Archive for 2025

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting Thursday morning at the courthouse. Bob Gravely Jr. was in and had questions about how the budget is prepared by the commission. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson and County Clerk Angie Curley explained the process starts about two months before the end of the year, then officer holders will receive income and expense reports in December for the current year before submitting their budget requests to the commission for the next year. The commissioners review all the requests and then may ask the office holders to come into a regular meeting to discuss their needs before a tentative budget is prepared. The public hearing to approve the budget will be held on Thursday morning at 10:00, January 23rd at the commissioner’s office in the courthouse at which time the commission will go over key points of the budget before it is approved. Grant Wilson from Congressman Jason Smith’s Rolla office was in and congratulated Commissioners Keith Green and Jimmy Williams on taking office. He said the 119th Congress has been busy passing FEMA bills with bi-partisan support to help expedite claims and hold them accountable for getting to the stricken areas to assess the damage and provide help to those citizens. He also said they have passed bills on not allowing men to participate in female sports, and for the United States to enter into a tax treaty with Taiwan that should help decrease the reliance on China. Wilson said they are working on a bill that would extend the Trump tax cuts, reduce spending and work on the energy situation, but that is still being discussed in Congress. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said workers will be picking up a truck that broke down on the way to Knapheide in Jefferson City to have the salt spreader installed and are bringing it back to the shop for repairs. He also said crews would be out checking roads for slick spots. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said workers are spreading salt and sand on remaining slick spots, doing some minor grading, and cutting brush and low limbs on county road 4330. Commissioner Williams said the county is waiting on bids to extend the warranty on the Caterpillar graders from Fabick as the warranty has already expired. Gary Parker also came in and said there is ice on a hill as well as on a bridge on Dent County Road 5225, and Commissioner Williams said he will have someone check that out. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he and Commissioner Green attended the FEMA meeting Tuesday. He said Dent County sustained between six and seven million dollars in road damages, and after meeting with the FEMA officials, the county will address the damaged roads and bridges in projects. According to Commissioner Green, crews will be doing repairs one project at a time, then submitting the paperwork necessary to be reimbursed before moving on to the next project. He said a project may be six or seven roads, or could just be one bridge, depending on the severity and the costs associated with making the repairs. He said this is the only way the county can afford to make the needed repairs without having to borrow money. Clerk Angie Curley said the preliminary county budget is available in her office and can be picked up, or you can contact them and they can e-mail you the budget. Call 729-4144 for more information. She also said tax entity certifications are due by January 28th in her office. Curley went on to say the courthouse would be closed on Monday, January 20th for Martin Luther King’s birthday. She also said she would be attending a Missouri Association of Counties Board meeting on Thursday, January 23rd. The next meeting of the commission will be Thursday morning, January 23rd at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting will be open to the public.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors held their meeting Tuesday evening, January 14th, Jeff Stokes took the Oath of Office to fill a board vacancy till the next scheduled election. The consent agenda and minutes from the previous meeting were reviewed and approved. The financial report was reviewed with an ending balance of $206, 908.38. All bills, payments, and statements were reviewed and approved. The budget was also approved. The monthly reimbursement report was presented with a total of 19 calls for the month and for the year. Eight of the calls were for various types of fires other calls included medical assists, accidents, and HazMat. In old business after a presentation and discussion by Tom Pisarkiewicz and Courtney Wegman a resolution calling for a special bond election to be held on Tuesday April 8th was voted for. Papers were signed with the bonding company and recorded. The tower lease with Fidelity/Sparklight was discussed and the check was signed for the 2023 – 2024 rent of the tower. There was no new business. In the Chief’s report Chief Floyd reported that the ladder truck was in St. Louis for repair. He also stated 4 people will be attending fire training school. Before adjourning the next meeting was set for Tuesday February 11th at 6:00 in the evening.

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen held a public meeting yesterday evening at 6:00 in the Old Auditorium to discuss the City’s submission of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for the storm warning system, City administrator Sally Burbridge read some questions she had received in advance from the community, and Chief of Police Joe Chase addressed many of them. The total cost of the project is estimated at $133,532 with a proposed contribution from the City of $27,500 in cash to be paid out of the Capital Improvement Funds and approximately $6,032 for in-kind work to be paid to the electrical crew. The new system from Whelen Mass Notification will replace the existing eight sirens around town with two siren systems strategically placed to cover more area, with the sound concentrated in the areas with the highest population. If this grant is awarded, and the new system is installed, the City plans to surplus and sell the old siren components to offset the cost and reduce the financial impact on the community. The Whelen system is an industry-leading system in emergency notification, and works on both high and low frequencies allowing sound to travel farther and be heard and felt indoors. 

The City of Salem Board of Aldermen held their regular meeting on yesterday evening at 6:30 in the Old Auditorium. After approving the agenda and consent agenda, local business owner Scott Radford brought up an issue with his utility rates. After a brief explanation from City Administrator Sally Burbridge, and no further questions from the Board, the Board approved Resolution No. 1-2025 a resolution stating intent to seek funding through the Community Development Block Grant Program. The Board also approved Resolution 2-2025, authorizing the Mayor to execute a  Contract Change Order between Gray Construction LLC, The City of Salem, and James Headrick for property located at 102 South Washington, and Resolution 3-2025: a resolution between the City of Salem and the Meramec Regional Planning Commission allowing MRPC to administer the Community Development Block Grant Mitigation Program for the storm siren system if the City is awarded the grant funds. The administration fees of $10,000 will be paid from the grant if it is awarded. Mayor Parker recommended appointing Kala Sisco and Lauren Toman to the finance committee, and the Board approved. During the reports of city officials, Sally Burbridge stated she attended a FEMA meeting along with Public Works Director Steve Paine and Parks and Recreation Director Melissa DuBois. This was an informational meeting on how to go about submitting a formal request for reimbursement from the flooding that occurred in November 2024. She also stated that in order for sidewalk construction to continue downtown, there needs to be at least three days of warmer temperatures. Mayor Parker stated that the Salem Fireworks Committee is hosting a Trivia Night in February. For more information on that, citizens should call 573-247-7847. Public Works Director Steve Paine gave an update on the utility crews and reminded citizens to please try to keep their trash cans and vehicles off the streets to keep the area cleared for the snow plows. With no other reports, the meeting went into closed session before adjourning. 

The Missouri State Highway Patrol would like to remind the public that all driver examination stations throughout the state will be closed on Monday, January 20th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Normal operations will resume on Tuesday. The Missouri State Highway Patrol is hiring! The Patrol offers over 60 career paths. For current openings, visit bit.ly/MSHPCareers to apply today. For more news, follow the Missouri State Highway Patrol on X @MSHPTrooperGHQ, Facebook, and Instagram.

The City of Salem will be testing the storm sirens today at 10:00. If there is inclement weather the test will be postponed until Wednesday, the 22nd.

The ToRCH Community Leadership Board has awarded grants to local organizations. The ToRCH Community Leadership Board is proud to announce the awarding of 10 grants, totaling $240,000, to local community organizations. These grants are designed to address gaps in services within the community, particularly those stemming from capacity and resource constraints in smaller-scale operations. As part of the Transformation of Rural Community Health (ToRCH) pilot program, these grants will be used to resolve local challenges and enhance services to better meet the needs of residents. The program, which is a collaborative effort between Salem Memorial Hospital and MO HealthNet, seeks to improve health outcomes for Medicaid patients residing in six pilot counties. The initiative is focused on addressing upstream causes of poor health, such as social determinants of health, and integrating social care supports into clinical care to alleviate the impact of social challenges on health outcomes. Brooke Bollman, CEO of Salem Memorial Hospital, said we are thrilled to support these important local organizations that are making a direct impact on the well-being of our community. The funding will help expand services, reduce health disparities, and improve access to resources for our most vulnerable populations. The following local organizations have been awarded grants as part of this initiative: Aging Best was awarded $60,000 to provide transportation for local clients and deliver healthy meals. Healthy Dent County will receive $50,000 to purchase exercise machines for a new Circuit-style workout program. Dent County Health Center grant is for$40,000 to hire a Dietitian to support nutrition and wellness programs. Lifeway Center will be granted $32,000 to improve food storage and distribution services. Scenic Rivers Sheltered Workshop was awarded $26,000 to hire a Community Support Coordinator. Salem Area Community Betterment Association’s grant is for $17,000 to hire an Organization Coordinator to expand the Farmers’ Market SNAP benefits program. South Central Missouri Community Action Agency will receive $15,000 to enhance their Life Improvement and Family (LIFT) Training classes. These organizations, through their innovative programs and services, are playing a vital role in improving the health and quality of life for residents in the ToRCH pilot communities. The ToRCH Community Leadership Board, in partnership with MO HealthNet, remains committed to supporting local initiatives that address both immediate and long-term health challenges. The goal of the ToRCH program is to empower rural communities to create sustainable health improvements, fostering a healthier, more resilient population for years to come. A second round of funding for year 2 will be announced in the spring of 2025. For more information contact Tabitha Stanfast, Media Contact, Director of Quality Salem Memorial Hospital, Stanfast can also be reached via email at tstanfast@smdh.net.