Local News – Friday, December 27th, 2019
Dent County Collector Shannon Vankirk wanted to remind the public that the Collector’s office in the courthouse will have extended hours today as well as Monday and Tuesday of next week for the payment of your personal property taxes and real estate taxes. Her office will be open from 8:00 in the morning until 5:30 each evening. Vankirk says those paying their taxes can do so in person at the Dent County Collector’s Office in the Dent County Courthouse where you will get an immediate receipt. You can also drop them off in the drop box at the southwestern corner of the courthouse lawn. If you plan on mailing in your taxes, make sure that you have a postal clerk postmark the envelope with the date by December 31st to avoid penalties and interest. You may also pay your taxes online through the use of a credit or debit device. There is an additional charge for these types of payments as the collector’s office cannot cover the processing fees by state statute. Your tax receipt with any other method other than bringing your taxes to the collector’s office, will result in the tax receipt being mailed mailed to you. If anyone has a question about the payment of their taxes, contact the Dent County Collectors office at 729-3911 or stop by the Dent County Courthouse.
The Dent County Commissioner met for their regular meeting Thursday morning at the courthouse. District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell was not in attendance due to a previous commitment, so Road Supervisor Rodney Atkinson gave the road report for the district. He said brush would be cut on Dent County Roads 6470 and maintenance will be performed on county truck #119. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson indicated brush would be cut on county roads 2150, 4400 and 4403. He also said materials would be added to county road 3200. Larson stated repair work was being done to county trucks #68 and #69. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles wanted to remind any vendor that is going to submit a bill to the county to be paid for work done in December should get them in to the clerk’s office before Monday morning at 10:00 as that will be the last day the commissioners will be able to approve and pay bills until the 2020 budget has been approved sometime in late January. Skiles again wanted to remind anyone who is interested in being the interim Dent County Assessor after the retirement of Tina Whitaker that will be effective December 31st at the end of the day, needs to let the commission know. Pursuant to Revised State Statutes of Missouri 150.030, the Dent County Commission will make an interim temporary appointment to fill the assessor position. Governor Mike Parson will eventually appoint a replacement to fill that position for the remainder of Whitaker’s term. The office will be up for election in 2020, but state statutes do not allow the new assessor to take office until the following September. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported she continued to work on the 2020 budget. At the last meeting on Monday, Alisa Brookshire and Edie Wells both approached the commission with their interest to serve as interim Assessor. Tom Van Hatten from the 100-Acre Wood Rally was in attendance to visit about the rally. The next commissioner meeting will be Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.
If you have a need for infant and toddler size gloves, mittens, hats, and children’s blankets during this bitterly cold weather, feel free to stop by the Dent County Health Center at the corner of Franklin and McArthur. The health center will have available a “Warming Tree” loaded with those items in their foyer and they are free to those who need them to stay warm. The tree will stay up through February. If you would like to help restock the items people have already taken from the tree, you can donate gloves, mittens, all sizes of hats and children’s blankets to the “Warming Tree.” For more information about the “Warming Tree” or about donating items to the “Warming Tree” at the Dent County Health Center, feel free to call them at 729-3106 or stop by Dent County Health Center at 601 S. McArthur.