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Beth McPherson, Editor

Below is an excerpt from Beth's editorial from this week.  The entire editorial may be found in this week's print copy of the Weston Chronicle or online here.

On the front page are profiles for the only two local races with competition, but on the Republican ticket. Missouri’s primary races are open - you can request any ballot you wish,so if you want to have impact locally, the Republican Ballot is the one to choose.
Two of the four candidates are presently County Commissioners. Joe Vanover is going for reelection while Dagmar Wood is running to be the next assessor. She’s claiming to save Seniors money by promoting the Property Tax Freeze, but any savings is going to be overwhelmed by the increase in Sales Taxes.
It’s been loads of fun poking holes in their projections for the Jail plans and tax, but it’s time to get serious.

The plan they have for the jail is probably fine. It would cost more to build it elsewhere and The Garnos population and prisoner count are probably as good as you’re going to get. 
We’re getting an indication that jail construction has improved a lot over the last 25 years, but few details, and surprisingly, no “State of the Art” language. It would be nice to have more details about what we’re voting to replace the old style with.

The Jail Study Committee looked at everything closely last fall and agreed it was time for a new addition and renovations to the old jail.  They had no part in the funding plan, other than to recommend a smaller sales tax for 10 years.
Greg Plumb, who was on the committee, said we will see growth over the next 25 years and it’s cheaper to build now.  Raising the specter of a lawsuit for bad conditions, he said, “remember, most of the people in the jail are Pre-Trial Detainees. They have not been convicted and the can’t be punished.”
 That’s Issue #1 on the ballot.

Issue #2 is the one that pays for it - the half cent sales tax that is projected to bring in more than $400 million over 20 years.

The County Auditor and County Treasurer have both questioned the figures justifying the largest tax increase in Platte County’s history. Now comes a former commissioner, a financial consultant who worked on the previous Law Enforcement Tax.
When Ivan Foley, The Landmark Publisher, asked Presiding Commissioner Scott Fricker about some of his figures, My Friend Fricker said he would talk slowly in hopes that Ivan could understand.
That’s the kind of reaction the commissioners have had to anyone who questioned them. They restate their facts, pat you on the head and tell you not to worry about it, or demean you.

What they don’t tell you is:
• Auditor Kevin Robinson notes that there will be $100 million over 20 years shifted from General Revenue to the Jail project with no plan for the money.

• He also said that three substantial items in the Sheriff’s Department won’t be covered by the Jail tax - utilities, insurance and automobiles. They’re also not covered by the Law Enforcement Tax passed two years ago, which is now found to be inadequate for cover the salaries it was designed for.

• If there is a plan to create more courtrooms for the number of judges we’re growing into, they don’t have one or won’t say. The Jail Committee suggested renovating the Administration Building for a courthouse annex, which would be expensive, but fine. But that leaves county offices, for which the county must provide space, looking for a new home.

• They apparently haven’t lifted a finger to try to bring the County’s bond rating out of bond Hell into at least Purgatory. Comm. Fricker says Platte County is strong and not Junk Bond status. So far, the bond rate setters haven’t taken notice. Comm. Fricker practically yells that we don’t have junk bond status, like we’re all deaf and will agree if he just says it loud (or slow) enough.

• The Commissioners said the new jail was not intended to house prisoners from other counties, until it turned out they were negotiating with Clinton County to do just that. So now that they allow as how maybe they will, it would be nice if they factored in the $100 per night they could get from the U.S. Marshals for housing their detainees, or the money they would probably charge Platte County cities and other counties. For Commissioner Fricker, that money is “not a bankable source of revenue. It’s gravy.” 
No, it’s potential revenue that would lower the cost that Platte County taxpayers are being asked to ignore.

And finally....
• Commissioners are charging the taxpayers of this county $80,000 to “educate” them about the jail issue. The difference in this case is paper thin between education and campaigning for, which is prohibited.

But back to our “conservative” commis-sioners. If you don’t buy their tax plan, why would you leave them in any county office? They’ve shown that they don’t trust voters to make up their own minds. As one of them says, it’s time for new leadership.
They are the latest in a line of commissioners who have, as an alert reader noted, “abandoned the 1990’s vision set forth by Betty Knight.
The current County Park department operates in name only.
Presiding Commissioner Brown gutted County P & Z.  ( Two single family residences on the same tract of land ???? )
The commission abandoned the County EDC when Jim Plunkett pulled the $$$ plug.
Ron Schieber addressed the “sin” of taxes,” thus County Road & Bridge has no long range plan to improve infrastructure, but remember to vote for the law enforcement tax slogan.
…… and he supported the trashing of the county’s bond / credit rating.
There is no creditability in the county court.”
So let your voice be heard. If it passes, but budget will have enough money to do it right.
If it fails, they’ll be back for another round, possibly at the General Election in November. Commissioner Fricker said it would probably be the same jail plan, but maybe a different funding formula. 
We shall see.

  Opinion and Local

​​Weston • Platte County • Missouri

The Weston Chronicle