U.S. Representative Jason Smith met with some of the 60 farmers who maintain Ste. Genevieve Levee District 2 on August 5 at Loida Ag on Bourbon Road.

The taxing district shields 7,500 acres of land from flooding during severe weather.

A representative from Smith’s office said those with Levee District 2 asked that the meeting not have media coverage, a potential violation of Missouri’s Sunshine Law.

Smith’s office last Thursday issued a news release on the meeting.

“Agriculture is the backbone of our economy and we have to safeguard it,” Smith said in the release. “I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that this levee district can continue to operate and be maintained without overregulation and government interference.”

The release said the “levee district also protects U.S. Highway 61 from flooding, providing a significant benefit for the community and everyone who uses the route.”

The Missouri Department of Transportation last year was among those entities that began paying levee district taxes under a new reassessment that added seven entities benefitting from the levee.