CCAM Resolution #1 – 2016
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF A TRANSPORTATION
FUNDING PACKAGE THAT WILL ADDRESS
MISSOURI’S DIRE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS
WHEREAS, Amendment 3 funding ended in 2009, reducing significantly the amount of
funding available for maintenance and repair of our current system and leaving virtually no
new money for Missouri’s transportation needs beyond our current system, and
WHEREAS, our transportation funding system is broken, all linked to the reality that
Missouri has the seventh largest system in the nation and we and rank 46th in funding, and
WHEREAS, federal funding for state and local transportation prompts ongoing
disagreement in Congress and could be expected to diminish over the next several years, and
WHEREAS, Missouri currently has the 6th highest number of obsolete bridges in the nation,
and
WHEREAS, Missouri has the most major bridges of any state in the country – 53 major
bridges that cross the Mississippi or Missouri Rivers, and
WHEREAS, in addition to Missouri’s 10,400 state-owned bridges, there are 14,000 bridges
on the off-system and counties are responsible for 91 percent of these, as well as the 73,484
county-owned road miles, and
WHEREAS, the state’s strong agricultural industry relies more than ever on our roads and
bridges to transport grain, livestock, and other goods, and
WHEREAS, Missouri is within a 10-hour drive of half of the country’s population and the
state’s vast river ways make it ideal for shipping both domestically and internationally, and
WHEREAS, if Missouri’s road and bridge systems can be improved and river ports and rail
be better utilized, the state could become a central distribution point, which would bring
many new jobs to the state, and
WHEREAS, Missouri’s state gas tax is 17 cents per gallon and only five other states have a
lower motor fuel tax (and three of those can supplement their fuel tax revenue with tolls), and
WHEREAS, if new revenues are considered, they should be required to be allocated to
transportation projects and not be diverted for other needs, and
WHEREAS, Missouri’s transportation future is uncertain and will remain so until stable,
reliable long-term funding is put in place,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Commissioners Association of
Missouri does hereby go on record in seeking the General Assembly’s support for a
transportation funding package that will address Missouri’s dire infrastructure needs.
Adopted Nov. 17, 2015
CCAM Resolution #2 – 2016
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF REMOVING THE SUNSET
PROVISION FROM THE COUNTY BUDGET ACT
WHEREAS, HB 451, which passed during the 2013 session of the Missouri General
Assembly, repealed Sec. 50.622, RSMo, and enacted in lieu thereof one new section relating
to procedures for counties to decrease their budgets, and
WHEREAS, Sec. 50.662 (2), RSMo, now authorizes a county to amend its budget twice
during any fiscal year when there is a verifiable decline in funds of at least 2% that could not
have been estimated nor anticipated when the budget was adopted, and
WHEREAS, any decrease in appropriations cannot unduly affect any one officeholder and
cannot impact any dedicated fund authorized by law, and
WHEREAS, the county must provide 30 days’ notice of a public hearing regarding any
amendment to the county budget, including a published summary of the proposed reductions
and an explanation of the shortfall, and
WHEREAS, before any reduction affecting an elected officeholder can occur, negotiations
must take place with all officeholders who receive funds from the affected category of funds
in an attempt to cover the shortfall, and
WHEREAS, county commissioners can reduce the budgets of departments under their direct
supervision and responsibility at any time without these restrictions, and
WHEREAS, these provisions cannot restrict a charter county from amending its budget
pursuant to the terms of its charter, and
WHEREAS, this new law put counties on an equal footing with the state and municipalities
who already had the authority to amend their annual budgets during any fiscal year to reflect
changes in revenues (increases or decreases) that were neither estimated nor anticipated when
the original budget was adopted, and
WHEREAS, these provisions regarding decreasing a county budget are set to expire July 1,
2016,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Commissioners Association of
Missouri does hereby call upon the Missouri General Assembly to permanently remove the
sunset provision in the County Budget Act as set forth in Sec. 50.662 (2), RSMo.
Adopted Nov. 17, 2015
CCAM Resolution #3 – 2016
RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATIVE ACTION TO
RECOVER COSTS TO COUNTIES FROM THE STATE OF
MISSOURI FOR HOUSING STATE PRISONERS
WHEREAS, the County Commissioners Association of Missouri (CCAM) asks for the
Missouri General Assembly’s consideration of the financial burden that state mandates have
on county government and the corresponding impact they have on a county’s ability to
provide other necessary and essential services to Missouri citizens, and
WHEREAS, county governments prepare their budgets based on a calendar year and the
“ups and downs” of appropriations are based on the state’s fiscal year, all of which make it
difficult to forecast anticipated reimbursements, and
WHEREAS, prisoners are held each year in county jails on behalf of the State of Missouri
on state criminal charges, and
WHEREAS, county governments bear the burden of funding and providing housing, food,
clothing, and transportation for state prisoners in county jails, and
WHEREAS, the cost of operating county jails consumes a significant portion of county
budgets, and
WHEREAS, the State of Missouri reimburses counties for housing state prisoners; however,
the reimbursement rate paid by the state for housing state prisoners has been grossly
insufficient to offset jail operational costs,
WHEREAS, it is commonly known that the average daily cost for counties to house one
state prisoner is $45.00, which excludes expenditures for inmate medical care, as well as for
prisoners who are not adjudicated (actually sentenced to be confined in a state prison and sent
to a state facility), and
WHEREAS, the FY ’2015 $3 increase in the prisoner per diem (taking it from $19.58 to
$22.58 and representing a $5.3 million increase for Missouri county governments) was
historically the highest amount Missouri counties have seen, a major step forward, and one
that was both overdue and desperately needed, and
WHEREAS, roughly two-thirds of the aforementioned per diem increase was withheld due
to the state’s budgetary constraints, and
WHEREAS, the current $20.58 per diem is insufficient reimbursement by the State of
Missouri and contributes to the financial hardship of county governments, and
WHEREAS, the state should fully compensate counties for the role we play in the
administration of justice on behalf of Missouri citizens,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Commissioners Association of
Missouri does hereby go on record in support of legislative action to recover costs to counties
from the State of Missouri for housing its state prisoners.
Adopted Nov. 17, 2015
CCAM Mission Statement – 2016
THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ASSOCIATION OF MISSOURI
STANDS IN OPPOSITION TO
THE PRE-EMPTION OF LOCAL CONTROL/AUTHORITY
The passage of Amendment 1 in April 1995 deleted the “uniformity” provision in the
Missouri Constitution which required that a law applicable to a county in a class apply to
all counties in that class.
The repeal of that provision further requires non-charter county officials to seek state
legislative approval for individual laws to help solve local problems – all due to the
perceived inability to effectively deal with them at the county level.
The Missouri General Assembly should not be allowed to “micro-manage” county
government from Jefferson City due to the lack of local authority to deal with local
issues.
Missouri county officials have expressed their opposition to the erosion of local authority
which would allow counties greater flexibility in dealing with truly local issues and
problems.
An example of the pre-emption of local authority by the Missouri Legislature occurred in
Sec. 72.080, RSMo, relating to the incorporation of a village, a law which was
subsequently and fortunately repealed.
Missouri's county officials also believe it is critical to protect the citizens they represent
when large scale developments infringe upon their constituents’ way of life, including
compliance with local planning and zoning and other ordinances.
County officials further believe that the local portion of any state-imposed sales tax
exemption be exempt or – at the very least – local governments be given the chance to
“opt-in” to the sales tax exemption.
In summation, the pre-emption of local authority is of prime concern and one that the
County Commissioners Association of Missouri will closely scrutinize in the 2016
legislative session.
Adopted Nov. 17, 2015