Dear Editor, In the Feb. 6, 2026, edition of the Richmond Daily News, Ray County Commissioners listed several areas of potential budget shortfalls, including infrastructure repairs on bridges, even with MoDOT 80% grant support through programs such as BRO. They also mentioned funding pressure for Ray County related to law enforcement and the jail, emergency management, hospital issues and necessary improvements for the Ray County Museum. In May 2025, the Ray County Commissioners unanimously voted against a seven-figure, $1.2 million offer from the Missouri Highway Commission and BNSF Railway. The offer by MHTC and BNSF was for the removal of two lightly used rail crossings in Ray County. These crossings were identified by an independent research firm in St. Louis, Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, as dangerous and in need of removal. The study, completed in 2023, was part of a $50 million rail safety plan addressing 47 crossings on the Marceline subdivision, approved by Gov. Mike Parson…