How the legalization of medical marijuana in Missouri may affect the county led to some discussion at the County Commission meeting last Thursday. The commissioners, along with Sheriff Gary Stolzer and health department administrator Sandra Bell, have been concerned over the vagueness of the November 2018 Amendment 2, also called “The New Approach” measure, and…

The last days of the filing period for the April 2 Municipal Election in Ste. Genevieve County saw two challengers file for one aldermanic seat in the city of Ste. Genevieve and another turn into a three-person race. Meanwhile, Ste. Genevieve Ward 1 Alderman John Mooney, who anticipates moving from the city, withdrew from the…

A large crowd watched the Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermen debate two issues during public hearings early in their 2 1/2-hour meeting last Thursday. The board voted 6-1 to deny allowing Robinson Outdoors LLC to erect a V-shaped double-sided LED digital billboard on 716 Ste. Genevieve Drive. It voted 6-1 in favor of allowing Kassie…

Hiring a new city attorney and dealing with a bill from attorney Mark Spykerman were the main topics of the January 8 Bloomsdale Board of Aldermen meeting, once trash collection discussions were complete. The city has been without an attorney since Frank Elpers died in January of 2018. City clerk Lynnette Randoll said she received…

About 40 minutes of Bloomsdale’s one-hour, 15-minute Board of Aldermen meeting on January 8 was spent on discussion of trash disposal and recycling options. Jordan Tatum of Republic Services and Kenny Chiarelli, owner of Freedom Waste Resource Hauling in Farmington, accepted invitations to discuss services with the board. The city had been interested for several…

With two new members aboard, the Ste. Genevieve County Health Department board approved the 2019 budget in a special meeting last Thursday, pending some adjustments to be made after the meeting. The meeting was the first official one for Jeanette Wood, who was appointed last month by the County Commission to succeed Susie Bach, and…

Where to put the $300,000 or so the county expects to receive through a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant for a pedestrian walkway over Progress Parkway in the 2019 budget was a matter of much discussion during last Thursday’s County Commission meeting. The county was approved for the 75-25 matching grant, although Arlene Dorris of…

The filing deadline for candidates for the April 2 ballot was to close on Tuesday, January 15, after the Herald went to press for this week’s edition. Last week brought two additional filings for the Ste. Genevieve County Health Department board, which means — at least as of Friday — four candidates were seeking two…

In addition to discussions about increasing police department funding, debates over city tax rates were part of the public comment section of the Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermen meeting last Thursday. During the public comments, Micah Rousey, Kenny Schweiss and Carl Wehner all spoke against an increase in sales tax — which was taken up…

After extensive debate, the Ste. Genevieve Board of Aldermen voted to put a property tax increase of $0.2684 per $100 of assessed valuation on the April 2 ballot. The increase would go to improving public safety through increasing police department salaries. The debate over whether the property tax increase, a 1/2-cent sales tax increase or…

The St. Mary Board of Aldermen doesn’t want to make its citizens pay more for any services, but it will have the voters decide on a sales tax increase of one-half cent on the April 2 ballot. The board last Thursday voted unanimously to put the sales tax increase on the ballot, not long after…

Jim Brumfield and Brad Korn this week filed for the Ste. Genevieve County Health Department, creating a four-way race for two seats on the board. Robert Kavaliauskas and Jeanette Wood had earlier filed for the two four-year terms, which are no held by Wood and Lisa Jokerst. Wood was appointed last month by the County…

The Ste. Genevieve R-II School District will pay Elizabeth Giesler for the 2018-19 school year in an agreement that secured her resignation, effective June 15, 2019. The agreement was signed by Giesler and R-II Board of Education president Martha Resinger on November 30, at which time Giesler submitted her resignation. The resignation was accepted during…

Hopes of seeing a pedestrian bridge spanning Progress Parkway by the time the Ste. Genevieve County Family Aquatic Center opens in May were dashed at last Thursday’s County Commission meeting. The commission had been notified by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) in December that the county was approved for a Transportation Alternative Project (TAP)…

The Ste. Genevieve County Commission approved three amendments to the 2018 budget at its last meeting of the year on December 31. All had to do with the Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff’s Office. Since the department paid an increased amount on its loan for the jail expansion project of a few years back, the expenditures…

Robert Kavaliauskas and Carl Kinsky have filed for seats on the Ste. Genevieve County Health Department board since the first of the year, meaning any additional filings will result in a contested election for the board. There are three seats open — two four-year terms and the remaining two years of the term that came…

In addition to denying Michael and Jenna Mills’ request to install a digital LED sign on Washington Street, the Ste. Genevieve Planning and Zoning Commission approved two other special use permits at its meeting last Thursday. The commission approved a six-month permit for Kassie and Aaron Wolk to operate an in-home hair salon at 1045…