While I enjoyed my vacation in the mountains of Colorado, it is great to be back in Missouri. The first day back to work after any absence is always a bit of a challenge, but I am back in the groove and once again ready to get down to business.
A few items of interest that the Commission has been working on are below.
• Some years ago, I had a conversation with my pastor and he mentioned that the one thing he disliked most about his job was Bob. Before I could inquire as to what this man had done, he told me that Bob was an acronym: Burden Of Buildings. Pastors sign on to preach the Gospel, but often spend a great deal of their time working on facility issues. While Commissioners are not called upon to preach the Gospel, the job focus tends toward finances and road/bridge matters, but occasionally turns to BOB. Working on buildings, especially older buildings, often presents extraordinary situations that can be humbling to say the least. In spite of our best efforts to be proactive in caring for County buildings, projects that seem routine at the beginning can often turn out to be the proverbial can of worms as work progresses. We are currently working to bring our Fire Panels up to date in 3 buildings, and what started out as a straightforward project has evolved into a clear cut case of BOB. Fortunately, we have capable staff that are working diligently with contractors and providing the Commission with the information needed to make prudent decisions. I love my job, but I can honestly say that I don’t care much for BOB.
• The Commission had its monthly meeting with Sheriff Cottle this week. Solid Federal prisoner numbers coupled with strong sales tax revenues has the Sheriff in a strong position just past the mid-year point. Law Enforcement funding is a tough undertaking statewide, and the taxpayers of Lincoln County are fortunate to have Sheriff Cottle in charge of the operation.
• We have moved one step closer to putting the 2015 Floods behind us. The Commission entered into the final 3 contracts to make the remaining bridge repairs. Net result is that our bridge inventory will be in good shape moving forward, and our funding will be freed up to make needed improvements to our system by adding hard surface roads to our inventory.
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
