LEADER CLINTON COUNT Y
Thurs., August 3, 2023 |
INSIDE
One Section | 12 pages
Plattsburg, Lathrop and Gower, Mo.
$1.00 | “Covers Clinton County Like Dew ”
EAST BUCHANAN
Voters to decide on levy, new EBMS building by brett adkison leader editor
After months of research and engagement with the public, the East Buchanan School District will be sending its tax proposal to the voters Tuesday, August 8, which could see the district’s middle school moved to Gower in the coming years.
Voters will decide on a proposed tax levy increase of 65 cents per $100 assessed value, the revenues from which would fund construction of a new middle school in Gower. The building would replace the current East Buchanan Middle School building in Easton, about nine miles north of Gower. The district anticipates the
new middle school would cost upwards of $16 million, most of which (between $14 and $15 million) would be funded through lease-purchase, with the remainder coming out of the district’s existing capital funds. If approved, the tax would sunset after 20 years (running through 2042). The district’s cur-
Commission keeps an eye on county’s ’23 expenses
A farmer, WWII vet and community leader, Grady survived more than two dozen missions over the battlefields of the European front. || PAGE A5
by brett adkison leader editor
Residents sound off on meeting A pair of letters this week opine on the state of the City of Plattsburg. || PAGE A4
Community........A5 Opinion..............A4 Legals..............A11 Sheriff...............A3
THE LEADER Est. 1895
The elevated storage tank at Perry Park in Plattsburg.
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VOL. 128, NO. 40
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COUNTY
CITY OF PLATTSBURG
Gene Grady passes at 100
rent levy sits at $5.2236 per $100 assessed value. The building would be erected on district-owned property on DD Highway, a few blocks east of the district’s existing Gower campuses. The property totals 60 acres, while the new middle school would require between five and 10
Plattsburg to build new water tower north of the city by brett adkison leader editor
The skyline in Plattsburg is likely to change in the coming months. The Plattsburg City Council recently accepted a $1.98 million bid from Maguire Water to construct a new, pedestal-style water tower on the north side of town, which will replace the existing tank at Perry Park. The bid from Maguire was the
second-lowest of nine bids the city received from five different companies. City Administrator Chase Waggoner explained that four of the five companies also bid for a multi-leg style water tower, which included the lowest overall bid of $1.92 million. He said the pedestal-style was preferred because it costs less in the maintenance department and, with its interior ladder, is safer. It’s also less of a draw for any local daredevils who’d like
to get a good view. The city’s engineer also recommended the Maguire bid. There’s no official timeframe for construction, but Waggoner said the tower could be up before the end of the year. Initially, the tank was to be part of a voter-approved water system improvements project. That proposal passed with voters, but the pandemic forced con||Continued on A2
Through the first half of its fiscal year, Clinton County finds itself on pace to meet its annual budget, but the commissioners are keeping a watchful eye as they head into the back half of 2023. The Clinton County Commissioners met Thursday, July 27, to make adjustments to its $4.6 million general revenue fund. The county finds itself on track for the year, spending approximately half of its budget through more than six months. But that did little to alleviate the commission’s concern, as they’re working with less of a financial cushion than they did in 2022. That concern is centered on the sheriff’s department, where the county has already spent 82 percent of its budget for housing prisoners outside of the county. The county has also spent 64 percent of the sheriff budget, though the dispatch budget is currently under its expected expenses for the year. The commissioners – Presiding Commissioner Patrick Clark, First District Commissioner Jay Bettis, and Second District Commissioners Richard Riddell – said Thursday that they hope to meet monthly with Sheriff Larry Fish to discuss spending and the budget. They agreed that Sheriff Fish has tried to work with them on keeping spending down and staying within budget, but with the sheriff’s department requiring the most general revenue funding of all county departments, whether the county
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