Congressman Jason Smith visits with Perryville city officials, business leaders

PERRYVILLE, Mo. (KBSI) – Missouri Congressman Jason Smith is taking notes and already coming up with plans to bring back to Washington D.C. that Perryville business leaders and city officials brought to his attention Monday.

“It’s a blessing to have an opportunity to represent Perryville in Washington D.C.,” said Smith.

Congressman Smith visited Perryville Monday at a forum which allowed community officials to discuss issues within the city and state.

“It was pretty special to get to meet with all the community leaders today public forum, asking me a lot of questions and giving me a lot of feedback and policies that we should be pushing in Washington,” said Smith.

Some of those issues ranged from healthcare, job growth, business distribution overseas, and housing development.

“Housing is one of those topics that is a struggle for us,” said Brandy Balsman, a realtor with REMAX Realty Experts. “Right now in Perry County there are 11 homes that are actually available.“

With rural farmland surrounding most of the city, finding room for development is not an easy task.

“You gotta have the land to put the infrastructure,” said Brent Buerck, city administrator with the City of Perryville.

The population for the city of Perryville is nearing 9,000 people.

With limited spaces to live across the city, residents hope that Congressman Smith will be able to use what he learned Monday to make a difference in Washington D.C.