Your World Today

The City of Salem held a special Board of Aldermen meeting on Monday at the Salem Community Center@ the Armory. Mayor Brad Nash appointed, and the Aldermen approved new members to the utility committee that included Alderman Shawn Bolerjack as Chairman, Kim Shelton, John Hambacker, Catherine Dent, Kevin James, and Gary Brown. The board then approved Resolution No. 7-2021 authorizing the Mayor to execute a lease agreement with Global Rental Company for a digger truck at a cost of $3,900 per month for 24 months. The meeting was then adjourned. Utility Committee Chairman Bolerjack then opened the Utility Committee meeting. Public Works Director Mark Nash gave an update on the AMI/utility billing. The new water meters are in and installation will be done soon. All bills are now on a 30-day cycle with the next bill going out this week for usage through January 9th thru February 8th. City Administrator Ray Walden discussed a proposal for a prepay option called MyUsage. This software would enable customers to view and monitor their usage and pay their bill. This system would have a one-time setup charge of $15,000 with a $2,000 monthly recurring charge for up to 333 accounts with fees for additional customers being added.The committee approved sending this proposal to the Alderman for approval. The committee discussed resuming disconnects that have been on hold since the beginning of the pandemic. Walden estimated there are around 300 accounts that are more than 4 months behind on their bill with some customers not paying for over a year. The committee approved recommending to the Alderman to restart disconnects on July 1st. This would give several months’ notice to customers that are in arrears. A list of area agencies that can help customers with past due bills will be included with the next month’s utility bill. The committee discussed options to bill for more recent consumption that would enable everyone to get caught up on usage and enable the city to invoice for the previous month. Giving customers options on how to become current was very important. Customers will be billed for usage dated February 9th to May 31st and can pay in full, pay in two to six installments and have the option to set up a payment plan will be recommended that the Aldermen approve. The committee then discussed options to pay for the February 2021 extreme weather costs. The city has been billed $1.3 million by their electric provider and will pay $54,909.86 each month for 24 months. Options discussed were to add a $25 fee to residential customers and up to $85 for large commercial customers, or to invoice customers based on the kilowatts they used during this time broken up into monthly installments. The committee asked for more information regarding the number of residential and commercial customers and will discuss this issue at the next committee meeting. Bolerjack allowed citizens that were present to ask questions and get clarification on all topics and suggested that the Utility Committee meet monthly for the next several months. Tammy Walker, a representative with Heartland Metal, made a request to have the committee review the current 3.47 cents per 1,000-gallon rate that has been set for high water consumption. The committee will discuss this at their next meeting.

A boating accident happened Sunday morning at 10:00 at 1.8 mile marker on the Glaize Arm of the Lake Of The Ozarks. The report from the highway patrol states that a 2007 Skeeter Fishing Boat being operated by 67-year-old Mark Puzach of Rolla was motoring east and was overtaken by a Stratus fishing boat and struck from behind. The year of the Stratus and the operator of the boat is unknown because they left the scene of the accident. Neither Puzach or a passenger in the Skeeter, 61-year-old Walter Bowe, also of Rolla, were wearing safety devices at the time of the accident. Bowe suffered minor injuries but refused medical treatment at the scene. The Skeeter had moderate damage was towed to Public Beach number 2. The investigation is still ongoing.

The Dent County Commissioners held its regular meeting Monday at the Dent County Courthouse. At the meeting, Deloris Gray Wood from the Dent County Historical Society was in attendance. She talked with the commission about the potholes on Dent County Road 6670 on the back way into Montauk State Park. She said the road is used by people pulling campers and horse trailers and she wanted the commission to know about the potholes. District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray is aware and said the road was graded before the beginning of trout season, but it is very difficult to grade the road during the open season as there is too much traffic and the road is not wide enough for a grader and a truck in some parts of the road to pass. Commissioner Skiles said the commission could bring the situation up to Representative Copeland to see if possibly DNR would consider paving that part of the road into the park. She also wanted to discuss holding an event to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Dent County Courthouse as well as the 200th anniversary of the State of Missouri. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles suggested that could possibly occur sometime in September and they will check the calendars to see what is going on. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams brought in the CART Tax figures received this month. She said Dent County received $53,578.52 in April which is down $4,381.27 from 2020 when the county received $57,959.79. Year-to-date, the CART tax receipts are down $3,518.99. In the road report, Mobray stated grading would be done on Dent County Road 5610 while rock would be added and grading done on county road 6280. He said brush would be cut on county road 5600 and a man was going to Springfield to get oil for chip and seal repair. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported grading would be done on Dent
County Roads 2100, 2115 and 2130 while materials would be added and grading done on county road 2140. Larson went on to say materials would also be added to county road 2150. Presiding Commissioner Skiles said he, Commissioner Mobray and Dent County Clerk Angie Curley all attended the MAC Conference on Monday. Then on Thursday, Skiles said he attended the Southwest Regional Commission Meeting in Springfield at Bass Pro Outdoor World. Skiles further reported he spoke with Attorney Travis Elliott who received a letter from the Department of Revenue stating that according to Missouri RSMO 67.525, the Department of Revenue has the right to adjust distributions to counties to correct erroneous payments. Skiles said that Elliott then told him that the Department of Revenue which has already taken $1,005,980.50 in sales tax revenue from the county’s sales tax funds, found another $735,851.89 that was sent to Dent County erroneously by Doe Run for a different sales tax fund. The commission will have to figure out to pay this amount back without it becoming a burden on the county. This discovery does not affect the budget hearing scheduled for May 17th, but there may need to be an additional meeting based upon what the decision is on paying back the state. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported that after the MAC meeting on Monday, she met with the Legislative Committee for County Clerks and Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft. They discussed the Election Security Cyber Agreement that would do a cyber security assessment of the county local election authority. A report would then follow on what has been discovered. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and that meeting is open to the public.

Dent County Health Center Board of Trustees held a special meeting Monday morning at the Dent County Health Center. at the meeting, Administrator Kendra Mobray announced her resignation effective May 31st, 2021. The board of trustees then went into closed and came back into open session with no votes being taken. Mobray expressed her gratitude to the Board for their support during her tenure at the Health Center and said it has been a great honor to serve the citizens of Dent County. With no further business, the special meeting was adjourned.

Mayor Brad Nash of the City of Salem has called a special Board of Aldermen meeting for tonight at 6:45 at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. At the meeting, Nash will appoint members to the utility committee before the board discusses Resolution #7-2021 which would authorize Nash to execute an agreement between the city and Global Rental Company, Inc. for the lease of a digger truck. The meeting will then adjourn before the Utility Committee will meet at 7:00 also at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. At that meeting, the committee will get an update on the AMI/utility billing, discuss a proposal for a prepay option, consider resuming disconnects, discuss option to bill for more recent consumption, discuss options to pay for the February 2021 extreme weather costs and discuss a request to review high water consumption discount rate. The utility committee meeting, called by Mayor Brad Nash, and the special Board of Aldermen meeting are both open to the public.

A one vehicle accident happened Friday night just before 11:00 on Route HH approximately three miles south of Salem. The report from the highway patrol states that a 2012 Chevrolet Impala being driven by 46-year-old Robert Killian of Jadwin was traveling south on Route HH when he ran off the left side of the roadway and struck a tree. Killian was not wearing a safety restraint at the time of the accident and was transported by SMDH ambulance to Salem Memorial District Hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. The Impala was totaled and removed from the scene by Whitakers Towing.

The Salem Police Department has released their report for the month of March. They served 8 summonses to appear in court, gave 44 warning tickets, and 3 traffic tickets, plus they also served 11 fugitive warrants. The Salem Police investigated six traffic accidents, wrote four property damage reports, seven stealing reports, and investigated one dog bite. The department investigated three driving while having a license revoked or suspended charges, one resisting or interfering with an arrest charges, one unlawful use of a firearm charge, one possession of a controlled substance charge, three domestic violence reports, investigated one nuisance violation, and conducted one death investigation. The department was also dispatched for 39 animal calls, 24 ambulance assist calls, and performed 53 traffic stops for the month. The Department also conducted 36 follow-up investigations, investigated two lost or stolen license plates and responded to 26 suspicious subjects and also performed 20 well-being checks. The Salem Police Department received 831 calls for service during the month and had 64 walk-ins to the station. The department drove 9,622 miles in March. There was a total of 15 males and four females arrested for the month. The Police Department also served four hours during March as court bailiff.

Spring and summer months bring both the buzz of lawnmowers and bees. These fuzzy flyers are important pollinators, playing a crucial role in the production of many favorite fruits and vegetables. The Missouri Department of Conservation encourages the public to “bee-friend” these valuable native pollinators. Most native bees only live about one year. They emerge in the spring as adults, visiting flowers and buildings nests. Many species, such as bumblebees, make their nests underground, while others, such as leafcutter and mason bees, will set up shop in small cavities found in wood or in the pith of plant stems. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri is home to around 450 species of native bees, but it’s not uncommon for more to be identified each year. The most common bees Missourians usually encounter include the bumblebee, carpenter bees, sweat bees, and the leafcutter bee. Bees may send some running for the hills for fear of being stung, but most native bees are harmless. The native bees biggest asset is doing their agricultural duty by pollinating flowering plants that provide food, fiber, and even medicines. To find out more about bees, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation website and view their online field guide at mdc.mo.gov.