The Cape Girardeau County Commission voted Monday to trade $40,000 worth of soft credits with the Missouri Department of Transportation to St. Francois County, Mo., for $20,000 in money to be deposited in the county's account with MoDOT for bridge repair.

When MoDOT provides funds for a bridge or bridge repair, it requires the county where the bridge is located to match 20 percent of the cost. If a county constructs or repairs a bridge with its own money, MoDOT will give the county a soft credit in the amount of the project's cost. Those soft credits are allowed to be used toward a county's 20 percent match. Counties often trade credits to other counties for money at a two to one ratio. Any money received during an exchange is deposited into the county's account with MoDOT to be used as match money for future bridge projects. The county does not receive the money directly.

Commissioner Paul Koeper said Cape Girardeau County currently has more than $300,000 in soft credits with MODOT and is currently financing a bridge that will result in more.

The commission also approved a motion to accept fax bids for a drilling project in the elevator shaft at the Cape Girardeau County Courthouse. Commissioners voted to award the project to whichever bid is the lowest and most time-efficient. Bid requests were issued Monday morning. Koeper said he would like to have the work start sometime today.

Elevator shaft repairs at the courthouse have been suspended until a bowling-ball-sized rock located 21 feet down the shaft is removed. Koeper said the work involved in breaking up and removing the rock is considered a specialty because of the space constraints within the shaft.

In other business,

* The commission opened bids for a used backhoe. One bid was submitted. Erb Industrial Equipment of Cape Girardeau submitted a bid for the lease of either a hydraulic thumb backhoe or a manual thumb backhoe for $6,000 for both the first year and the second year of the lease. The commission referred the bid to Scott Bechtold, county highway administrator, for review.

* The commission received notice of a vacancy on the Cape Girardeau County Common Sewer District No. 1 Board. Joe Perez resigned his position, citing out-of-town job commitments. No indication was given on when the resignation would take place. The board is scheduled to recommend a replacement to the commission following tonight's board meeting.

All of Monday's motions were approved unanimously by Koeper, Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones and Commissioner Jay Purcell.

cbartholomew@semissourian.com

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