Posts by Stan Podorski

Mayor Greg Parker called a special meeting of the Board of Alderman for Thursday evening at 6:00 in the old City Hall Auditorium located at 202 N. Washington Street. After roll call and approval of the agenda they will go into closed session pursuant to Section 610.021. Then they will adjourn.

The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors held their meeting Tuesday evening at the fire station.  Roll call was taken followed by the approval of the consent agenda and minutes of the March meeting. Bills, payments, and statements were reviewed and approved, followed by the budget review and approval. The monthly reimbursement report was presented showing a total of 44 calls for the month and 100 year-to-date. Thirty-one of the calls were for various fires, while other calls included 4 medical assist, 2 motor vehicle accidents, and 2 other types of incidents. In old business Director Price stated the DCFPD board wanted to thank all that voted for Prop Fire and all the hard work from everyone involved. In new business CD Investments, Director Stokes reported on CD interest rates. Town & Country had the best rate on a 7-month Term CD of 4.37%. A motion was made to invest $30,000.00 in the Term CD was seconded and carried. In the chief’s report Chief Floyd presented a bid from Hoffcomp for turnout gear at $3,619.00 per person for a total of $ 10, 857.00 for 3 sets. The board asked for more bids. The goal is to bring turnout gear up to 2 per firefighter to comply with NFPA guidelines. The Chief also presented a bid for a skid unit for $23,995.00. He is currently waiting on more bids to come in. The date for the next meeting was set for Wednesday May 14th at 6:00 at DCFPD. Motion was made to go into closed session. In closed session James Hodges was interviewed, and a roll call vote was held to accept Hodges as a Probationary Firefighter with the department. The motion carried for acceptance.

The Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF) is an outgrowth of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks in Springfield. The regional affiliate was formed in 2010. Its 12-member board includes representation from each of the eight Meramec counties and from MRPC. Jared Niederer of Gasconade County serves as chairman of MRCF. Recently board vacancies were filled in Crawford, Dent and Phelps counties. Roger Louderman of Bourbon will serve as the Crawford County representative; Ray Walden of Salem will fill the open Dent County slot, and Phelps County Associate Commissioner Sherry Stites will represent Phelps County on the board. Currently, MRCF has 50 funds totaling over $4.4 million. The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is a public foundation serving the Missouri Ozarks. The foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in the region through resource development, community grant-making, collaborations and public leadership. Formed in 1973, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks has since grown to include 55 affiliate community foundations and more than 3,500 charitable funds totaling approximately $526 million in assets, as of March 2025. MRCF was the first affiliate fund in 2010. The MRPC, in addition to establishing the regional foundation and providing the initial investment to create a grant program, provides staff support to MRCF. For more information about MRCF, contact Bonnie Prigge at bprigge@meramecregion.org or call 573-265-2993.

A municipal election was held yesterday, in Dent County. A total of 991 voters cast their ballots for 15.32% of the 6,470 registered voters. Below are are the unofficial results of challenged races for Dent county:            * Indicates winners 

BUNKER R-III SCHOOL DIRECTORS: 

Nancy Amaral* 29 votes
Brandon Houston 8 votes
Kenneth Cook 14 votes
Ashlee Ingold 13 votes
David Hill Jr. 13 votes

DENT COUNTY FPD BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Leigh Ann Price 510 votes
Elizabeth A. Gruendel 397 votes
Jeff Stokes Jr.* 527 votes
John Knight 452 votes

DENT COUNTY FPD PROPOSITION FIRE

Yes* 576 votes
No 329 votes 

SALEM EASTWARD ALDERMAN-2 YEAR TERM

Rick Letchworth* 159 votes 

SALEM EAST WARD ALDERMAN – UNEXPIRED TERM

Nathan Kinsey* 107 votes
Steve Evrard 84 votes

SALEM WEST WARD ALDERMAN 

Roger Brooks 95 votes
John Whelan* 111 votes
Brent Klapperich 39 votes

The City of Salem’s Utility Committee Chair Alderwoman Catherine Dent has called a meeting for this evening at 6:15 at the Old City Hall Auditorium. After the Roll Call and Approval of the Agenda will be the approval of the minutes of the March 12th meeting. Reports will be presented on Billing Updates and Work reports from Utility Crews. The Draft Budget for electric will be reviewed followed by electric rate review. The Draft Budget for water will be reviewed followed by water rate review. The meeting will then be adjourned. The meeting of the City of Salem’s Utility Committee is open to the public. 

The Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF) is an outgrowth of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks in Springfield. The regional affiliate was formed in 2010. Its 12-member board includes representation from each of the eight Meramec counties and from MRPC. Jared Niederer of Gasconade County serves as chairman of MRCF. Recently board vacancies were filled in Crawford, Dent and Phelps counties. Roger Louderman of Bourbon will serve as the Crawford County representative; Ray Walden of Salem will fill the open Dent County slot, and Phelps County Associate Commissioner Sherry Stites will represent Phelps County on the board. Currently, MRCF has 50 funds totaling over $4.4 million. The Community Foundation of the Ozarks is a public foundation serving the Missouri Ozarks. The foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in the region through resource development, community grant-making, collaborations and public leadership. Formed in 1973, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks has since grown to include 55 affiliate community foundations and more than 3,500 charitable funds totaling approximately $526 million in assets, as of March 2025. MRCF was the first affiliate fund in 2010. The MRPC, in addition to establishing the regional foundation and providing the initial investment to create a grant program, provides staff support to MRCF. For more information about MRCF, contact Bonnie Prigge at bprigge@meramecregion.org or call 573-265-2993.

Major Adam Carnal, Media Contact with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, has provided an update concerning the investigation of the Sunday afternoon shooting. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the shooting incident that occurred on Highway WW. Major Canal confirmed that one individual is deceased, and another person is in custody in connection with this incident. The scene remains secure, and there is no ongoing threat to the public. Canal said he understands the community’s concern and are committed to providing accurate and timely updates. Further information will be released from their office today as the investigation continues and more details become available. He asks for the public’s patience and cooperation during this time.

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green said crews would be out repairing Dent County Roads 5130, 5150, 5170, 5610, 5615, and 5630 by adding materials and doing spot grading. These repairs are meant to get the roads passable, and any further repairs will be made once the bad roads have been addressed. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said his crew would be out repairing holes on county roads 3210, 3260 and 3370. He said crews would be out checking other roads and repairing those that were damaged the most by the rain. Williams said many of these repairs may be temporary to get the roads passable. Both commissioners asked the public to be patient, but the work crews will get to all the roads, but they will address the roads with the most damage first. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson said he will personally repair the torn carpet on the back steps to the courthouse. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said the polls will be open today from 6:00 this morning until 7:00 tonight and bring your ID when you go to vote. If you have questions, call her office at 573-729-4144. Curley said nine people voted absentee on Saturday in her office. Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk gave the turnover report for the month of March to the commissioners which said her office collected $175,131.64. Those funds have been distributed to the proper tax entities. At the last meeting, City of Salem Building Code Officer Jarrod Brown checked the courthouse staircase and will review the codes for the addition of a chairlift to the staircase to go to the second floor. Also, Dent County Coroner Ben Pursifull came in to talk with the commissioners about his autopsy budget and the cost of autopsies. Normally he has about 10 to 12 autopsies a year and he already has had four. The next meeting of the Dent County Commission will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Dent County Chapter of “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” will be holding their next meeting this evening from 5:30 to 6:30 at the Salem Community Center@The Armory’s Rotary Room. All volunteers are welcome and there are many ways to get involved. If you are not familiar with what they do, they are an international non-profit 501(C)(3) organization that builds, assembles and delivers new beds to children in need who do not have a bed. Anyone can apply for a child on the SHPbeds.org website. TO help, monetary donations can be made to “Sleep in Heavenly Peace – MISSOURI-DENT Co.” Donations of bedding and tools are also accepted. All donations are tax deductible. For more information about “Sleep in Heavenly Peace,” contact Patti at 703-964-6495. You can also e-mail Patti at patti.mckeown@shpbeds.org.

A new study found Missouri is the No. 11 cheapest state to start a business, an important revelation for small business owners deciding where to set up shop amid growing economic uncertainty. The 10 cheapest states are in the West or Midwest as many levy no corporate taxes and have fewer regulations. The two most expensive states are California and New York due to higher taxes, wages, rents and regulations. Simplify LLC released a study on the Most and Least Expensive States to Start a Business in 2025 using the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve of St. Louis, Tax Foundation, and the Energy Information Administration. The rankings were determined by analyzing nine key factors in all 50 states and D.C. including taxes, labor costs, commercial rent and utilities, regulations, lending, and more. Key Findings making Missouri the No. 11 Cheapest State. Missouri offers a 4% corporate tax (#10 tied) and keeps commercial rent at $15.25 per square foot (#14), all the while navigating 94,260 regulations (#16). Electricity costs average $617.71 (#19), wages average $61,708 (#20) and labor force participation is 63.9% (#22). The state’s score is brought down slightly by more expensive LLC filing fees ($105, #29) and a lower SBA loan total of $7.98 million per 100,000 (#30). The study found that the 10 Cheapest States were Utah, South Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, Nevada, and North Dakota.