Your World Today

The Salem Board of Aldermen held a meeting Tuesday at the City Hall Council Chambers. In absence of the Mayor, City Council Chairman Kim Shelton ran the meeting. The board tabled the Fire Hydrant Saver Kit bids until the next meeting. After the consent agenda, Planning and Zoning Chairman Gary Brown reported on their meeting that was held prior to the Alderman meeting. The committee recommended and received approval to annex into the city limits approximately 5.6 acres of property located south of Southtown Furniture and owned by Charles and Jan Cunningham. The committee reviewed a fact sheet and draft licensing agreement for short-term rentals. The committee recommended and the aldermen approved drafting an ordinance for short-term vacation rental procedures. The board also approved conducting a public hearing to get comments regarding establishing a liquor license code and licensing of wineries, meadery and micro-breweries. City Administrator Ray Walden gave the Park Board report and announced a grant to build soccer fields has been submitted to the DNR Land and Water Conservation Fund. An Airport Board meeting will be held February 24th at 6 PM at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. Chip and Seal and NovaSeal bids are being sought and will be reported to the alderman for approval on how to proceed. The February utility bills have been sent out and the date of service was misrepresented on the bills. The dates should read November/December instead of October/November. Future electric bills will include additional days to help get the dates more on track. The alderman instructed staff to continue to inform the public about the process and to make sure of consistent messaging to keep everyone informed. Walden presented department structure updates, employee compensation study and succession planning for employees. He stated of the currrent 60 city employees there are 8 that are eligible for retirement. Plans need to be in place to ensure continuity in departments. The board approved Resolution No 4-2020 authorizing the Mayor to sign a contract with the Dent County Animal Welfare Society for animal intake services. This contract included a $10 increase per animal bringing the cost to $30 per intake. City staff will look for ways to collect these fees from the animal owners. The meeting was adjourned.

The Salem FFA Alumni will be conducting their 10th Annual Scholarship Fund Labor and Dessert Auction this evening at 6:30. The auction will be conducted at the Salem R-80 Upper Elementary with all proceeds going to scholarships for Salem FFA members. A meal will be served at
5:30 at no charge to auction supporters. Salem FFA Chapter members will be providing 4, 6 or 8 hours of labor of various types ranging from farm labor to cooking and cleaning, gardening and lawn work and more. There will be delicious homemade pies, cakes, pastries and other desserts auction as well. Come out and support the Salem FFA Alumni Scholarship Fund tonight.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital regular board meeting was held Tuesday evening in the Hospital Library. The board heard a presentation about the Cardiopulminary Department from Jack Linthicum. Chief Finance Officer Monica Stogsdil gave the summary of operations for the month of January where the hospital had 152 inpatient admissions with 371 inpatient census days. There were 1,905 outpatient registrations, 1,889 cardiopulmonary procedures, 8,904 lab tests, 1,354 radiology procedures, 762 rehabilitation treatments, 25 surgeries, 252 home health visits and 745 emergency room visits. The hospital showed a gain from operations of $34,416 and revenues over expenses after taxes of $348,469. Hospital Administrator Kasey Lucas gave the Auxiliary report where at their February meeting the 2020 fundraisers were planned that included a Scrub Hub on March 25 and Shoe Roads Productions on May 27. Their next meeting will be held on March 3rd at noon at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. Chief Operating Officer Jason Edwards reported on the Hospital Foundation’s “Dancing with the Salem Stars” that was held on January 25 with 10 couples dancing and 33 sponsored tables that raised just over $9,000. The Golf Tournament is scheduled on June 5th and Wings and Strings will be held on September 12th. The foundation requested and received approval to purchase vinyl tile flooring to replace the carpet in the Acute Care hallway at a cost of $20,683. A Stroke Support group is meeting quarterly and a Diabetes Support group will meet the 2nd Thursday of each month at 4:30 pm at the Salem Community Center @ the Armory. The board approved the budgeted purchase of a bariatric bed for Acute Care from NOA Medical at a cost of $6,662, nine bedside monitors from Nihon Kohden for $45,648 and an elliptical for the Rehab Department from Performance Health for $4,861. The board went into closed session.

City of Salem Administrator Ray Walden has said that February utility bills have been mailed. Bills paid by February 28th will not be charged a penalty. Customers signed up for auto payment of their bill will have the payments processed February 28th. The February bills cover usage for the general period November 21st through December 22nd, although a given customer’s bill may be for a slightly different period depending on specific days their meter was read if it’s not been replaced with a new AMI meter. Walden anticipates March bills to go out the normal time and will be for utility usage for the general period December 23rd to January 26th, however again, a given customer’s bill may be for a slightly different period since old meters are still being read manually. Anyone with questions about their utility bill can contact the utility office to get the most current information and they can look up any specific account.