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After first year, Hardin is excited for Vernon County's future
Nevada Daily Mail
When Vernon County Presiding Commissioner Joe Hardin began thinking about running for the position, he said he thought about his hometown of Nevada, and how he wanted the opportunity to better the future of Vernon County, of which he and his wife, Kelly, plan to be life-time residents.
"This is home; it's a small, close-knit community. We lived in a metropolitan area after we graduated college, and it wasn't the same. This was home for us."
Hardin carries a business management degree and a minor in accounting he received from Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo,, which he said has helped with the budgetary needs for the county. His experience running his landscaping business along with his people skills qualified him to be the presiding commissioner, he said.
"I had never worked in the political realm before, but I felt some of my other qualifications would help a lot," he said.
Now, a year after he was elected to a four-year term and began the duties of presiding commissioner in January 2015, Hardin said he is focused on making Vernon County a better place for businesses and citizens. The first year of his term was paramount, he said, making connections and relationships with the people of Vernon County and its businesses.
"It was a learning curve. Anytime you start a new position there's new things, new faces," he said of his first year in office. "But I already feel we are making a positive difference on the community and look forward to what is to come in the future. I have formed a lot of new friendships and relationships and met a lot of new faces. It has been very rewarding."
Hardin said he was proud of what the county commissioners were able to accomplish this past year, including retaining a vehicle licensing tax.
"[Last year] was a very positive year financially. We stayed on budget. We stayed under on expenses and over on revenues, which is always a good thing," he said. "We were able to start a $300,000 capital improvement fund, so we can start putting money away for improvements needing to be done to county property. Or worse case scenario if an emergency happened, we have a reserve fund. And this year we plan on adding another $100,000. It was a fund that didn't exist in 2014 and now it'll be up to $400,000. The commission and I are very proud of that."
The knowledge, experience and the relationships northern and southern commissioners, Neal Gerster and Everett Wolfe, respectively, deserve a lot of credit for helping Hardin with his first year, he said.
"Both Neal and Everett help me daily with their past experiences, their knowledge, and their working relationships they have built since being commissioners. They make it seem as [though] I am not starting from scratch. They are also very insightful on the regulatory restrictions the commission has, which has been helpful in several situations.
"Their knowledge of the community and them introducing me to people and knowing how things are supposed to work -- I can't put a value on their experience and their knowledge and how much it has helped me."
Hardin said his first year in office exceeded his expectations on enjoyment of the job, and supported his ability to help accomplish all of what the commissioners were able to achieve.
"I really can say I love what I do, and I look forward to doing it for many years to come and making a positive impact in the community."
Hardin said his rookie year was mostly about building relationships with citizens and entities. He promised "more exciting things in 2016 coming up than what we did in 2015."
This year, Vernon County is going to attempt to take over the Western Missouri 911 center, "so we can operate it in a different manner that maybe will help our emergency personnel and they'll respond to our citizens and keep them and their assets and personal property safe," Hardin said the of commission's 2016 plans.
The commission's other plans for 2016 include, finishing the GIS mapping system and getting into compliance with the state tax commission, "which is another big thing the commission has been working on for years," Hardin said." The county has been awarded a heritage grant through the state of Missouri historic preservation department. The grant will fund $84,000 of a $120,000 project to make restorations to the courthouse. Hardin said the commissioners plan to take on three federal bridge projects totaling an estimated $1.2 million.
The commission is searching to partner with other entities to create an economic developer position to help the county's current entities expand and bring in new business to the county.
"Those are just things of 2016, and I know it sounds cliché, but we're taking it one year at a time. We've got a lot going on now," Hardin said. "It's hard to look too far ahead in the future. The future is bright, but we're taking it one step at a time. We've got a lot on our plate and look forward to a fun, exciting 2016."