COUNTY LEGISLATION

Cape Girardeau County's commissioners have submitted to the county's delegation in the Missouri General Assembly their legislative priorities for the session that will begin next January. Forwarded to Sen. Peter Kinder and Reps. Mary Kasten and David Schwab last week were these eight proposals:

* Juvenile department personnel should be state employees rather than those of the counties, and the state should fulfill its statutory obligation to the counties.

* Eliminate the 12 percent interest the counties must repay the state on the use tax issue, and all such future issues.

* To cut down on the filing of frivolous civil suits by county jail prisoners, all claimants should pay court filing fees for civil matters even though that person may be represented by the public defender.

* The new court automation system must be changed to allow for disposal of paper files and records. New technology is making possible the recording of legal files, but officials aren't permitted to dispose of the paper files. County officials report they are accumulating a case of paper, or 10 reams, each day.

* Nothing should be done on legislative changes in the proposed Bollinger-Cape Girardeau County Lake until all parties agree on specific changes. As presently constituted under the statute passed in 1990, commissioners say, "the lake authority appears to be too powerful."

* Legislation authorizing counties to enter into regional jail agreements must be changed to close a loophole allowing any county to back out any time commissioners of that county so choose.

* Legislation should be passed permitting greater authority for counties to pass ordinances. Commissioners argue that the General Assembly shouldn't be in the business of micromanaging the affairs of counties.

* The current state of affairs, which allows churches to establish centers for troubled youths and remain largely free from any supervision from state agencies, "must be addressed."

In the main, these are reasonable proposals with which most Cape Girardeau County residents, while they might quibble with this or that feature of each of the proposals, will agree. Questions dealing with county government appear and reappear in each legislative session since time immemorial. They will do so again next year.