Road advisory board has 26 applicants so far

~ Cape Girardeau County commissioners will accept applications until Sept. 15.

Cape Girardeau County commissioners will continue accepting applications for the new Road and Bridge Advisory Board until Sept. 15.

The advisory board is an 11-member panel created during the run-up to Aug. 8's successful county sales-tax vote. The board will include one member from each of the 10 townships in the county along with one at-large member.

Commissioners discussed the requirements for board membership and the application process Thursday during their regular meeting. So far, 26 county residents have either written letters of application or told a commissioner verbally of their interest, Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones said.

The discussion, which was not listed on the agenda posted Wednesday, showed a division between the two associate commissioners, Jay Purcell and Larry Bock, over the breadth of the board's mission.

"We've got to draw up what we want this committee to look at," Bock said.

"In my mind, we have already discussed that," Purcell replied. "In my mind, that is already settled."

When originally approved, commissioners gave the board authority to review and revise the criteria for selecting county roads for paving, how much space the county needs for each road and whether the county should consider using eminent domain to obtain easements.

In addition, Purcell has said he believes the original resolution gave the board input on which roads would be paved.

All decisions of the advisory board would be subject to commission approval.

Applicants should send a letter detailing where they live, why they want a spot on the board and their background to the commission. The address for application letters is Cape Girardeau County Commission, 1 Barton Square, Jackson, Mo., 63755.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126