Scott County officials discuss several issues, including following the Sunshine Law

BENTON, Mo. -- Scott County commissioners met with the county's other elected officials to discuss a variety of topics during the regular County Commission meeting Tuesday.

Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger described the gathering as "more or less a meeting to let you know what our thoughts are and where we're headed and what we need to keep doing."

Among the topics discussed:

¿ Most paper materials can be placed into the new paper recycling bins. County Clerk Rita Milam said all sorts of junk mail and even magazines with color printed material can be placed in the bins and sorted out at the recycling center.

"If they see something that doesn't routinely need to go in they'll tell us," she said.

Milam cautioned, however, that "if it's confidential, it is up to you if you want to put it in the bins."

"For anything that needs to be shredded, there's a shredder in the circuit clerk's office," Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn said.

Shredded paper must be bagged separately, however. "Don't put a bag of shredded paper in the bins," Milam said. She said Don Jones, the county's maintenance supervisor, will decide on a place to put the bags of shredded paper.

Some materials will have to be boxed separately, Milam said. For example, "we know we have a whole bunch of phone books we need to box up," she said.

¿ Safety meetings will be held monthly for the sheriff's and road and bridge departments and quarterly or semi-annually for all other offices, Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger said.

"The one thing we need to watch for is each other's safety," Burger said. County officers were advised of some resources for additional office safety tips and information and that efforts so far are having positive results.

Commissioners will continue to send their workman's compensation provider information about the county's safety meetings, Burger said. He said he would like to see the county receive a workman's compensation rebate check as other counties have received.

¿ Burger reminded elected officials that purchases over $500 need at least three phone bids and for purchases over $6,000 the opportunity to bid must be advertised in the local newspaper.

Noting that Cape Girardeau County's elected officials are having problems right now that are making the news, "we need to make sure we do everything properly."

He cautioned office holders to know and comply with Missouri's Sunshine Law.

"Go through the proper channels, make sure it's on the agenda," he said. "That's the way the law is, that's what we need to follow."

Burger said officials also need to think about appropriate uses for computers and the Internet.

"If you have to think about if it's right or wrong, it's probably wrong," he said. "We need to use the Internet and computers for work."

Burger said the county will not monitor e-mail, but cautioned them to err on the side of caution when receiving e-mail attachments.

"If you get something that comes to you and you don't know who it comes from, I wouldn't open it," he said.

¿ Commissioners encouraged office holders and their staffs to use parking that is not in front of downtown businesses.

Ziegenhorn said businesses opening in Benton is something they have hoped for and they need to be courteous to business owners and their customers when it comes to parking spaces.

¿ An employee appreciation luncheon will be held June 9 as suggested by County Collector Mark Hensley.

"We'll go out one morning and fire up the charcoal grill," Hensley said. "Just let them know we appreciate them -- all of them."

"I think that would be a good idea," Burger said.

¿ Commissioners and Milam asked office holders to submit itemized tickets for meal reimbursements and odometer readings for mileage reimbursements. They also asked that reimbursement requests be submitted in the same month of the expenditure.

Burger explained it makes it easier on them to watch the budget.

"Surprises are not good," Milam said, whereas it is good to "get that off the books so we know where we're at."