Newton County Health Dept. seeks voter support
September 14, 2005
Pictured is a section of a chart of statewide concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) made by the Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources (MDNR) for their water protection program. Everyone at the Newton County health dept. meeting considered the SW Missouri CAFO concentration to be "shocking."

We're not used to citizen interest was an opening statement made at the last regular meeting of the Newton County Health Department Board of Trustees on September 12, 2005. In fact, the Board would venture to say that not many citizens would even know where they met.

Crowded into their small office on West Harmony St. in Neosho were about a dozen members of Southwest Missouri Citizens Against Local MoArk Expansion (SWMCALME). They had come to hear an update on the development of a health ordinance for the county that would regulate polluters and help save the environment, a job that state environmental agencies so far have failed to do.

"Newton County Commissioner Jerry Carter submitted a draft ordinance that needs to be beefed up," Health Department Administrator Bob Kulp told the group, adding that he had put the issue "on my list of things to do," He unfortunately was implying that it couldn't necessarily be on the top.

Having floated local rivers during his lifetime, Kulp is aware of how the waterways have become increasingly more contaminated. In fact, it's his opinion that "all water is contaminated" and as our groundwater shrinks, "everything [contamination] is multiplied." But he finds having to place the blame "overwhelming." "It's not just agriculture but wastewater treatment plants," he said that are the point sources of pollution.

"We can't regulate everybody in the county...but we have to start somewhere," Kulp admitted. He voiced a big concern not only about the 200 CAFOs in the county but also about the small operations out there hauling in waste from Arkansas that are not regulated. And, he said, "Cattle standing in the middle of a creek is an obvious issue."

"We need facts in order to be prepared to go to court; that is tough, said Dale Jobe, the most outspoken of the 5-member board who prefaced his remarks by outlining his experience in environmental matters. "We have a lot of work to do to put together an ordinance that can be enforced."

A couple of years ago Jobe said that the board started looking at this issue. He called it a time when local people were stewards of their own property. Now these small operations have been consolidated into large farms run by big corporations that don't have incentives to be stewards, he said.

"What we're proposing to do has never been done in the State of Missouri," Jobe said. "We have to do what the DNR is supposed to be doing and do it on a day to day basis." But Jobe explained how his agency has received cut-backs, that two people had to be let go just to be able to budget health care for the rest.


SB 187, known as the CAFO Bill, if passed would have disallowed county health ordinances including taking away local control of where large polluting facilities might be located. Before it was perfected the law would have forced counties to live within minimum state protection. Rep. Mark Wright of Springfield called up HCS187 for a final vote. It gained the support of Rep. Ed Emery, Steve Hunter and Bryan Stevenson but failed by a close margin of 84-77 with Rep. Kevin Wilson, Marilyn Ruestman and Ron Richard on the dissenting side.

Supported by Walt Bivins (R-97, STL Cnty) who had ties to Monsanto, SB 130 known as the Dirty Secrets Bill would have allowed self-auditing by corporations, tying the hands of prosecutors and letting businesses operate without liability for harming the environment. Fortunately, it wasn't brought out of committee.


Jobe didn't want to give the impression that they were a do-nothing board. He explained how they had to deal with mom and pop mines with no records in Granby and how they encouraged the EPA working in Jasper County to look into the matter of lead contamination in their county. He also took credit for helping in his opinion to put together the best septic tank ordinance in the State of Missouri where scientific soil testing replaced a simple perk test. The Board did that, he said, without the support of the county commission nor the prosecuting attorney.

Now the commission and the prosecuting attorney have looked to us for making a new enforceable ordinance, he said, "but we are just 5 people."

Contrary to the health department in Jasper County that operates out of general county funds, the Newton County Health Department is relying on a property tax levy of 5-cents per $100 of assessed valuation that hasn't been changed since 1948.

When Mark Adams, a spokesperson for SWMCALME, suggested applying for "319 money", he was told that it was out there but hard to get. Jobe added that the board had to stay 100% neutral--that they had to watch some of the grants that mandate what to do. "Grants are a double-edged sword," he said.

What does this boil down to? The county has to get behind the ordinance and agree to a tax increase that will help pay for personnel and equipment needed to enforce it, Jobe said.

People have to be aware that environmental issues are something that absolutely can kill property values, Jobe said. He called attention to those with problems who can't sell now.

The board and guests were unanimous in the promotion of town hall meetings to bring this issue to the voting public. Everyone hoped that the same voters who supported increases for the library would understand the need for backing the health department as well. "The voters need to say, 'We're willing to pay this much money to have environmental protection,'" Jobe suggested.

"We're pretty sure that Kevin Wilson is supporting us, " Kulp said. "We're not sure about the others."

A couple of times during the meeting, the SWMCALME members were praised for taking what were called "steps two and three, steps beyond focusing on MoArk Industries in order to uncover sources of pollution that need correction. Although Jobe thinks that "no one right now knows how they can put skids on what they [CAFOs} do," he personally says he will do his part "to see what's right".

Members of the board, all who reside in Neosho, are unsalaried elected officials who have vowed to remain politically neutral. They are:

For the article, "Swimming in your toilet," click here.

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