My how things change! Last week we were in a deep freeze and this week I am scrambling to find a short sleeve shirt.
A few items of interest that the Commission has been working on are below.
• Two weeks ago, I spoke of the 28% growth in commercial real estate values since 2012. My curiosity got the best of me, so I asked our Assessor, Kevin Bishop, to get me the growth rates for residential property values over the same time period. From $358,618,448 in 2012 to $459,747,783 in 2017 our values have grown…28%. This represents consistent growth in both areas, which is a positive sign. Based on the ongoing construction in the County right now, it looks like this trend will continue.
• It saddens me to announce that there has been another crossover fatality along Highway 61. The latest occurred at the intersection with Highway W in St. Charles County, almost exactly 2 years to the day of the incident that killed 3 people just south of Point Prairie Rd. It is important to understand that St. Charles County is in the St. Louis MODOT District while Lincoln County is in the Northeast MODOT District, so we are working with 2 entirely separate pots of money. I cannot speak for the activities in St. Charles County, but I can bring you up to speed within Lincoln County as I am the vice-chair of the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). The TAC serves as the local partner in the planning process that ultimately determines which MODOT projects are funded, and Highway 61 safety improvements have been a top priority of the group for many years. Thanks to the advocacy of the TAC, the much-needed median guard cable project from Big Creek to Moscow Mills has been funded and will be completed this summer while the replacement of the badly outdated overpass at 61 and 47 has advanced to the scoping process which moves it one step closer to funding and completion. The TAC and MODOT work closely to anticipate and plan future transportation needs in the area, and we are currently working to determine our next step in the process of making Highway 61 and other State roads as safe as possible for motorists.
That’s all I have time for now. As always, call, e-mail or stop by the Courthouse if you have questions. Until next week…
Dan Colbert
Presiding Commissioner
