SEMO RPC Representative Apologizes For Flood Mitigation Plan Snafu

During the only Ste. Genevieve County Commission meeting last week, on February 10, the commission received an apology from the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission (SEMO RPC) and found that one of the new dump trucks it has ordered will cost a bit more than expected.

The commissioners met only one day last week due to their annual state training in Jefferson City, required by state law, on Thursday and Friday.

Drew Christian of the SEMO RPC sent an e-mail apologizing for the mixup concerning the county’s Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Presiding Commissioner Garry Nelson had expressed anger the previous week when he found that a grant the county had applied for was being held up because the county’s plan had not been submitted to the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) by the SEMO RPC.

The commission had passed a resolution adopting an updated plan on October 10.

On October 31, county emergency management director Felix Meyer hand-delivered a copy to the RPC office.

Christian had previously said he had not received the Levee District 3 plan, which is part of the overall county plan. Levee District 3 secretary Sue Schweiss had assured Nelson that it had been sent on time.

Christian said in his e-mail that he had, indeed, received the Levee 3 plan and was working on it.

He apologized and said the RPC was “taking steps to ensure it does not happen again in the future.”

See complete story in the February 19 edition of the Herald.