Crawford County Library District Director Amy England presented commissioners with a request on June 16 from the board of trustees to change the trustee appointment policy.

The request made by the library district board of trustees included a letter from England, a letter from the 2022 commissioners to the board and a copy of RSMo 182.050. According to state law, it is required that the commission be informed of board vacancies and that they make necessary appointments.

In August 2022, the commissioners wrote the trustees a letter, requiring them to advertise board appointment openings in the local newspaper. England said in her letter that the requirement adds unnecessary cost to the local tax-funded boards. They also required the board of trustees to provide applicant appointment recommendations, which takes time and effort from the volunteer trustees.

“In the current administration, county commissioners do not consider the recommendations made by those involved in the library’s ongoing mission in making the appointments, instead relying on outside opinions and influence,” England’s letter read. “As a result, the Crawford County Library District Board of Trustees asks that the Crawford County Commission assume full responsibility for appointments as outlined in state law.”

No action was taken, and discussion of changing the policy was added to the June 23 agenda.

Community members weighed in on the topic. Resident Jax Jenson said during citizen participation that he didn’t agree that the commissioners didn’t consider the library board’s appointment recommendations.

“You did consider it, and you took their advice, and you chose to go a different direction, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t consider it,” Jax said. “Just let them understand, ‘We want your input, but it doesn’t mean we’re necessarily obligated to follow it.’”

Presiding Commissioner Steve Black mentioned that the library district isn’t the only board unhappy with the requirements set by the 2022 commissioners.

“There’s also another board that has complained,” Black said. “I guess maybe not complained, but questioned about having to do their own advertising for board positions. They have a limited amount of funds, and they feel like, you know, too much of those funds are used to advertise for board positions, or whatever else.”

In other business, Krysta Swartz of Great River Engineering (GRE) updated the commissioners on the progress for the Smith Road and John Coleman Road bridge repair projects.

She said that MoDOT has reviewed the documents for the Smith Road bridge and agrees with awarding the project to BuildTec Construction.

“As far as John Coleman Road, we did receive the contractor’s insurance certificate, so that’s with the railroad currently for review,” Swartz said. “So I hope here in the next two weeks, or so, we have that easement fully obtained as well, to where both of those could get started mid-July.”

Danny Brown, Crawford County road consultant and bridge engineer, said that there was approximately $33,000 left after repairs to the Whilhite Road bridge, which he tried to get transferred over to the John Coleman Road bridge project.

Unfortunately, the federal funding is not transferable from one bridge to another, so they used the extra to put another extension on the bridge.

Black provided an update on the appeal letter sent to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding the November 2024 flooding.

“We were turned down for our FEMA appeal. There is a second appeal,” Black said. “It may not do us any good, but there’s nothing to lose….We got 60 days to do that.”

Black also provided information on the Coffee Community Church Property suit.

The quiet title suit on the property has been filed, so the courts will decide who owns the land and appoint a new trustee. To follow the suit, the case number is 26CF-PR00041 on Casenet.

In other business, Treasurer Karen Sikes said that one of the county’s CDs matured. The county got $57,009.61, which will be transferred into another CD.

She added that there was one more $200,000 CD left, set to mature in September.