Story updated to include county commission’s Thursday decision to turn down initiative petition for Senate Bill 190.
SB190 has been a topic of conversation at commission meetings since early March, mainly regarding all of the potential financial repercussions to county entities and offices.
During the commission meeting held Thursday, Aug. 8, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray and citizen Denver Ellis had a disagreement on the widely discussed bill and the initiative petition on SB190 that Ellis had turned in previously, proposing an exemption for senior citizens from increases on property tax liabilities.
Later that day, after The Salem News had left the initial portion of the meeting, the commission voted to reject the initiative petition Ellis turned in, according to a letter dated Friday from Dent County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Curley, hand delivered to Ellis and made available to the media by Curley.
See the information provided by Curley:
The vote was 2-0, with commissioners Mobray and Gary Polk voting to reject, according to Dent County Clerk Angie Curley. She said the vote occurred just before noon and that presiding commissioner Gary Larson was not in attendance due to a previous commitment.
Prosecutor Curley prior to the vote met with commissioners and laid out concerns he had with the initiative petition submitted by Ellis.
In his letter to Ellis, he wrote that the petition was missing some language and “in addition, the statute indicates that each signature must have a section to be dated by the participant on the date of signing the same. The petitions submitted to me do not include this information.”
Prosecutor Curley went on to write that, “based on the foregoing, the Dent County Commission voted to reject the petition. . . This decision was not taken lightly and was done expeditiously to provide you with an opportunity to submit a valid petition with the necessary signatures needed for a referendum ballot measure.”
Prosecutor Curley said the signatures would need to be gathered and the petition submitted in time for the commission to approve it by Aug. 27 in order for it to appear on the November ballot, and that it would take at least three days for the county clerk’s office to verify the signatures.
PREVIOUSLY REPORTED ONLINE
Earlier in Thursday’s meeting, with the media in attendance, Mobray asked Ellis how he feels about the entities that could be affected by the bill, such as the hospital, fire department, health department and others within Dent County who could face diminished revenue.
“It’s my opinion that just because we freeze George’s taxes, that he’s been paying all his life in the county, doesn’t mean we’re not going to gain the revenue because we have the younger people coming up,” replied Ellis. “They’re going to be building new homes. They’re going to be building new businesses. They’re still going to have that tax base.”
“So, as the community grows, why wouldn’t that tax base replenish and grow with it?”
To illustrate the amount of financial assistance SB190 would provide seniors, Mobray cited that Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson, eligible for the benefits of SB190, would only be able to receive a grand total of $22 per year. Mobray argued that after driving into town twice to receive the application, going home and filling it out, and bringing it back and paying for his deed, Larson would have already spent the $22 on gas alone. SB190, continued Mobray, would only be affecting 21 percent of the community.
Ellis argued that the growth of the community would balance that percentage of lost revenue, to which Mobray argued that, without a hospital, no one will move to Dent County, and all the elderly will move to Rolla to be closer to resources.
Mobray lost to Keith Green in a race for District 1 commissioner in Tuesday’s primary election. Green had 763 votes and Mobray 731. Ellis was a candidate for District 2 commissioner and finished third with 349 votes behind winner Jimmy Williams (684) and incumbent Gary Polk (485). With no Democrats on the ballot in November, Green and Williams will begin serving in January of 2025.
The commissioners say adopting the bill could bring considerable complications, especially considering it’s unclear language, and could cost the taxpayers thousands – an estimated $20,000 for the software alone – known as the Senior Tax Credit System.
The commission, County Clerk Angie Curley, and County Collector Shannon VanKirk have all attended meetings and workshops discussing the possible ramifications of SB190, and SB756, which provides clarifications. It was one of the biggest topics of conversation at the MAC legislative conference in Jefferson City, according to Larson during a commission meeting in April.
During the commission meeting held Aug. 1, the new CEO for Salem Memorial Hospital, Brooke Bollman, warned that if SB190 is adopted and goes into effect, it could possibly shutter the hospital’s doors for good, leaving Salem without a hospital or an ambulance service.
Ellis questioned whether the community’s voice would be listened to by the commission. He further questioned when the last time the commission held a public meeting to receive opinions was.
“We’re open every Monday and Thursday, and nobody ever shows up here,” answered Mobray, referring to county commission meetings held Monday and Thursday from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the courthouse.
Another issue discussed by Ellis and Mobray was the topic of transparency out of the courthouse, to which Mobray pointed out that KSMO Radio and The Salem News attend and provide coverage of every county commission meeting. Mobray asked Ellis how the commission might do a better job of providing transparency. Does the commission need to knock on doors? Drive through town with a microphone? Ellis did not provide an answer.
Mobray further claimed most citizens he speaks to in the public, when informed correctly on the content of SB190, do not like the bill or what it would do.
“It’s going to save the senior’s money—that’s what you explained,” Mobray said to Ellis, on how he introduced the petition to citizens before they signed. “You never explained how it’s going to close our hospital, our fire department. The CEO of Salem Memorial Hospital sat right there and told us the keys to the ambulance service will be on our desk.”
Ellis claimed he provided as much education as he could to those signing the petition, but Larson stated one gentleman that signed believed he had signed a poll, not a petition. Mobray further stated that once the petition is validated, it would cost $20,000 to put on the ballot.
“We’re not going to jump into something not knowing everything,” said Mobray, on the bill. “That’s not what this job is.”
“I think it’s wrong for the county,” commented second district commissioner Gary Polk. “And I’m a senior. I don’t want anything to do with it. I think it’s a poorly written deal, and it’ll cost the county tons of money to save us dimes.”
The Salem News will be posting a poll on SB 190 to the public, as previously requested by county officials, on Tuesday morning through Friday at thesalemnewsonline.com. For more coverage of county commission’s meeting on Aug. 8 and Aug. 12, look at the upcoming edition of The Salem News and thesalemnewsonline.com.
Further reading on the county commission discussing SB190 or SB756:
https://www.thesalemnewsonline.com/news/local_news/article_b4037ef0-1208-11ef-88d4-cf054989b778.html
