Cole County just approved an $83.6 million budget for 2018. I'll give you a breakdown later on where these funds are allocated, but it made me curious about how much we've grown since we became Cole County in 1820. I searched the courthouse and discovered we have records dating back to 1821 on microfilm in the clerk's office. The only problem is we don't have a microfilm reader - but the Missouri State Archives does!
If you haven't been to the Missouri Archives before, you should really go. It's a wonderful, efficient building with all of the records of the State of Missouri from its creation in 1821. They actually put all our records on microfilm for us. The original minutes of the Cole County Court start in April 1821 with Cole County Judges James Stark, John Inglish and Reuben Smith. Unfortunately, the courthouse fire in 1918 damaged our books so only the top third of the pages are readable.
The first seat of government for Cole County was in Marion, and it was not moved to Jefferson City until 1829. In May 1822, the Cole County Court meeting in Marion "appointed a Commission to superintend the building of a Court House and Jail." I couldn't read the cost appropriated for the courthouse, but the commission was allocated $578 to build a jail.
In 1824, it was considered by the Cole County Court "that there be a tax of 50 percent levied by the state tax for the present year for the use of the County." Cole County also collected fees (or business licenses) of $10 a year for taverns and $2 a year for ferries, plus an initial $200 bond. Estate taxes were also collected, and a person's estate became part of the public record. The Cole County Court also appointed constables and justices of the peace for townships. Roads and ferries were also matters of the court, and because of Marion's location many roads were requested from Moniteau County and Boonville to the Missouri River. The rivers were still the main source of transportation and Marion had a ferry and a canoe landing.
In February 1829, the Cole County Court held its first meeting in Jefferson City "at a County Court House for special purposes at the home of John Gordon in the City of Jefferson in conformity with an act entitled 'An act providing for the removal of the Seat of Justice for the County of Cole.'" It appointed a commission for the removal of the Seat of Justice for Cole County from Marion to the City of Jefferson, and this was approved on Jan. 21, 1829. We've been here ever since.
I really wanted to trace Cole County records through the Civil War years, but I ran out of time, and the 1918 courthouse fire really damaged these books. I'll go back when I can spend more time reading the microfilm. Our history is really fascinating.
Back to our 2018 budget: Looking back at the last 10 years, our county budget has almost doubled. In 2008, the budget was $43 million. Since then we have added the law enforcement sales tax and the EMS sales tax. We've also gone from 240 county employees to 311 employees, but many of these are EMS, and sheriff and jail.
The 2018 Cole County budget, which is a financial plan for the whole county, includes spending plans for 21 different funds, including five major funds, two enterprise funds, one internal service funds and 13 minor funds. The 21 different funds include 44 different departments. A major fund is one that accounts for 10 percent or more of the total revenue for governmental funds as a group, and 5 percent of the county's total revenue for all funds. The major governmental funds are General Fund, Road and Bridge Fund, Capital Improvement, Sales Tax Fund, Law Enforcement Sales Tax Fund, Neighbor Sinking Fund and Emergency Services Sales Tax Fund. All the 13 minor funds combined are less than 12 percent of the total revenue for the county.
The Cole County Commission are good stewards of your tax dollars and we have healthy reserve for rainy days. Keep paying your taxes and we'll take good care of you!
Here's one final bit of Cole County history. Few people know how we got our name, but it's named for Stephen Cole, an early settler of Mid-Missouri. Cole was a captain of militia and was active in trade on the Santa Fe Trail. He was killed on the banks of the Rio Grande in 1822 by hostile Indians.
Sam Bushman is the presiding commissioner on the Cole County Commission. He shares his perspective each month on county issues. He can be reached at [email protected].