Minutes from the Bates County Commission meeting July 27, 2026
The Bates County Commission met with Presiding Commissioner Jim Wheatley, Northern Commissioner John Gray and Southern Commissioner Trent Nelson present.
Chad Anderson, the Bates County Sheriff, came in and sat down with the Commission to discuss the Bates County Sheriff’s Audit. Chad told the Commission about the Task Force Grant that they could not apply for in time this year and said he would try again next year. He explained that the county has to maintain the SAMS website and hadn’t done that so they were not able to get that accomplished this year.
Chad then asked the Commission about the check for the Rodeo and if that was going to get approved. They informed him that the check was pulled to check minutes from last year. They found in the minutes that it had been voted on last year and now all they need to do now is write the check. He then informed them about funeral plans for one of his employees. Afterwards, two patrol cars will escort him to Ochelata, OK.
He spoke over an invoice that keeps getting kicked back dealing with Health and Wellness. He explained that they have an individual that his employees take classes from. She is a personal trainer that can do meals, body scan and set workouts and the class is done in the Bates County Sheriff's Office Gym. Any employee is welcome to join, and she also offered it to First Responders, which then made other names show up on the invoice. Chad told the Commission he doesn’t care who shows up, he just knows that his offices fee is $40.00 each session no matter how many people join. The issue is the multiple names showing up on her bill, so Chad is going to redo it and make it to where there is just a flat rate without names, so she doesn’t have to go back through her bill and take off names that aren’t employed with the Sheriff’s office. John mentioned that was what he understood of the situation, but it was brought to their attention. Chad then stated that he is not paying for everyone in the County.
Chad mentioned that he met up with Motorola, as Mark Alford's office has confirmed they are allocating money for the 911 system upgrade, and they are in high hopes that goes through with Congressional Funding. He also met with the radio consultant and could lock in prices and purchase new handheld radios for deputies. The old ones would then be donated to fire departments so they could talk on the system and have their own frequencies, but now he is second guessing this decision and has concerns since the audit. He stated he is no longer going to worry about other agencies. He also cannot lend Amsterdam their UTV’s to help with set up, but after reading the report, their job has nothing to do with Law Enforcement so he cannot loan them. He pointed out that this audit report will now be affecting more than just his agency, and the people that the Bates County Sheriff's Office would normally help because it was the right thing to do will now be affected. He then stated, with all this being said, he is immediately ceasing the 911 Addresses at the Sheriff's Office. He said for the record, “I am no longer doing someone else’s (expletive) just to be kicked in the (expletive).” He suggested the Assessor’s Office get someone trained because he will be redirecting everyone over to that office.
Surplus items will no longer be offered out to other departments. He stated he has been the Sheriff that tries to take care of everyone and that day has ended. He is taking accountability. He hopes that the whistleblowers are happy with themselves, that the people of surrounding towns will no longer get the things that could make their lives easier and for agencies that are less fortunate.
Trent asked if he would now only be able to help small town agencies, just not fire departments, and Chad said that was correct. He then stated that they will still respond to calls and assistance for help but anything they have that can be donated and would have been donated, will no longer be. He is concerned that after the audit, that could be another issue. It is surplus and there are laws that say that they must auction them off.
He mentioned that his office will be implementing 95% of the recommendations from the audit and mentioned, "If anyone talks to Greg Mullinax, I would like to have his badge and ID back. That is County property." John wondered how that even got into the audit but Chad stated he knew, but wasn't going to talk about it.
Chad then went over more of the audit and the recommendations and said they will be implementing the things that they already haven’t. He claimed that majority of the things in the audit have already been fixed. “Lesson learned” he said. He then told the Commission they should be concerned that they are trying to control the Bates County Sheriff’s Office spending and asked if the Commission had any plans for the reserve his office has built. Jim replied, telling Chad it would be up to him to decide what that money is spent on. Chad then asked Jim to say that again and said that in 2023 he received a letter from the Missouri Auditors saying there was a whistleblower complaint. He then brought up that there was a closed-door meeting with the Commissioners and the Coroner the day before he received that letter. He feels as if it’s hard for him to say that those four people aren’t involved in the complaint. He then explained that hearing Jim say that it was his money and to spend it was shocking, and Jim said he was just going off what Chad is saying, but John spoke up and said that Jim was not understanding Chad’s point.
Chad says that he is eager to work with the Commission to do things correctly but doesn’t expect a plan right now but wants to work towards one. He then stated that the only thing he really hasn’t implemented is the expenditure’s and what they are going to spend the money that Chad's Office worked so hard to build up. That money was for funds if the federal government were to ever shut down and they had to wait until the end of the year for a check. He then listed other offices within the county that has a “savings” for emergencies, but it's only an issue when Chad has one. Trent said he was all for Chad having money on hand for emergencies. John then stated he feels like Chad does a wonderful job, makes personal sacrifices, is involved in the Community, helps those in need, built up the Sheriff's office and doubled it, brought in new vehicles, gear to protect the officers and training to protect then during a mission. He sees hate and jealousy from the county and Elected Officials and feels as if the Sheriff's office is a target of that. Chad then asked John how long it has been since John asked the Auditors Office to release the Audit. John stated that he had been in touch with them multiple times and they had not followed through at all. John feels like this was a witch hunt and felt as if the auditors have told us and shown us who the whistleblowers are. John feels as if the auditors owe Chad an apology. Chad says he doesn’t expect one and thinks he will never get one, anyway. His main worry is doing what is right and fixing whatever issue is at hand.
He stated he is taking the audit seriously, even though he may joke.
Chad then mentioned that there will always be haters and pointed out that him and Jim have the same one right now.
Chad then said if the Commission is going to tell the Sheriff what he can and cannot spend then they might as well give the job to the Commission and let them deal with all the late-night calls and the things that come along with job.
John is appreciative that Chad is open and willing to change the things that need changing and assured him he was willing to work with him and does not have any intentions on taking back any money from him.
Chad then spoke to Jim specifically and asked about the rumor he was told, that Jim and the County Clerk called Ivan Schrader to ask how he could be removed based off this. He then informed Jim that even after learning that he would still never try and have Jim Wheatley removed from office and reminded him of a time when he stood up and said, “Let the voters hold people accountable.” Chad then stated that he would stand up today and say, “We are not going to spend the money to have Jim Wheatley removed, that’s up to the voters.” because that is the type of person he is. He then stated, “If I am removed from office for the good things I have done for the youth, because headlines read ‘wasteful spending’ like we were having frat parties with hookers and cocaine but in reality we are having dinners to honor men and women who put their lives on the line every day, I can go out knowing that I made a difference in my community and I will hold my head up high.” He feels as if this was fueled by a picture painted by elected officials who continue to fuel this and paint the picture. He says he is not mad at the auditor; he disagrees and knows that the voters will take care of what they want.
He also pointed out that for the 17 years that he has been Sheriff, every year his office has driven a high school student, sometimes multiple, to their prom. He explained that his children are also tax-paying Americans and just because his dad is the sheriff doesn’t mean they need to be excluded. “Will I do it again? No. Will I do it for other kids? Absolutely not.” John said he was sorry to hear that, but he understood.
He says that he wants to work together and move forward from here. He said he appreciated what the Commission does, Trent thanked Chad for what him and his employees do and John agreed and thanked Chad as well.
After the meeting with Chad, Jim asked Jami Page about the SAMS number not being renewed. Jami informed the Commission that she had renewed it in January of this year. Jami printed out the email that she had received from sam.gov and gave it to Jim, showing the SAMS number had been renewed and was active.
She then addressed Trent and John about the statement that Chad had made in his meeting with the Commission about her. Jami stated that she has never talked to Ivan Schrader about having Chad removed from Office and has never spoke to Ivan about any issues, as she has her own attorney. She stated that Jim might have contacted him, she did not. If Jim did, she was not involved in their conversation and had no knowledge of it happening. Jami then asked John if he was the one that had told Chad that because it wasn’t true and John did not think he did. John then stated that if he did then he had misspoken. (John made a revision stating "No I did not. I can honestly say I did not.")
Jim told John and Trent that he had not contacted anyone about having Chad removed. The only way an elected official can be removed is by the people voting them out of office or an investigation, charges filed and convicted.
