2024 CCAM Resolutions
The County Commissioners Association of Missouri has adopted the following resolutions as their legislative priorities for the 2024 Legislative Session.
CCAM Legislative Guiding Principles
County governments serve as the “first-line providers of service” to Missouri residents. The state mandates that many of these public services be provided by the county in accordance with state law. These services mandated by the state include, but are not limited to, the incarceration of state prisoners, the cost of administering state elections and complying with reform measures, and the requirement to pay the salary and retirement for the Prosecuting Attorneys.
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 including local sales tax and property tax credits.
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 2024 legislative session.
CCAM Legislative Resolution #1
CCAM STANDS IN OPPOSITION TO PREEMPTION OF LOCAL AUTHORITY
WHEREAS, the Missouri General Assembly should not be forced to “micro-manage” county government from Jefferson City due to the lack of local authority to deal with local issues; and
WHEREAS, Missouri county commissioners have expressed their opposition to the erosion of local authority which would allow counties greater flexibility in dealing with truly local issues and problems; and
WHEREAS, 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; and
WHEREAS, county commissioners expressly oppose any effort to repeal or weaken 229.100 RSMo., that requires any individual, association or company to have the approval of the county commission prior to the erection of poles for the suspension of electric light or power wires, or the laying and maintenance of pipes, conductors, mains and conduits for any purpose through, on, under or across public roads or highways of any county of this state;
WHEREAS, if Missouri’s prevailing-wage law was fully repealed, it may lessen the budget burden of the state, counties, municipalities and others that use public funds on public works projects by not having to pay the prevailing wage, and may lead to a more competitive bidding market by allowing contractors to bid on projects in their area because they no longer have to comply with the prevailing-wage law;
WHEREAS, the April General Municipal Election involves the largest number of entities of any election in Missouri, which creates the larger number of ballot styles; and it is imperative to keep the April General Municipal Election on its own election date to avoid voter confusion, unintended errors by election judges handing out the wrong ballot style, or voter fatigue in completing prohibitively long ballots;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Commissioners Association of Missouri hereby go on record in opposition to legislation that would preempt a county’s authority to deal with local issues and problems including the preservation of 229.100 RSMo., a full repeal of prevailing wage, and maintaining the April General Municipal Election.
CCAM Legislative Resolution #2
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 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, it is commonly known that the average daily cost for counties to house one state prisoner is $45, 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, over the years, increases in the prisoner per diem by the General Assembly has been gubernatorial restricted before settling in at $22.58 per day for FY 2024, which is well below the daily average and far from the $37.50 cited in state law; and
WHEREAS, even with a low appropriated reimbursement rate, the state is still behind in its reimbursement payments of bill costs to counties by millions of dollars; and
WHEREAS, the current $22.58 per diem is still an insufficient reimbursement by the State of Missouri and contributes to the financial hardship of county governments;
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.
CCAM Legislative Resolution #3
A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF WORKING WITH THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO CLEAN UP OUTDATED AND CONFLICTING LANGUAGE FROM MISSOURI STATUTES THAT PERTAINS TO COUNTY GOVERNMENTS INCLUDING THE CHANGE OF SUCCESSION OF COUNTY SHERIFF
WHEREAS, the laws that involve county governments, the makeup of county-elected offices and all other related laws that county governments use to govern are found within the Missouri Revised Statutes; and
WHEREAS, the Missouri Revised Statues have more than 600 chapters with thousands of sections and subsections that can be amended, expanded or removed every year; and
WHEREAS, when new legislation finally becomes law, it may contain language that nullifies or conflicts with language in other chapters and/or sections of the Missouri Revised Statutes that may not have been accounted for when the legislation was passed; and
WHEREAS, legislation is filed nearly every session to remove language or procedures from outdated statutes in order to clean up Missouri’s laws to ensure they are still relevant and up-to-date;
WHEREAS, the Missouri statutes naming the county coroner to perform all the duties which are required by law to be performed by the sheriff in the event that the county sheriff is incapable or the office is vacated is antiquated; and
WHEREAS, the law appointing a coroner as a temporary sheriff was enacted in 1939 and the duties and requirements to the sheriff’s office have greatly evolved, and not all Missouri counties have coroners or coroners that are qualified and/or certified with Peace Officer Standards and Training to assume the duties of county sheriff; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the County Commissioners Association of Missouri supports working with the General Assembly to clean up outdated and conflicting language from Missouri statutes that pertains to county governments including the change succession of county sheriff.