Worth County Commissioners met with State Senator Dan Hegeman, who held forth on everything from national issues like the Syrian Refugee Crisis and Ferguson to local topics like the DOT, the school funding formula, and Medicaid expansion.
Several Senators signed a letter to Governor Nixon expressing concern about resettling Syrian refugees in Missouri. Hegeman said he got a call from someone Monday morning as he was headed to Gentry and Worth County's commissioner meetings and that he had gotten a few calls. He said that the federal government needed to be careful about who they let into the country. "We currently have 700 refugees," he said. "Are we going to have the same stringent standards for 10,000 or 20,000 as we do now?" he asked. He said that the first priority always had to be to protect the country.
He reported that the legislature was going to try for a voter ID bill again next session, requiring all voters to have some form of voter ID. Commissioner Chevy Davidson said that might be a problem in places like Worth County, with people wondering why they had to produce ID's when the judges knew who they were.
Regarding the DOT, Hegeman said that they had come up with matching funds for 2016, but that there was still a concern for 2017. He thought that with gas prices lower this year, there might be a good chance to pass a fuel tax next year. He said they were going to try to pass one in the Senate, but that he wasn't sure if it would even get out of the House committee. He said that accountability was the main issue for the DOT, saying that they had reneged on promises for road projects back in 1992, when Missouri last passed a fuel tax. He said that after it was passed, the DOT later turned around and reallocated funds to urban areas. Another possibility was the creation of a toll road on I-70, similar to what they do in Kansas. He said that some senators in urban areas have proposed giving back some lettered roads back to counties as a way of reducing maintenance costs; however, he said that he didn't think that was going anywhere.
Hegeman said that he didn't see Medicaid Expansion going anywhere this year, saying that it already took up a sizable chunk of Missouri's budget. Legislators have come under pressure to do so since federal payments to hospitals are being cut back under the Affordable Care Act.
One proposal in the legislature would restore industrial hemp, but Hegeman said there would be a lot of caveats if it passed.
Hegeman predicted that there would be more money for the Foundation Formula this year, but that it would not be fully funded. He said he didn't know when it would be fully funded. He said around half the schools in his district were Hold Harmless and the other half were under the Foundation Formula.
Ferguson might come back in next year's session, according to Hegeman. Last session, following the Ferguson protests, the legislature passed a law limiting the amount of revenue that cities can collect from traffic fines. This time, he said there would be efforts to modernize the statute on lethal force to clarify when a cop can and can't use it.
Hegeman praised the Missouri Attorney General for filing a lawsuit to stop the Waters of the US Rule from taking effect in Missouri. He said that the EPA had exceeded their authority and that it was a serious property rights issue. On a related issue, "I see small towns struggling to keep up with water and wastewater regulations," said Hegeman. He noted that in some places, sewer rates were sky-high as cities try to comply with new EPA regulations.
"I took this job to help people with their problems and concerns," said Hegeman. "My door is always open if anyone wants to contact me."
The commission spent much of the morning before Hegeman's visit working on brush enforcement. The county had given a reprieve over the summer due to wet weather, but they are now sending out a new round of brush letters. Road & Bridge Foreman Jim Fletchall said some landowners had complied with previous brush letters after the weather had dried up for two months, while others had not.
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