Carter County in southeast Missouri has been given $8.6 million in federal funding to replace government buildings destroyed during historic flooding in 2017. Cape Girardeau television station KFVS reports local leaders are discussing an all-in-one government building outside of the flood plain. It would house the jail, sheriff’s office and county courthouse.
The 2017 flood waters filled the courthouse with eight feet of water and the sheriff’s office had water throughout the entire building.
Staff has been using temporary locations for several months.
“It’s difficult not to have one, because right now we have prisoners or inmates in a wide array of different facilities. We have to transport them, bring them and move them and that makes it difficult which having one facility would be a lot nicer,” says Carter County Sheriff Richard Stephens.
“It’s going to set the stage for the next 50 years, 100 years. Something like this here we are not going to ask for a bond issue,” Presiding Carter County Commissioner Donald Black says. “We are not going to ask for any raise in taxes. This facility will be done and it will be debt free for Carter County. That is amazing.”
In May 2017, Missourinet spoke to Missouri Congressman Jason Smith when he was in Van Buren. At the time, he noted more than 100 homes and 30 businesses had been damaged.
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