County panel OKs 911 tax rate, hires detention aide

The Pettis County Commission on Friday approved the hiring of a part-time detention aide for the Juvenile Office, renewed the county’s 911 tax rate and approved the purchase of a tandem axle dump truck.

The commission approved the hiring of Richard W. Townsend as a part-time detention aide at the Juvenile Office. Townsend will make $8.30 per hour and can start work Monday.

Presiding Commissioner Rusty Kahrs and Western Commissioner Larry Wilson signed the court orders to hire Townsend. Eastern Commissioner Rod Lindemann was not present for the meeting.

At the recommendation of James Theisen, director of technologies, the commission renewed the current 911 tax surcharge for county residents. The tax rate will remain at 3 percent for local exchanges and 4.5 percent for long-distance exchanges until June 1, 2010.

Commissioners said maintaining the rate will continue the trend of decreasing revenues the county collects from the tax. As more people forgo land-line telephones in favor of cell phones, for which there is no mechanism in place to tax emergency calls, the county is taking in less from the 911 tax every year.

“It’s an ongoing problem, and it’s going to do nothing but get worse,” Theisen said.

The county also purchased a 2005 Freightliner Columbia truck from RJD Group LC for $38,500. The truck has 245,000 miles and a factory warranty that expires in July. Road and Bridge Director Bill Connor recommended the purchase after the county received only one bid for a long hauling road tractor for the department.

The commission also signed off on the County Clerk’s Office’s annual inspection of polling places. Polling stations in Dresden, Flat Creek, Prairie and Sedalia East townships that had changed for the November 2008 elections will remain at the new locations.

The locations had been switched before November’s election to provide greater access to people with disabilities and additional parking for voters. The commission Friday signed a court order to establish the new stations as the permanent polling places.