Editor’s note: Ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, the Quill will print questions presented to and answered by candidates running for the office of Howell County presiding commissioner, Republicans Ralph Riggs and Bryan Brauer. No Democrats or members of other parties are running for local offices and all other candidates for county offices are unopposed. These Q&As were printed in two parts, the first appearing Friday, and the second Saturday. Answers from both days are published here as they’re written, with light editing for style consistency. Absentee voting is underway through 5 p.m. Monday and may be done at the Howell County Clerk’s Office, 35 Court Square.
How long have you been a part of the Howell County community? To what extent have you been a part of local government in Howell County? I have lived in Howell County all of my life. I have been the elected Howell County Surveyor for over 30 years and for 12 years I’ve served as the member at large of the Howell County 911 Emergency Services board as chairman. I also served six years on the Junction Hill C-12 School Board. As County Surveyor I serve on the Howell County Board of Equalization.
The primary duty of a county commissioner is to create and implement policy. What one part of county government would receive more attention if you were elected? The County Commission manages all aspects of county government not assigned by law to other elected officials. In addition to the creation and implementation of policy, the Commission is responsible for construction, maintenance and improvement of all buildings, roads, bridges and equipment of the county. I don’t have a specific agenda that I would target. The operations of all offices of the county are important and the focus of attention may change from time to time.
If new resources were available, what one area of county services would you feel most needs additional resources? There are three areas that I believe are of great concern to our citizens. They are, in no particular order, economic sustainment and development of our county, security and safety of our citizens through law enforcement, and the roads that we travel daily.
Will you, as the chief elected official of Howell County, be willing to dedicate extra time and travel it takes to keep Howell County progressing forward and engage with other commissioners from around the state — even though commissioner’s jobs in third class counties are considered part-time? I realize there are extra duties that requires the presiding commissioner to represent the County on numerous boards and committees including the South Central Ozarks Council of Governments (SCOCOG), Workforce Development Board and Ozark Action. This will require additional time and travel. I am prepared to fulfill those duties along with the day-to-day operations of the presiding commissioner.
Another important duty is to construct, approve and implement a budget. What is your experience with preparing or authorizing budgets? As a business owner for 35 years, I am familiar with financial management and business operations. I have been required to manage financial matters such as payroll, health insurance and retirement plans. Also, as a past member of the Junction Hill School board and a current member of the Howell County 911 Emergency services board, we prepared and authorized a significant annual budget.
Are county taxes too high, about right or pleasingly low? Do you plan to promote any changes to existing taxes? If so, why? Taxes are based upon the services or level of services that the residents of Howell County desire or expect. The electorate would be in the best position to answer this question. Historically the citizens have answered this question in the ballot booth. In addition to the permanent sales tax (1/2% general revenue and 1/4% law enforcement), Howell County also has two sales taxes that have sunset clauses (1/2% for road and bridge and 1/4% for law enforcement). A sunset clause provides an end to those taxes unless the voters desire to extend or make the tax permanent. This gives the public an opportunity to determine if the funds have been expended to their satisfaction.
County commissioners are also responsible for the county’s workforce. How do you anticipate addressing budget shortfalls and employee payroll & benefits in light of rising costs associated with inflation? Counties have no option but to spend within their means. State law does not allow deficit spending. One option is to amend the budget accordingly at certain times that are permitted by state law. The other option is to reduce overall spending.
When managing public agencies, is it better to have more employees at a modest wage or few employees at a wage high enough to attract quality applicants? You need to pay employees a competitive wage in order to attract and retain a skilled workforce. It should be the objective of the commission for the county to recruit, retain and adequately compensate their employees.
Regarding your prospective position, what do you consider your greatest strengths? Weaknesses? As far as strengths, I would say my experience in business management and employee relations. I like to think myself a good listener. We may not all have the same opinion on all issues, but I certainly will listen to, respect and consider the opinions of others. From my past business experience, I would say that my weakness would be that at times I took my responsibilities too much at heart.
What do you consider the biggest challenge of the position you are running for? What areas need improvement and why? I think the biggest challenge will be navigating through the rise in operational costs due to inflation. It’s difficult to pinpoint one particular area that needs improvement. We talk about job creation, but I believe we need to focus on job retention. Through the development of educational and training opportunities we can provide a skilled workforce to be able to fill needed jobs in the county.
What do you see as the most pressing needs for infrastructure or capital projects in Howell County?
As far as infrastructure is concerned, one would be access to broadband internet throughout the county, specifically the rural areas and smaller communities. Another infrastructure need is the upgrading of our roads and bridges. The most pressing need for a capital project is an adequately-sized detention center.
Are county land-use regulations and permitting processing doing enough to assure the public interest or are they too burdensome? There are no county land use regulations in Howell County. There are some state and federal regulations that affect county land use.
What is your vision for the future of Howell County? What changes would you advocate and why? It would be that Howell County would become even more involved in assisting in the development of educational training opportunities. This provides a more skilled workforce. This would attract businesses that could provide higher compensation for skilled workers.
What has been your greatest accomplishment in your career? In your personal life? I believe the greatest accomplishment of my career would be that through my years of business ownership I have been able to provide a place of employment and provide a comfortable income and fringe benefits to a number of great employees. As far as personal life it would be that, with my wife, we have raised three remarkable children of whom I’m very proud.
