Local News – Thursday, October 6th, 2022
Missouri State Auditor Nicole Galloway issued her audit of Dent County, and the county received a rating of “good,” which is the same rating issued in a 2019 audit of the county. During the course of the audit, auditors noted that the Sheriff’s fee bank account had $2,956 of unidentified money at the end of 2021. The Sheriff’s office collects fees for civil paper service, board bills, concealed carry weapon permits, and other miscellaneous receipts, which totaled approximately $198,000 in 2021. Sheriff’s office personnel indicated that the unidentified balance had been in the Sheriff’s fee bank account for a number of years. Based on discussion with auditors, the Sheriff’s office disbursed the unidentified money to the County Treasurer. The audit also recommends that county officials take steps to better safeguard county computer systems from unauthorized access or loss of data. The auditors noted computers in some offices don’t lock after several unsuccessful logon attempts, that some passwords are not changed periodically, and employees share login credentials in one office. Passwords changed periodically that contain a minimum number of characters and are not shared, reduce the risk of a compromised password and unauthorized access to county data. Additionally, the audit notes that the Public Administrator does not store backup data at an off-site location. Failure to store computer backup data at a secure, off-site location results in the backup data being susceptible to the same damage as the data on the computer. The audit also recommends that the County Commission work with other county officials to develop a written records management and retention policy to address electronic communications management and retention to comply with state law. A complete copy of the audit report is available at auditor.mo.gov, click the audits tap, then click on the 2022 audits to find the audit of Dent County.
An accident happened Tuesday afternoon shortly after 3:15 in Phelps County on Highway 68 near Highway 8. According to the highway patrol report, a 2019 Subaru Forester being driven by 74-year-old Mary Walker of Ferguson, failed to yield to a 2010 Freightliner being driven by 26-year-old Jared McBride of Rolla and was struck from behind. This caused the Subaru to go off the north side of the roadway into the ditch. Both drivers were wearing safety restraints at the time of the accident. Walker suffered moderate injuries and taken by St. James Ambulance to Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla. The Subaru sustained extensive damage and was removed from the scene by Spurgeon’s Towing. The Freightliner had minor damage and was able to be driven from the scene.
An accident occurred Tuesday morning in Phelps County at 6:58 on Phelps County Road 8170 north of county road 8180. According to the highway patrol report, a northbound 2006 Ford F-150, operated by 52-year-old Stephen Peterson of Rolla, crossed the center of the roadway, and struck a southbound 1982 Chevrolet C-10 Pickup, driven by a 16-year-old juvenile. The juvenile suffered moderate injuries and was transported by a private vehicle to the General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital. The report stated the drivers were wearing seat restraints at the time of the accident. Both vehicles were totaled with the Chevrolet being removed by Ron Dishman’s Towing, while the Ford was removed by D & D Towing.
Dent County Extension Livestock Specialist Eric Meusch states there will be a producer’s field day at the Wurdack Farm in Cook Station. No registration is necessary for the event which is free and open to everyone. If you have any questions, call Eric at 729-3196
The Dent County Fire Protection District Board of Directors met Tuesday evening at the Dent County Firehouse. After the roll call and approval of the consent agenda, the board approved the minutes of the September meeting before hearing the financial report which showed an ending balance of 69,462.66 as of September 30th. Bills, payments, and statements were then reviewed along with the budget. In old business it was reported that the new training room has a few finishing touches left for completion. In new business, Chief Brad Nash asked the board about moving the meeting date as it is sometimes impossible to have the reports ready when the meetings fall on the first day of the month. This will be reviewed during the November meeting which will be held on November 1st at 6:00 at the fire station located at #2 South Main Street. The meeting will be open to the public.
As we head into cooler fall temperatures, Ameren Missouri doesn’t want existing gas bill balances to hold customers back from turning on the heat. Ameren Missouri is pledging an additional $250,000 to help natural gas customers clear 90% of their overdue payments so they can start the season with a clean slate. Eligible customers pay just 10% of the past-due balance, and the Clean Slate program covers the remaining overdue balance. Ameren Missouri expanded the program earlier this year so more people are eligible, including those who may not typically qualify for other state or federal assistance programs. To be eligible for Clean Slate, customers must meet the following requirements: Have household income up to 300% of the federal poverty level, pay 10% of the past-due balance, be experiencing financial hardship, and have an active Ameren Missouri natural gas account that is past due on a payment agreement or in need of reconnection. For example, customers in a four-person household making up to $79,500 annually are eligible to apply for this program. Learn more about eligibility requirements by calling Ameren Missouri at 800-552-7583 or by going online at AmerenMissouri.com/CleanSlate.