Officials to determine how much to trim back Section 8 housing

BENTON - Federal and local officials will gather Monday to determine how much they will trim back the Sikeston Housing Authority's Section 8 program.

Scott County commissioners discussed the coming meeting, scheduled for 9 a.m. at the Sikeston Housing Authority's office, during their regular meeting Tuesday.

Joining commissioners and Bobby K. Henry, executive director of the Sikeston Housing Authority, will be U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and members of her staff and Ray Pierce, director of the St. Louis area U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office.

Henry said local officials have asked to reduce the number of vouchers by 20-25 percent; HUD's latest offer was 10 percent.

Commissioners also hope to discuss the types of projects surplus administrative funds can be spent on. Sikeston officials will discuss the efforts of the Land Clearance Redevelopment Authority as it relates to housing.

In other Scott County commission business:

* Scott County Economic Developer Jim Schwaninger reported there are now 122 preapplications submitted for Delta Regional Authority funds with 35 of those being from Missouri. Of those 35, 15 are from the Meramec Regional Planning Commission.

A total of $26 million was requested with only $6 million available, Schwaninger said. Missouri has requested a total of $4.4 million.

Schwaninger also updated commissioners on the Tax Increment Funding project at the Sikeston Outlet Mall. "The TIF team has their manual," Schwaninger said, "Everything they need to know to 2005 is in here."

* Commissioners reviewed an economic development update from Ameren Economic Development advising the United States Office of Management and Budget announced the list of areas qualified as Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas June 6.

Scott County is a central county for the Sikeston, MO, Micropolitan Statistical Area, Schwaninger said.

According to 2000 standards, each core based statistical area must have one urban area of 10,000 or more; each metropolitan statistical area must have one urbanized area of 50,000 or more; and each micropolitan statistical area must have at least one urban cluster with a population of more than 10,000 and less than 50,000.

The standards also define "central counties" and "outlying counties" for core based statistical areas, describing counties as geographic "building blocks" for metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas.

* Schwaninger and commissioners viewed and discussed a half-dozen logo ideas for the county.