Local News – Thursday, January 25th, 2024

The Salem Police department has released their report for the month of December. The department responded to 19 accidents during the month. Officers also responded to six alarms sounding and addressed 20 animal calls. The department investigated five assaults or fights, performed 16 well being checks and three area checks during the month. The department investigated 17 domestic disputes, nine verbal disturbances, conducted 36 follow-up investigations and provided 22 escorts. They investigated a nuisance incident, three harassment reports, two fraud charges, took three missing persons reports, and offered assistance to five motorists. The Salem Police wrote seven property damage reports during December, plus made nine stealing reports and two shoplifting reports. Officers investigated 4 intoxicated drivers, 17 suspicious circumstance calls, eight suspicious person calls and seven suspicious vehicle calls. Officers responded to six trespassing calls and attempted to serve five warrants. Officers conducted 69 traffic stops during the month. The police responded to a total of 443 in incidents in December. The average response time to calls during the month was two minutes and 27 seconds and the average time spent on the scene was 16 minutes and 44 seconds.

The Salem Board of Aldermen will hold their regular meeting tonight at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. At the meeting, the board will hear a presentation from Liz Condray on the upcoming visit of Smithsonian’s “Museum on Main Street” exhibit at the Ozark Natural and Cultural Resource Center before Public Works Director Mark Nash will talk about the purchase of a Gateway for the AMI System from Nexgrid Technology Solutions, followed by the sale of number of assets of the city on Purple Wave. City Administrator Sally Burbridge will talk about the Servline Bill Protection Program that the utility committee recommended voluntary participation of coverage of a maximum of $1,000 for both water and sewer leaks, but the committee reconsidered and wanted to recommend $2,500 in coverage. She will also discuss resuming the sending of past due accounts to a collection agency, and change companies from Consumer Adjustment Company, Inc to Online Information Services, Inc. The board will discuss Resolution #1-2024 allowing the mayor to sign an agreement between the City of Salem and Online Information Services, Inc. for the collection of past due utility accounts. The board will discuss an airport fuel bid from Naegler Transport, discuss a Park and Recreation vehicle bid approval with an associated budget adjustment for a used truck, and also discuss Resolution 2-2024 authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement between the City of Salem and the MRPC to provide technical assistance for the CDBG environmental review. The board will discuss allowing Mayor Parker to sign the Financial Assistance Agreement and the General Terms and Conditions document for the Lead Service Line Inventory Project to receive the Full Grant Award from state ARPA funds, discuss the adoption of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) Policy as part of the Salem Municipal Utilities policy before hearing the financial review of funds by City Financial Director Stacey Houston. The library board requested adding Sally Granowski to the Salem Library Board to replace Rhonda Thompson, and the board will discuss changing the name from the Community Services Committee to the Community Involvement Committee and appointing new members. A number of bills will be read for the first time including Bill #3581 that amends the duties of the Utility Committee eliminating the reference to the street department; Bill 3582 that would change the utility deposits from a fixed cost to one that would be 1/12th of the previous years utilities at that address; Bill #3583 changing the terminology of the definitions and duties of the building inspector, and Bill #3584 that would also change terminology and responsibilities for violations written by the building inspector. Also, Bill #3587 will be presented that would be amending the annual budget for the City of Salem beginning July 1, 2023. After reports from the aldermen and city officials, the meeting will go into closed session.