Local News – Tuesday, August 21st, 2018

The Dent County Commission gathered for their regular meeting Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell indicated grading would be done on Dent County Roads 6010, 6380, 6400 and 6580 while brush will be cut on county road 2490. Purcell reported a crew would be cleaning out crossover culvert pipes, performing ditch work and adding materials to county road 5520. He also said he would be attending a South Central Community Action Agency meeting today in Winona. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson reported grading would be done on Dent County Roads 2160, 2590, 4020, 4280 and 6160 while brush was going to be cut on county roads 3220, 5320, 5325 and 6150. He said materials were going to be added to Dent County Road 2590 and a downed tree was removed Monday morning from county road 2120. Larson explained crews were preparing to work on the low water crossing on Dent County Road 2070. Weather permitting, work could start as early as today. Once work begins, the road will be closed and could stay closed as long as seven days. Larson said he contacted R-3 and let them know this work was being done in case that interfered with the bus routes. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he attended Senator Blunt’s Advisory Council last Thursday in Sedalia. Skiles said he wanted to attend to make sure that they know how important it is to keep funding the Secure Rural Schools Act and the Payments in Lieu of Taxes in this area as they provided needed funds for the many schools in his area. He also said there was discussion on improving broadband Internet access in rural areas currently underserved. Richard LaBrash, Chaplain with the American Legion Post #99, came in to let the commissioners know that the only living Medal of Honor Recipient in the State of Missouri will be in Dent County this Labor Day weekend. His name is Donald “Doc” Ballard who was a Navy hospital corpsman in the Vietnam War. He will be presenting the check to the winner of the Cross Country Race at the “Ron’s Race for a Reason” event at Flat Nasty Off-Road Park on Saturday afternoon. He will then attend a Community Welcome at Indian Trail Archery where there will be a short film presentation as well as a meet and greet with the public that will include photo opportunities. The event is open to everyone. Ballard will also be attending the opening ceremony to the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce Rodeo on Saturday evening for a special veteran salute. The commission heard from attorneys Jack Garvey and Kim Lowe on the opiate Missouri Lawsuit. The commission also heard from Larry Hart from L.J. Hart and Company from St. Louis about the bonding requirements for the Justice and Jail Center. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Thursday at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

State Auditor Nicole Galloway released her report of the regularly scheduled audit of the government of Shannon County. The audit, which received an overall rating of fair, found several areas where county officials needed to make improvements. The report found the county’s General Revenue Fund continues to be in a weak condition, with disbursements exceeding receipts in three of the last four years and an outstanding balance owed to the Special Road and Bridge Fund. In addition, county officials have not sufficiently reduced the property tax levy collected in order to meet the legal requirement of off-setting sales tax monies the county receives. The Auditor recommended that the County Commission take the necessary steps to improve the condition of the General Revenue Fund and make long-term plans to avoid future problems, as well as work with the County Clerk to reduce property tax levies to follow state law. The audit also identified the need for the County Collector to file annual settlements, so that taxes can be accounted for properly and that other county officials can verify the Collector’s accounts. Other problems in the Collector’s office included the lack of preparing bank reconciliations and lists of liabilities, the failure to maintain a running checkbook balance, and the need to make timely disbursements. Other issues found in the audit included the need for improvement in accounting controls and procedures in the Sheriff’s office; the need for the Public Administrator to implement policies to better safeguard the interests of the wards and estates for whom the Public Administrator is responsible; fiscal and administrative problems with the county’s SB40 Board; the need for improvement in county personnel policies and leave records, including addressing the appearance of a conflict of interest in which a county road and bridge employee is supervised by his brother, the Northern District Associate Commissioner; and the need to improve procedures and records to account for county property. You can review the entire audit at the www.auditor.mo.gov website.

A representative from the Veteran’s Administration will be at the American Legion Walker-Roney Post #99 this Thursday from 9:00 until 1:00 to answer questions, assist in enrollment, help with processing claims or just helping to address a specific need those veterans from Crawford, Dent, Howell, Laclede, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski, Shannon, Texas and Wright counties. This event is open to all those who served in the military branches and that includes the National Guard. If you need more information, call (573) 729-1394 or (573) 729-3710.