Local News – Tuesday, February 8th, 2022

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning for their regular meeting. Salem and Dent County Economic Director Sally Burbridge gave her monthly report that indicated the City of Salem received the FHLB $500,000 Affordable Housing Grant after originally being selected as an alternate. She also reported there are two potential structures and a foundation that would like to participate in the Voluntary Residential Demolition Program. Burbridge went on to report the site clearing of the certified site in the Masters Industrial Park is underway where the timber must be cleared by March 31st and the rest of project is expected to be done around the end of April. Burbridge also provided the county with employment and unemployment data for the commissioners as well as census figures that showed in 2020 Dent County lost over 1,200 residents while the City of Salem lost over 340 residents. She said the Census Bureau updated some of their data from July 1st 2020 to July 1, 2021 that showed Missouri had added 13,700 new residents, but there is no individual breakdown on county numbers. The census data accuracy is still being debated since COVID changed the way information was collected where in person visits were eliminated. Burbridge showed through a graph the labor force has remained fairly stable with maybe a slight increase over the last four years. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said crews are working on the trucks to clean them up and make repairs where needed. He said some roads continue to receive treatments to help breakup the ice and snow from shaded areas. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said a crew is out treating roads where needed, and another crew is changing grader blades out after the plowing. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said there will be no meeting Thursday due to the commissioners training. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she received eight “I Voted” designs for new stickers for the 2022-2023 elections from students at the Salem High School. She stated the finalists will be determined and then the public is invited to vote on the finalists in the county clerk’s office during regular business hours beginning Wednesday and lasting through February 23rd. One vote per design per person. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said he had two roads that citizens have petitioned to be abandoned. The first road that is being petitioned is Dent County Road 3283 in the Spring Creek West Township that is about ¼ mile long which is surrounded by the property of Eddie Parsons. The other road is Dent County Road 2053 in the Watkins Township that is about 1/10th of a mile long that is surrounded by the property of Larry Daniels. The petition has to be posted in three locations within each township for 20 days and the public has a right to offer written objections on the abandonment or be at the hearing which will be on Thursday, March 3rd at 10:00 at the courthouse. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams brought in the sales tax monies received by the county this month. The General Revenue Fund and the LEST Fund each brought in $85,934.25 that showed an increase year-to-date of $120,812 as last year in February, none of the county funds received any funding due to the Department of Revenue error. In the Road and Bridge Fund, the county received $35,271.61 bring a year-to-date increase of $54,944; and the two jail funds each brought in $70,479.52. They each show an increase over last year of $109,764. The next meeting of the commissioners will be Monday, February 14th at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.