Official: Communication is key to Bollinger County's direction

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Nearly a year ago, members of the University of Missouri Extension met with the Bollinger County Commission to talk about where the county was headed.

Since then, the extension held a large public meeting to check the pulse of the county, then it held several smaller sessions throughout the county. The extension compiled statistics based on those meetings and on available data that reflect the county's condition so its leaders can assess its future.

That effort became known as Envision Bollinger County.

Bollinger County is at the point where it can decide how it wants to move forward. Tony DeLong, a county council coordinator for the University of Missouri Extension, recently visited with the Bollinger County Commission to see what steps the commission wants to take with Envision Bollinger County.

DeLong said after analyzing the information collected during the meetings, it became apparent Bollinger County residents want improved communication, better roads and increased business and growth.

Communication is the starting point, DeLong said.

"Without good communications and openness, people feel you are trying to hide something. Communication is the key to starting proactively," he said.

On Monday morning, county commissioners took the first step toward better communication and committed to writing a regular column in The Banner Press newspaper, beginning the first week of December. In it, they will discuss problems the commission faces and open the door for communication between the commission and county residents.

DeLong challenged commissioners to take another step in how they conduct county business. In addition to the usual Monday morning meetings, he suggested the commissioners have a second monthly meeting after work hours in the northern and southern parts of the county.

"It could be sharing some of the challenges the county faces," DeLong said. "The better people understand, the better they envision."

Commissioner Steve Jordan said having an extra meeting might not be feasible. Many people juggle more than one job, he said, and most people don't like attending meetings. For this reason, Jordan suggested reaching out through the pages of the newspaper.

One subject the commissioners say they will write about is county roads. Presiding Commissioner Travis Elfrink said the board is considering asking voters to approve a transportation tax to help improve county roads.

"I don't know how we're going to get by without it," Elfrink said.

"Our sales taxes are already high," Jordan said, "but if people want better roads, they'll have to pay more taxes."

It will take better communication to bring growth, and DeLong said envisioning that could take at least three years. There is potential, he said.

Of the sales tax collected, about 45 percent is paid by people who do not live in Bollinger County. That, he said, is something on which to build.

The county's population is increasing slowly and steadily, he said. There is no mass exodus to other areas.

Area schools are good, he said, and their graduation rates are excellent. Students often go on to higher learning, although those opportunities exist in other counties.

In addition, according to DeLong's report, the poverty rate is lower than the state and federal poverty rate, and unemployment is 6.1 percent, which shows a strong work ethic. Of the 2,059 employable people classified as having an undefined trade designation, DeLong said some of those may be in forestry or recreation businesses or could be self-employed.

Among the county's attributes are quality of life, a self-reliant population and recreational and tourism opportunities. The challenges include a lack of places to buy locally and perceived boundaries.

"You have more talent in this county than you realize," DeLong told the commission. "A positive environment will encourage people to move forward. What are we willing to invest that are not just dollars? There are solutions if we can get together and resolve them."

It will take time, perseverance and improved communication to help bring the county an opportunity to grow.

"The more people understand the issues, the more they know you are trying to communicate with them, the more trust you're going to have," DeLong said.

As trust builds, DeLong said, the county then will begin to see everything else fall into place -- better roads, a better economy and growth.