A Phelps County Sheriff’s Department application for a $66,000 Stimulus-fund grant submitted to the Bureau of Justice Assistance was reviewed Tuesday by the Phelps County Commission.
In notifying the public and requesting its review from the Commission, Sheriff Rick Lisenbe said funds from the grant would pay for two new vehicles and overtime for officers to conduct Interstate 44 drug interdiction, marijuana eradication and reducing meth labs at no cost to the county.
“Anytime we can focus our attention on drug interdiction is a benefit to the county,” said Lisenbe. “Also, it provides officers with overtime.”
Lisenbe said the high-mileage vehicles used by process servers would need to be replaced next year.
The Sheriff’s Department already has sold 12 used vehicles this year, in addition to several ATVs, and Lisenbe anticipates it will sell more.
According to information cited on the grant application, areas to be affected by the project include the State of Missouri, Phelps County and the cities of Rolla, St. James, Edgar Springs, Doolittle, Beulah, Duke, Flat, Northwye, Seaton, Jerome, Rosati and Newburg.
The cost to the county for continuing the drug interdiction program, as specified in the grant application, is $16.
Lisenbe said the Recovery Act-Justice Assistance grant is one of other grants applied for by the department, which the department should receive sometime in September or October.
President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Stimulus funds) into law in February. The primary purpose of the Recovery Act is to stimulate the nation’s economy by creating or saving millions of jobs and addressing long-neglected challenges to the economy, Obama said when he signed the bill.
Other matters addressed by the Phelps County Commission on Tuesday included the following items:
• A public drop-in to celebrate and congratulate recent retiree Dale Winemiller, the former supervisor of the Road and Bridge Department, was held in the County Commission chamber.
Presiding Commissioner Randy Verkamp told Winemiller, who was employed by the county for 19 years, that the Road and Bridge Department had become a “better department” since Winemiller joined the staff.
Commissioners Bud Dean and Larry Stratman also thanked Winemiller for his service.
Winemiller said he would spend more of his time working for the community, including serving on the Salvation Army Board of Trustees.
• The Commission reviewed correspondence from county resident Cynthia Miller, who requested the Commission to abate the penalties included on her personal-property taxes because she never received the assessment.
