ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY, Mo. — The St. Francois County Commission on Dec. 23 approved several routine and operational items, including the consent agenda, a 2026 contract for autopsy services, updates to the county purchasing and procurement policy, and a five‑year elevator maintenance agreement for the Justice Center. A proposed county cell‑phone stipend was put on advisement for more information.

The meeting opened with routine roll call, the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation. After adopting the consent agenda, commissioners discussed a contract with the county’s autopsy services provider. The doctor, identified in the meeting as Dr. Dedecker, told the commission most autopsies typically take under two hours but that complex trauma cases can take “four, five, six hours,” and asked the county to allow an additional charge in those rare, more time‑consuming cases. Commissioners said the contract terms remain within typical state‑level rates and approved the 2026 agreement.

The commission also approved updates to the county’s purchasing, procurement and salvage policy. Speaker 2 noted the policy had not been comprehensively revised since about 2017 and said recent findings tied to a federal grant in the juvenile office required adding specific federal grant compliance language and adjusting dollar thresholds. The commission voted to adopt the revised policy.

A five‑year service contract with TK Elevator for the Justice Center was likewise approved. The packet read an annual figure as "$29.33 a year," which commissioners acknowledged as budgeted; the meeting record did not clarify whether the figure represented a line‑item or a truncated/typographical value in the distributed material. Commissioners confirmed TK Elevator already services other county elevators and approved the contract as presented.

On personnel compensation, the commission opted not to take immediate action on a proposed county cell‑phone stipend. Speaker 3 said there were "too many questions" and moved to place the matter on advisement for further review.

Sheriff Jeff reported operational statistics for the department: 380 calls for service during the last week and a year‑to‑date total of 20,517. He told the commission the jail’s average population had risen slightly to about 125 inmates (roughly 100 males and 25 females). Sheriff Jeff also highlighted the county’s "Shop with a Cop" program, saying it served 645 children this season, and announced a Jan. 2 blood drive at the county jail in partnership with the American Red Cross. He said a traffic‑safety campaign the department is participating in, funded through a grant, will continue through Jan. 1, 2026, with cooperation from the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Highway Safety division.

Public works updates included road widening on Old Fredericktown Road (to a hoped‑for 20‑foot surface width), patching work on several county roads, completion of a drainage pipe project on Cedar Run, and welding of steel plates on an Old 8 bridge to keep it open for school buses until replacement work can be scheduled. The Hawley bridge project was discussed in detail: bridge beams are expected to be bid in mid‑to‑late February, demolition and footing work is underway, and some preparatory tasks can be performed before a construction contract is awarded, weather permitting.

Commissioners asked staff to clarify the technical properties of weathering steel used on roadside guardrails and bridges after a discussion that referenced the material (sometimes called COR‑TEN steel). Speaker 3 said he would follow up with Jeremy Manning to confirm the performance characteristics noted in the literature.

The meeting closed after a motion to adjourn and seasonal greetings from commissioners.

What’s next: The agenda did not set a date for further votes on the cell‑phone stipend; contractors for the Hawley bridge will be selected after the February bidding window and staff said they will return with further details as work proceeds.