I’m sure most of the people reading this are familiar with the old adage, ”the older you get, the faster time goes” or something to that effect. Like most things the old folks said, I find this one to be truer than ever. This year is almost gone and it’s time to look at what has transpired with respect to Ste. Genevieve County.
First the bad news. As most of you probably know, Ste. Geneveive County has been facing a revenue shortfall in the order of 25% since 2023. This of course is a direct result of SB 153 &97 passed by the Missouri State Legislature. This action created a local sales tax exemption for certain industries, specifically utilities mining and manufacturing. Since Ste. Genevieve County is primarily industrial, the negative effect on county revenue has been devastating. The Ste. Genevieve County Commission has been actively trying to get a legislative remedy to this problem for last two years, only to be steam-rolled by the all-powerful big business lobbyists which dominate Jefferson City. After numerous trips to Jefferson City to speak with legislators and even the Governor’s Office our concerns have fallen on deaf ears. The only person fighting for us is our local Representative Bryant Wolfin.
Since there has been no way to get a legislative remedy to our tax issue, the Commission has taken the only other path available and that is the legal route. Ste. Genevieve County in conjunction with Iron County has filed a law suit against the State of Missouri for what our legal council believes to be violations of various articles of the Hancock Amendment to the Missouri Constitution. Other counties are feeling it too and may be joining our suit. I want everyone reading this to understand that this was not a decision taken lightly. That said, it became obvious that the only hope of overcoming the opposition to our concerns is through legal action. The results will be reported on as they become available.
While our revenue shortfall has reduced the amount of paving projects we are able to do, our Road and Bridge Department continues to provide excellent service to county residents. The ugly truth about road maintenance is it requires a multitude of equipment to provide that service. The equipment is expensive to buy and maintain, and it eventually wears out. To combat that situation with reduced revenues we are replacing some extremely high mileage service trucks with used vehicles purchased at auction. Earlier in the year the county was able to purchase three used one-ton trucks with much lower mileage at an approximate cost of $32,000. It is not possible to purchase one new vehicle of that type for that amount. In addition, these vehicles can be serviced in house for reduced cost. A big shout out to Scott Schmieder, our Road and Bridge foreman, and our hard working Road and Bridge staff. They always go the extra mile… pun intended.
Also, on the topic of Road and Bridge, let’s talk about bridges. Our bridges are routinely inspected by MODOT and must meet their criteria for safety and functionality. Replacement costs for these projects well exceed any revenue that the county has. That said, the county has applied for and has been granted funds to replace three aging bridges in the area. In order of reception they are as follows: Fourth Street Bridge in front of City Hall, Franklin Bridge in St.Mary, and Main Street Bridge on main street in City of Ste. Genevieve. The St.Mary bridge in particular had to be closed due to safety concerns. Typical timeline for bridge grant project from inception to completion is 3 to 5 years.
These grants come from state and federal tax payer monies and are done under the supervision of MODOT. Grant application and compliance is an extremely complicated labor intense process in order to meet state and federal guidelines. We do not set the pace, they do. We are just grateful for the assistance with regard to something we could not otherwise afford to do. Also, you have probably noticed the sidewalk project in town on Hwy 61 and new sidewalks around the courthouse. This project was also made possible through grant funding. FEMA will sometimes provide funds for natural disasters such as flood damage to public roads. Again, this is time consuming and labor intense. We have received and continue to apply for Solid Waste grants to cover repair costs at the Ste. Genevieve County Recycling Center. All these applications and subsequent compliance is processed through the commissioners office, facilitated by our administrative assistant Michele Gatzemeyer. Grants are something that must be actively pursued in order to be received. Our office does this in order to provide as much as we can for our constituents. Not all counties do this.
Signed into law by the Missouri State Legislature in 2023, SB190 is the senior citizens property tax credit. As usual, it is left to the counties to implement this law. At SB190’s inception there were numerous problems with the legal wording in the bill . The state lawmakers made some amendments which still did not fix everything, but in their eyes it was done. In April 2025 Ste. Geneveive county voters approved a ballot measure to implement this bill. Since then, the County Commission adopted an ordinance to put SB 190 in effect. Then the Commission worked in conjunction with the Assessor’s Office, Collector’s Office, and Recorder’s Office to craft an application to facilitate this. The application process will begin in February 2026. Let me just say that we have no problem with the spirit of this bill… that said, the implementation of said bill has created a crisis in workload in the courthouse. There already existed a tax credit for seniors that could have been expanded on with very little extra work. But the lawmakers chose this route. As usual the state legislature has no clue what they have done to the counties, nor do they care.
To finish things out on a positive note I’d like to give an update on the YMCA partnership. Let me go over the facts. In July of this year Ste. Genevieve County announced our partnership agreement with the YMCA to manage the Ste. Genevieve County Community Center and Waterpark Facility. This came to fruition November 1st of this year. Here’s how it works in a nutshell. Ste. Genevieve County continues to own the property and its structures, thus is still responsible for the approximately $13 million Bond Debt associated with said facility.
The YMCA is a non for profit organization which has existed for over 170 years. Per contract, the YMCA manages the day to day operations. This is not a new or unorthodox idea. The YMCA manages many similar facilities across the country which are owned by government entities and has a proven track record of success. This partnership creates a situation whereby the county may reduce operating costs and also increase program offerings for the community. This partnership also creates a path for sustainability that previously never existed. Over time the county will actually get money back from the “Y” for Capital Improvement. This takes time, but we are on our way. So far, the transfer of management has gone very well and I have every confidence that great things are to come. Memberships are up over 100% for the month of November 2025 compared to 2024. If you haven’t checked it out lately, come take a look. Good things are coming in 2026!
In closing I would just like to say thank you for taking the time to read this. There is much more to the story than I can put in this article due to space constraints. On behalf of the Ste. Genevieve County Commission, I would like to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Best Regards,
Randy Ruzicka
Presiding Commissioner-Ste. Genevieve County