Lincoln County Officials Gather As Commission Approves Policy Changes During Busy Week

TROY, Mo. — Numerous county elected officials and department heads attended Lincoln County Commission meetings this week as commissioners approved several policy changes affecting county operations, employee travel, drug testing and personnel policies.

Commissioner Matt Bass was absent from both the June 23 and June 25 meetings. Commissioners Joe Kaimann and Mike Mueller were present.

Among those in attendance throughout the week were Assessor Kevin Bishop, County Clerk Ken Schulte, Auditor Brenda Schulte, Treasurer Brenda O’Brien, Recorder of Deeds Tracy Martin and other county officials and department heads.

County elected officials, department heads and members of the public attend a Lincoln County Commission meeting in Troy during discussions involving county policy changes and other county business.

One of the most discussed items during Tuesday’s meeting involved revisions to the county’s travel reimbursement policy.

Assessor Kevin Bishop raised concerns regarding the elimination of grocery purchases while traveling for county business, noting that grocery purchases can often be a less expensive option than dining out.

Additional discussion focused on situations involving dietary restrictions, food allergies and varying meal costs depending on where employees are traveling.

Commissioners ultimately approved the revisions, with Kaimann noting adjustments could be made in the future if needed.

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The commission also approved revisions involving county-owned vehicles and employee drug testing.

Discussion during the meeting clarified that the policy previously applied to Highway Department employees and has now been expanded to include additional county employees who operate county vehicles, including Sheriff’s Office personnel.

Questions were raised regarding whether elected officials would be included in the testing pool.

County officials explained that elected officials are not included because state law does not provide a mechanism requiring them to participate.

The revised policy was subsequently approved.

Commissioners also approved the annual Community Opportunities agreement between Lincoln County and OATS Transit.

The agreement passed on a 2-0 vote. No representative from OATS was present during the discussion.

Thursday’s meeting was considerably shorter but included additional discussion regarding county policies and procedures.

Auditor Brenda Schulte addressed the commission and requested that future policy changes affecting elected officials and department heads be distributed further in advance before being considered for approval.

Lincoln County Auditor Brenda Schulte addresses commissioners during the June 25 meeting, requesting additional notice for future policy changes affecting elected officials and department heads.

Schulte said providing additional time would allow officials to review proposed changes, discuss concerns and improve communication throughout county government. She also requested that her comments be entered into the official meeting minutes.

The commission also received an update from Cochran Engineering regarding an ongoing county water project.

The engineer providing the update stated there were no significant developments to report because the individual responsible for completing the next phase of the project was unavailable.

Kaimann described the delay as “upsetting.”

A representative from Cochran Engineering provides commissioners with an update on an ongoing county water project during the June 25 meeting.

Additional action taken Thursday included approval of a Reservation of Rights policy.

The policy establishes the county’s authority to modify policies and procedures when necessary without requiring similar language to be repeated throughout multiple individual policies.

Commissioners also approved a revision involving eligibility for county-wide annual salary adjustments.

Under the revised policy, employees must complete their probationary period before becoming eligible for county-wide annual pay adjustments. Commissioners stated the change was intended to address situations where newly hired employees became eligible for annual raises shortly after beginning employment.

Both meetings drew attendance from multiple elected officials and department heads as the commission considered several administrative and personnel-related policy changes affecting county operations.

Lincoln CountyWatch is continuing to gather responses from county elected officials regarding the policy changes discussed this week.

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Author: John Eads

Sources: Lincoln County Commission Meetings held June 23 and June 25, 2026.