BLOOMFIELD — The Stoddard County Commission has received six applicants for the vacant Emergency Manager Agency director position, and the interview process has begun.
The county has been without an EMA director since the start of the year after previous director Frank Killian resigned.
Presiding Commissioner Danny Talkington said six people applied for the position but two of them have been eliminated from consideration because they lack the qualifications necessary to hold the position.
The remaining candidates will be interviewed over the next couple of weeks.
Thank a Farmer Week
Allen Rowland, a member of the Stoddard County Farm Bureau board, asked the county to designate Feb. 28-March 6 as Celebrate Agriculture: Thank a Farmer Week in Stoddard County.
The commissioners voted 3-0 to sign the proclamation.
A statewide initiative, Thank a Farmer Week recognizes America’s farmers and ranchers who provide food that satisfies the tastes and preferences of today’s consumers, according to the proclamation.
The proclamation read that one farmer produces food and fiber for 166 people in the U.S. and abroad, and U.S. consumers spend approximately 10% of their disposable income on food each year, less than any country in the world.
America’s farmers and ranchers not only provide the food we eat but also help sustain rural communities, preserve open space and wildlife habitat and protect the environment, according to the proclamation.
Floodplain Manager
Jeremy Manning is the new point man for Stoddard County floodplain manager Smith and Company, of Poplar Bluff.
Manning takes for Joe Pulliam, who left Smith and Company at the start of the year.
Manning was Pulliam’s backup floodplain manager and received the same training as Pulliam did.
In other news:
• Commissioners voted 3-0 to appoint Chad Payne to the Industrial Development Authority of Stoddard County board.
• Commissioners voted 3-0 to approve renewal of a prescription-drug monitoring program with a St. Louis County data-collection system.