Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

CEDS plan open for public comment

ST. JAMES—This past legislative session, Missouri House Bill 1870 to extend fees collected by the Missouri Emergency Response Commission (MERC) never made it out of the Senate, and that is going to cause a lapse in funding for local emergency planning agencies, including the Meramec Regional Local Emergency Planning District (MLEPD) that serves seven of the eight counties in the Meramec Region. At its Aug. 8 meeting, the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) board was updated on the activities of the group and heard what the lack of funding could mean for the region, and counties who are actually charged with the responsibility of hazardous materials planning.

By statute, counties are responsible for having a hazardous materials emergency response plan. Several years ago, Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps and Washington counties joined together and formed a multi-jurisdictional LEPD where they pooled their resources and contracted with MRPC to carry out the requirements of state and federal laws. A state law provided funding by assessing a filing fee on industries storing larger quantities of hazardous materials, who were required to file Tier II reports with the state. That law will sunset in 2024. Since legislation extending the collection of the Tier II fees was not passed in May, there will be no funding for fiscal year 2025-26 for the MLEPD to meet its mandated responsibilities.

The MLEPD performs the following tasks, which are responsibilities of the counties:

• Maintaining records of facilities with reportable quantities of hazardous materials submitted via Tier II forms, 
• Maintaining and updating a regional hazmat emergency response plan, 
• Making the public aware of their “right-to-know” about what hazardous materials are located in their communities, and
• Providing training to emergency responders on hazmat.

“The MLEPD, and other LEPCs and LEPDs across the state are a vital piece of our emergency response framework,” said Tammy Snodgrass, MRPC’s environmental manager and assistant director. “Their planning and training activities help keep our emergency responders and communities safe from hazardous chemical spills and incidents.”

Snodgrass updated the MRPC board on the issue. She stated that one possible solution to the funding issue was for that each county within the district contribute annually to continue required work and cover costs deemed ineligible by the Missouri Emergency Response Commission (MERC). This would also allow for reserves to build up for potential future projects such as updating the commodity flow study, completing an in-depth hazmat hazard analysis for the region and providing additional training opportunities for emergency responders. Prior to legislation, counties funded the LEPD efforts.

“When the MLEPD was formed over 30 years ago, there were no fees collected by the state to fund their activities,” Snodgrass said. “The counties covered the costs to get the organization stood up and meeting its obligations. It may be necessary to get financial help from the counties again in order to prevent a lapse.”

The Meramec LEPD, chaired by Kraig Bone of Washington County, is also making legislators aware of the issue and asking for support in passing legislation in 2025. For more information about MLEPD and the services offered, contact Snodgrass at 573-265-2993 or via email at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org. 

In other business, the MRPC board:

• Heard a presentation on the five-year Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy from MRPC Planning Manager Anne Freand. The update of the document is a year-long process of gathering data and obtaining input from the people who live and work in the Meramec Region. MRPC uses the document in its strategic planning efforts in the region. It is currently available for public comment and review until Sept. 7;
• Heard from MRPC Executive Director Bonnie Prigge the Military Installation Resiliency Review (MIRR) is getting ready to kick-off its study. Benchmark, a North Carolina consulting firm, has been hired to conduct the resiliency study. The grant from the Department of Defense – Office of Local Defense Communities Cooperation also included a housing study and a tabletop exercise, and 
• Was reminded that MRPC’s Annual Dinner and Awards Banquet would be held Oct. 24 at Osage View in Linn, and silent auction items were needed. 

Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. Mary Heywood, representing the unemployed, serves as chair of the board. A professional staff of 30 offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.

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