Archive for 2020

The Salem Board of Aldermen held a regular meeting Monday at the City Hall Auditorium. The board heard from Juliana Bermudez about her utility bill that showed that she used over 27,000 gallons of water in December with most of the usage on days before Christmas when she was out of town. The new water meter was installed on December 3rd and Public Works Director Mark Nash looked at the meter break down and explained to the board the meter readings were inconsistent and then became normal around Christmas Day. He said the company, Neptune nor he could explain what happened. The board approved replacing the meter and sending off the current meter for testing and adjusting her bill to an average use rate. The board approved the consent agenda before City Administrator Ray Walden referred to the sales tax numbers that were all down year-to-date. He said because of the current trend, the sales tax projections for the upcoming budget will need to be very conservative and the budget will be much tighter than in other years. Walden said that he would get with Alderwoman Steelman to set up meetings for the budget including the finance and capital project committees with all board candidates being invited. Walden reported the Airport Board met last week. He reported they need to work on lease wording for hangers and Walden also said the taxi lane project at the airport has been delayed due to the weather in preparation for the six-unit T-hanger. Walden went on to say there was interest in extending the runway. He said the numbers were not yet in on the electronics collection in Salem Saturday, but he will report them when they come in. Walden said the workers were getting Cedar Grove Cemetery ready for Memorial Day celebrations and the city office would be closed on Monday, May 25th. Walden passed out a draft letter that will be sent to city residents in their upcoming utility bill that includes three options for people to pay their unpaid past utility balance and current balance. Each option will be presented for the resident to determine which is best for them. He said about 40% of the utility bills are now ready and most of the bills should be ready by weeks end. He also said they are working with the software vendor to change the bill format to reflect the new readings. Alderwoman Steelman asked that the bills that are ready be sent out immediately to the city residents and the rest as quickly as possible. The board did not approve Resolution 10-2020 as the contract with N. B. West of Sullivan did not guarantee the price of $7.50 per square yard of nova chips past May 31st and the city wanted a waiver of any mechanics lien. The board did approve Resolution 11-2020 to submit an application to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Air Pollution Control Program, Volkswagon Trust Government Truck Program to reduce emissions from older trucks. If approved, this grant would provide for 50% of the cost of a new 2021 Freightliner Diesel Flatbed with a Terex Commander Digger Derrick and 2020 Diesel Dump Truck. They also approved Bill #3449 to extend the Declaration of Emergency for the City of Salem until further action is needed from the board. This continues the protocols and practices enacted by the city during the initial 60-day period. The board approved the appointment of Richard LaBrash, Sr. to the Salem Housing Authority Board to replace Doris Stempniak whose term would expire October 4th, 2020. LaBrash also agreed to serve an additional four-year term beginning October 5th, 2020. The board then went into closed session to discuss contracts before adjourning.

The City of Salem Planning & Zoning Board of Adjustment will be meeting this Thursday evening at 6:30 in the City Hall Auditorium located at 202 N. Washington, to discuss and receive any written and oral objections on a request for a waiver to allow parking in the 30’ front setback of a new development. The parking area would include lots 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11 of the South Aire Annex between Truman and Rubenstein Streets, a subdivision of land consisting of fourteen lots and owned by Central MO Investments, LLC. The meeting, called by acting chairman Bob Parsons, is open to the public.

Colonel Eric T. Olson, superintendent of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, recognizes Memorial Day weekend is highly anticipated, especially after these last few months. A safe, fun weekend starts with planning and good decisions. Please remember to observe social distancing and other CDC guidelines, and stay home if you are ill. If your plans include driving, choose to be courteous and obey all Missouri laws. Use a seat belt when you drive and wear a life jacket when you’re on or near the water. Always pay attention, whether you’re operating a vehicle or a vessel, and choose to be a sober driver. The Patrol will be participating in Operation C.A.R.E. (the Crash Awareness Reduction Effort) during the long holiday weekend. This means every available trooper will be on the road enforcing traffic laws and assisting motorists. Motorists in need of assistance or who want to report a crime should use the Highway Patrol’s Emergency Assistance number 1-800-525-5555 or *55 on a cellular phone. For road condition reports, travelers can visit www.mshp.dps.mo.gov. or call 1-888-275-6636. Over the 2019 Memorial Day holiday weekend, eight people died and 433 were injured in 1,009 traffic crashes. Last year, troopers made 96 DWI arrests. This year’s counting period for the holiday weekend begins at 6:00 this Friday night, May 22nd, and ends at 11:59 Monday night, May 25th. Troopers will focus their attention on seat belt use, use of child safety seats, impaired drivers, hazardous moving violations, and speed violations. Motorists are encouraged to do their part to make Missouri’s roadways safer. Speed, inattention, and impaired driving are leading causes of traffic crashes. Please do your part. Obey all traffic laws and make sure everyone in the vehicle is properly restrained in a seat belt or child restraint and above all, have a safe Memorial Day Weekend! We’ve earned it!

The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting. Dwight Ramsburg from Septagone was in to request a change order to add a magnetic lock from Meyer Electric to the jail project for $2,321.08. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell indicated that southern Dent County received about three inches of rain over the weekend which caused some road damage. All crews will be out repairing and patch grading numerous damaged roads while brush will be cut on Dent County Road 6220. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported that in the Dent County Road 5330 area, the county received about three inches of rain in less than an hour and half on Thursday last week, then received about three inches in other locations over the weekend. He said materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Road 5330 and 5260 while only grading would be done on county road 5300. He did state that other county roads were going to be checked for damages and repaired if needed. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported on the MRPC board meeting held Thursday night that dealt mostly with the CARES Act money that was sent to the counties to distribute to businesses and to cover costs associated with the COVID-19 virus. Skiles said the MRPC would be putting together a proposal to administer the funds for the CARES Act for each county that would be interested in that service. He said there are still some vague points that need to be clarified and felt the MRPC could stay on top of that better with their staff who will be better equipped to handle the applications, phone calls and more. He said a budget hearing would be held on Tuesday, May 26th at 9:30 at the County Courthouse to add the CARES Act money to the county budget. Skiles also said the MRPC Annual Awards banquet and dinner will be held on October 22nd at the Linn State Technical College. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said absentee voting for the Municipal Election on June 2nd is still going on and the last day to mail out an absentee ballot will be this Wednesday, May 20th. On Monday, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and members of his staff were at the Dent County Courthouse to deliver safety supplies for the poll workers. Curley wanted to remind everyone the last day to register to vote for the August 4th Primary would be July 8th. The board heard a request from Prosecutor Andrew Curley to waive late fees and penalties of his real estate and property tax bill. Curley said the payment was mailed before December 31st, but the collector never received the payment. The commissioners waited to talk with Curley directly before making a decision. According to unapproved meeting minutes, following a discussion with Prosecutor Curley, the commissioners initially agreed to waive the penalties and interest back to January. The commissioners and Prosecutor Curley heard an update on the opiod legislation in closed session that started at 11:00, before coming back into open session at 11:20. After closed session, Collector Shannon VanKirk discussed the issue of waiving fees with the commission and recommended following the state statute that says unless it was a county error, the penalties and interest fees need to be paid. The Commission then rescinded their early decision and will not waive the fees. The courthouse will be closed on Monday, May 25th for Memorial Day so the next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Tuesday morning, may 26th at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting will be open to the public.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will conduct their May meeting tonight in the hospital library beginning at 6:00. After approval of the agenda and minutes of the April 21st regular meeting, Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas will report on the summary of the operations for the month of April, give the Home Health report and the hospital auxiliary report. The Chief of Nursing Report will then be given by Debbie Hines. A report on the hospital foundation, plus the marketing and community perception report will be given by Chief Operating Officer Jason Edwards. Lucas will also go over the Patient Satisfaction Survey results for the period of January through March for the Emergency Department and SMDH Family Medicine. In old business the Board will hear the Fiscal Year ’21 Finance Committee Report, receive a COVID-19 update and also be updated on the Hospital Expansion and Renovation. New business will include a time critical diagnosis resolution as well as purchases since the last meeting. The board may vote to go into closed session. Due to COVID-19, social distancing guidelines for the May meeting of the Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will be held by telephone/video conference. The meeting is open to anyone to join. For information on how to access the meeting, please email Karen Brown at kbrown@smdh.net or call (573) 729-5917, extension 4005.

A free University of Missouri Extension webinar series on home gardening continues at 6:30 tonight. MU Extension specialists developed the eight-part series to help people who want to grow healthy foods, according to Juan Cabrera-Garcia, MU Extension horticulturist. The eight-part evening series includes an hour of instruction and 30 minutes for questions and answers. Registrants may attend individual sessions or the entire series. Classes cover the basics of cool- and warm-season gardening, including container gardening, from fertility to food preservation. Topics and specialists teaching the webinar include “Insects in Your Garden” tonight with Tamra Reall; then “Disease Prevention and Management” on May 26th with Debi Kelly followed by “Cool Season Crops” on June 2nd with David Trinklein. Also the “Warm Season Crops” can be seen on June 9th with Katie Kammler, with “Container Gardening” on June 16th with David Trinklein. The sessions will conclude with “Preserving the Harvest” on June 23rd with Leslie Bertsch. You can register at extension2.missouri.edu/events and click on the home gardening webinar series or call Juan Cabrera-Garcia at 573-686-8064 to learn more.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will be meeting this evening at 7:10 at the Salem City Hall Auditorium for their regular board meeting. At the meeting, the board will hear from Juliana Bermudez about her utility bill. Following the consent agenda, the board will hear from City Administrator Ray Walden with numerous city projects. In the introduction and reading of the bills, the board will hear Resolution 10-2020 that would allow the mayor to sign an agreement between the City of Salem and N.B. West Contracting of Sullivan to nova chip streets in the city, Resolution #11-2020 that authorizes the mayor to execute an application to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Air Pollution Control Program, Volkswagon Trust Government Truck Program that allows for the reimbursement of 50% of the purchase price of the equipment; and Bill #3449 creating an ordinance to extend the Declaration of Emergency for the City of Salem established March 23rd until a later date to be determined by the board. This is due to the coronavirus that does include temporary protocols and practices for the City of Salem. The board will then discuss the Salem Housing Authority Board Appointment that was postponed lat meeting due to an in discrepancy. The board will then go into closed session to discuss contracts before adjourning. The regular meeting will be open to the public and will follow social distancing guidelines. If you prefer, you may watch and hear the meeting online at www.ksmoradio.com and then clicking on the streaming button.

The Salem Police Department has released their report for the month of April. They issued 3 equipment repair orders, 11 summonses to appear in court, 13 warning tickets, and 17 traffic tickets, plus they also served 4 fugitive warrants. The Salem Police investigated 12 traffic accidents, wrote 1 property damage report, 12 stealing reports, and had 1 death investigation. The department investigated 5 driving while being revoked or suspended, 3 possessions of a controlled substance reports, 4 domestic violence reports, along with 1 sexual offense as well as 1 leaving the scene of an accident. The department was also dispatched for 43 animal calls, 15 ambulance assist calls, and performed 47 traffic stops for the month. The Department also conducted 57 follow-up investigations, investigated 4 leaving without paying and conducted 14 well being checks. The Salem Police Department received 842 calls for service during the month of April and had 47 walk-ins to the station. The department drove 8,750 miles during the month of April. There were 12 males and 4 females arrested in April. The Police Department also served 4 hours during the month as court bailiff for the month.

Chip and seal operations have begun throughout the state, and the Missouri Department of Transportation wants you to know what this work entails and why this technique is used to preserve highways throughout the state. MoDOT has prepared a series of videos titled “All About Chip Seals” to help drivers better understand this maintenance technique. The videos can be found on MoDOT Central District’s YouTube channel here. MoDOT state maintenance director says the bottom line is that chip sealing is a cost-effective way to get more use out of our highways. A chip seal operation entails spraying a heated film of asphalt liquid on the road, followed by placing fine rocks or chips on top. The chips are then compacted to make them adhere to the roadway. Finally, the excess loose chips are swept from the surface, leaving an improved roadway that will hold up longer than it would have without the treatment. Chip seals are about one-third the cost of a conventional asphalt overlay, averaging $15,000 per mile as compared to an estimated $55,000 per mile for an asphalt overlay. Chip seals keep damaging water from penetrating paved surfaces and extend the life of the pavement for an additional five to seven years. Chip sealing also seals cracks and improves roadway traction. A surface may be chip sealed several times, providing the road remains structurally sound. The chip seal process is typically used on roads carrying lower traffic volumes which make up more than half of MoDOT’s roadway network. Roark went on to say that motorists need to observe the speed limit of 35 mph on roads where chip sealing is in progress and that most damage to vehicles comes when drivers are going too fast or ignore road conditions in a chip seal work zone. Motorists should also be aware that flaggers and pilot vehicles are frequently present at chip seal operations, and vehicles may be required to come to a complete stop. Traffic delays are possible, so travelers should consider alternate routes, if available. Road condition information is available 24/7 on MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map located at modot.org or through MoDOT’s smartphone app which can be downloaded free for iPhone and Android phones.

The Salem Public Library misses their library patrons and they look forward to reopening the library in the near future. Until they can fully reopen, the library has decided to offer no-contact curbside service only. This is a safe way to allow patrons to borrow materials, while still keeping the building closed to the public. This service will begin TODAY and be held Monday through Friday from 10:00 in the morning until 5:00 in the afternoon, and on Saturday from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM. All items must be returned in the book drop before a patron is allowed to check out new materials. Patron’s library account needs to be in good standing before new items can go out. If you have any questions about your account, or want to request your items by phone, call 729-4331 or go online at salempubliclibary.net. Patrons are required to remain six feet apart while waiting to pick up their items and stay in your vehicle until the staff member is back inside. Also, the library will not be accepting any book or magazine donations at this time.

The Dent County Animal Welfare Society is open but is only accessible by appointment only. Call ahead and schedule a time to visit the shelter. Their number is 729-3556 and they are normally open from 1:00 until 5:00 weekdays.

Do you use Quickbooks for your business and have received Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) or Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) funds? Instead of opening a new account to manage those funds, learn how to save yourself time and headaches by managing the disaster relief funds using the class accounting function in QuickBooks. This webinar will walk business owners through how to set up the class accounting function, use class tracking, assign classes to transactions and create reports. It will cover both the desktop and online version. The webinar is this morning at 11:00 and to join you must sign up by 10:00 at https://missouri.ecenterdirect.com/events/22037