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Peg, here is your name from another story. The Auditor's office computers can pull up lists of receivables from each year. I know, because I have requested past billing records from further back than that. All funds received should be recorded this way and show up in the general revenue account. If not, the State Auditor and Attorney General should be very interested in where the money was deposited. There is no other legal place it could have gone:
"Bill Shivelbine, whose family owns Shivelbine Music on Broadway in Cape Girardeau, led the group of about a dozen residents. Many of the residents signed easements years ago and some, including Shivelbine, wrote checks as long ago as 1995 to help pay for a blacktop road."
-- Posted by rodgerdodger on Thu, Sep 4, 2008, 7:14 am CDT
This is what the county had wanted to avoid, we hope...Any land improved, as in road paving, is an actual "taking" of the land in the way of an easement by the County. Until the landowner is paid the fair market value for the land that the County took for right-of-way easement (or otherwise) - this action is an illegal taking of the land by the county government. Some may excuse the filing of deeds with notarized easements without owner knowledge as "mistakes" or "error in the paperwork process"...(which I doubt, because all the admin folks are top notch and hard working people) - but until the county withdraws all these questionable documents, these filings are illegal at worst, or the County can pay the land owners for the easements taken from them. This is the only just and right thing to do. Don't give me that line about "those rules don't apply to Class A counties"...any land rights attorney knows the ins and outs of "land taking".
-- Posted by jacksonjazzman on Wed, Sep 3, 2008, 12:06 am CDT
Peg, I for one raised my kids out on County Road 256 which is also only partially paved and they are in their 30's, this crap has been going on for years and years. From greasy palms to lost easements and you are first on this list for spring paving we have heard it all. Attended meetings, had meetings in our own front yards and it is all bull. If your not a good buddy or free with your money you might as well just hang it up because it's not gonna happen. And Bock's statement about emergencies is a full load too. We spent months out there on that gravel road when the road had completely fallen through and not even a tractor could get through it and there was not a person from the County that gave a crap. If there was an emergency the only way to get help would be with Air Evac and that is absolutely not an exaggeration in any form. Does Bock think we are all a bunch of idiots? He's been paid many times and I wish those who have paid that lowlife would come forward, but they won't because they have nice paved roads in front of their homes and yes the ambulance can even come and get them out during an emergency.
-- Posted by tenacious on Tue, Sep 2, 2008, 8:52 pm CDT
Roger, you're correct, it does bear looking into --mind you, that process took place, from what I understand, years ago when the county had very little funds for such work. The money was intended to speed the process by funding paving. Some folks paid for dust control, such as oiling a road, and subsequently thought the road would be paved, I was told.
To track such pay to pave money, I'd first have to know who paid, how much, when and for what. You can see where this would be a bit of a challenge, in an office where easements are repeatedly lost.
That being said -- Anyone who can prove they paid for paving and didn't get it, call me at (573) 335-6611, extension 127.
A minor detail on this story -- I asked if anyone could just hire a contractor and have their own road paved. Scott Bechtold told me anyone doing that would have to adhere to the county's road construction standards, and no one has ever offered to pay the full cost of paving their own road. He did say there's a bit of road in the county where a property owner paved a driveway, apparently had some leftover asphalt and paved part of the road.
-- Posted by Peg on Mon, Sep 1, 2008, 11:55 pm CDT
"and at times they were allowed to pay the county to move up on a paving priority list."
How can we track where this money ended up? This is very close to a bribe especially if the money went in some special slush fund (or pocket) rather than the general revenue which is audited each year.
The county auditor's office should have a record of where such funds landed.
Peg???????
-- Posted by rodgerdodger on Mon, Sep 1, 2008, 11:08 pm CDT
I'm glad Boss Hogg's phat mouth is finally showing his unprofessionalism, corruption, and lack of experience and that it's finally being reported on.
He has been the problem from the beginning -- promising some of his friends smaller easements while other folks had to go the full amount.
Also it's typical of him to blame former commission Joe Gambill. You can point fingers all you want but you'll always have three pointing back at yourself.
-- Posted by TommyStix on Sun, Aug 31, 2008, 3:03 pm CDT
"Jones said when he learned his friends planned to build a home there, the news prompted him as a county official into action because a storm would limit emergency access to the home. Jones said the county did not pursue the improvement out of favoritism, however. It was solely an "emergency deal," he said."
So, when his friends buy land that has problems with access, he uses his authority to get something done...and that's not favoritism? If he was doing this for everyone that had an issue, I could understand that, but since he is doing this based on his friendship with these people, that's a bit obvious. If they knew there were problems with the land, they could've bought land elsewhere. It is not up to Jones to decide who he can and can't help.
-- Posted by katj85 on Sun, Aug 31, 2008, 11:38 am CDT
The county government continues to collect the sales tax for road improvements and then they don't pave any roads. Always some kind of excuse. Bla Bla Bla
What is the process for citizens to have the road tax issue placed on the ballot for a vote again. I'm pretty confident it would be defeated by a landslide. If they aren't going to pave the roads, give our money back to us.
-- Posted by INVESTOR on Sun, Aug 31, 2008, 10:01 am CDT
With a friend like Jones - who needs money!!!
-- Posted by Cape4Life on Sun, Aug 31, 2008, 8:37 am CDT
Whew! I'm sure glad to know that if I choose to buy land and I choose develop it on a county road that is inadequate for emergency vehicles, it will prompt Mr. Jones into action as a county official to improve that county road for my protection. Imagine if I had to research things like that for myself before I made my decisions. Thank you Mr. Jones for your ever watchfull eye on your frein...er citizens of this county. Hmmm, I gots to find a way to gets me some of that county tax money.
-- Posted by truthselfevident on Sun, Aug 31, 2008, 8:16 am CDT
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Peg, here is your name from another story. The Auditor's office computers can pull up lists of receivables from each year. I know, because I have requested past billing records from further back than that. All funds received should be recorded this way and show up in the general revenue account. If not, the State Auditor and Attorney General should be very interested in where the money was deposited. There is no other legal place it could have gone:
"Bill Shivelbine, whose family owns Shivelbine Music on Broadway in Cape Girardeau, led the group of about a dozen residents. Many of the residents signed easements years ago and some, including Shivelbine, wrote checks as long ago as 1995 to help pay for a blacktop road."
This is what the county had wanted to avoid, we hope...Any land improved, as in road paving, is an actual "taking" of the land in the way of an easement by the County. Until the landowner is paid the fair market value for the land that the County took for right-of-way easement (or otherwise) - this action is an illegal taking of the land by the county government. Some may excuse the filing of deeds with notarized easements without owner knowledge as "mistakes" or "error in the paperwork process"...(which I doubt, because all the admin folks are top notch and hard working people) - but until the county withdraws all these questionable documents, these filings are illegal at worst, or the County can pay the land owners for the easements taken from them. This is the only just and right thing to do. Don't give me that line about "those rules don't apply to Class A counties"...any land rights attorney knows the ins and outs of "land taking".
Peg, I for one raised my kids out on County Road 256 which is also only partially paved and they are in their 30's, this crap has been going on for years and years. From greasy palms to lost easements and you are first on this list for spring paving we have heard it all. Attended meetings, had meetings in our own front yards and it is all bull. If your not a good buddy or free with your money you might as well just hang it up because it's not gonna happen. And Bock's statement about emergencies is a full load too. We spent months out there on that gravel road when the road had completely fallen through and not even a tractor could get through it and there was not a person from the County that gave a crap. If there was an emergency the only way to get help would be with Air Evac and that is absolutely not an exaggeration in any form. Does Bock think we are all a bunch of idiots? He's been paid many times and I wish those who have paid that lowlife would come forward, but they won't because they have nice paved roads in front of their homes and yes the ambulance can even come and get them out during an emergency.
Roger, you're correct, it does bear looking into --mind you, that process took place, from what I understand, years ago when the county had very little funds for such work. The money was intended to speed the process by funding paving. Some folks paid for dust control, such as oiling a road, and subsequently thought the road would be paved, I was told.
To track such pay to pave money, I'd first have to know who paid, how much, when and for what. You can see where this would be a bit of a challenge, in an office where easements are repeatedly lost.
That being said -- Anyone who can prove they paid for paving and didn't get it, call me at (573) 335-6611, extension 127.
A minor detail on this story -- I asked if anyone could just hire a contractor and have their own road paved. Scott Bechtold told me anyone doing that would have to adhere to the county's road construction standards, and no one has ever offered to pay the full cost of paving their own road. He did say there's a bit of road in the county where a property owner paved a driveway, apparently had some leftover asphalt and paved part of the road.
"and at times they were allowed to pay the county to move up on a paving priority list."
How can we track where this money ended up? This is very close to a bribe especially if the money went in some special slush fund (or pocket) rather than the general revenue which is audited each year.
The county auditor's office should have a record of where such funds landed.
Peg???????
I'm glad Boss Hogg's phat mouth is finally showing his unprofessionalism, corruption, and lack of experience and that it's finally being reported on.
He has been the problem from the beginning -- promising some of his friends smaller easements while other folks had to go the full amount.
Also it's typical of him to blame former commission Joe Gambill. You can point fingers all you want but you'll always have three pointing back at yourself.
"Jones said when he learned his friends planned to build a home there, the news prompted him as a county official into action because a storm would limit emergency access to the home. Jones said the county did not pursue the improvement out of favoritism, however. It was solely an "emergency deal," he said."
So, when his friends buy land that has problems with access, he uses his authority to get something done...and that's not favoritism? If he was doing this for everyone that had an issue, I could understand that, but since he is doing this based on his friendship with these people, that's a bit obvious. If they knew there were problems with the land, they could've bought land elsewhere. It is not up to Jones to decide who he can and can't help.
The county government continues to collect the sales tax for road improvements and then they don't pave any roads. Always some kind of excuse. Bla Bla Bla
What is the process for citizens to have the road tax issue placed on the ballot for a vote again. I'm pretty confident it would be defeated by a landslide. If they aren't going to pave the roads, give our money back to us.
With a friend like Jones - who needs money!!!
Whew! I'm sure glad to know that if I choose to buy land and I choose develop it on a county road that is inadequate for emergency vehicles, it will prompt Mr. Jones into action as a county official to improve that county road for my protection. Imagine if I had to research things like that for myself before I made my decisions. Thank you Mr. Jones for your ever watchfull eye on your frein...er citizens of this county. Hmmm, I gots to find a way to gets me some of that county tax money.