.
This sales tax, according to Hefner, would be used to maintain general operational expenses, equipment, vehicles and salaries.
Recently, the sheriff's office has lost several employees to other departments due pay, Hefner said.
"This money could be used for salaries and to compete with other places," Hefner said.
The second proposition will ask for a county wide sales tax of one half of one percent for the purpose of the renovation of the existing jail, construction, equipment and design cost of a jail addition, which would sunset in seven years.
The first proposition would have no sunset.
Proposition two can not pass without proposition one passing, Hefner said, but one can pass without the second passing.
"My main goal is to get a decent salary for employees above and beyond a jail," Hefner said.
The sheriff's department received a $1.2 million budget from general revenue this past year.
Holden said initial discussion included the county agreeing to maintain 50 percent of the salaries and the sheriff's department would assume the rest of the budget.
If still agreed upon, Hefner said the passage of the sales tax would save the county nearly $700,000 per year even while paying a little more with the sales tax in place.
Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis said his only concern would be if the next sheriff, once Hefner retired, asked for the current budget out of general revenue in addition to the sales tax revenue if the propositions were to pass.
"I see where Greg is coming from," Commissioner Steve Jordan said. "We have been funding $1.2 million and whoever the next sheriff is, we don't want them to come back and demand that money when we can use it for other things."
Hefner said as long as the department has respectable salaries and equipment needed, that is what is wanted.
"I hope I can speak for whoever follows me as sheriff," he said. "We just want to be able to operate."
Mathis said he had no problem with Hefner's remarks and agreed the salaries of deputies were low.
Commissioner Carol Jarrell also agreed pay for the sheriff's department needed to be brought up to standards and competitive to other area departments.
Jarrell also shared her fellow commissioner's concern with the additional general revenue money being requested if the propositions were to pass.
If general revenue money could be saved, Jarrell said that would help every office holder.
"When people vote on this, they need to remember they are voting for their safety as well as everything else," Hefner said. "My goal is to protect the people, but unless we have the personnel and equipment we need, we can't protect them the way they deserve to be protected."
In other action:
* Revised cupola bids
Commissioners approved rebidding the courthouse cupola project after initial bids received April 9 were too high.
"We stripped everything out of the bid documents except for work involved for coating only," Rogers said.
Bids are due Monday, June 11 at 10 a.m. and a pre-bid meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 30 in the Commission Chambers.
A completion date of Sept. 1 was in place, but has been extended with the rebidding process.
The county was awarded a grant for $60,000 from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and State Historic Preservation Office for cupola repairs including sheet metal cladding restoration and application of finish coating, sealant replacement and painting.
In addition to the $60,000 grant, the county will contribute $40,000 to the improvements.
* SB40 board members
Three SB40 board member's terms will expire June 30.
Commissioners are requesting interested citizens to prepare a resume to be evaluated no later than June 11 to be considered to serve on the SB40 board.
The next Stoddard County Commissioner's meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 29 in the Government Building Commission Chambers.