Cape county commissioner to lead state association of counties

Cape Girardeau County's presiding commissioner, Gerald Jones, won't be concerned just about his own county government next year. He'll have the concerns of all of Missouri's counties on his shoulders as president of the Missouri Association of Counties.

Jones' one-year term as president begins Jan. 1. He was officially installed as president earlier this week at the association's annual meeting at Lake of the Ozarks.

Health insurance will be a hot topic next year for counties statewide, Jones said. "We certainly are looking at some type of self-insurance pool," he said. "Health insurance has gotten out of hand for everybody."

The Missouri Association of Counties or MAC plans to lobby state lawmakers to give county governments more local authority.

"Right now, all of our authority comes directly from the state legislature," said Jones, a Jackson newspaper publisher who has served as Cape Girardeau County's presiding commissioner for eight years.

Jones said counties want authority to enact more local ordinances. "The town board in Pocahontas has more local authority than the county commission," he said.

Another issue is the decreased state reimbursement to counties for room and board of prisoners who committed felony crimes.

The state used to pay $22.50 a day per prisoner. Now it pays $17 a day in violation of the reimbursement rate spelled out in state law, Jones said.

With counties getting $5.50 a day less per prisoner reimbursement, it adds up to a significant loss of revenue, he said.

Jones said most counties are facing severe budget crises. The lower reimbursement on prisoners adds to the problem, he said.

Cape Girardeau County is in better shape than many counties because it is a retail hub which generates substantial sales tax revenue. But sales tax revenue has been largely stagnant this year.

"We are not in crisis mode," Jones said of Cape Girardeau County finances. "We are in a very concerned mode."

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123