Local News – Tuesday, January 25th, 2022
The Dent County Commission met for their regular meeting Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray said work crews would add materials and try to grade Dent County Roads 5600 and 6600, while crews will only try to grade county road 6370. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson stated work crews would try to grade Dent County Roads 2110 and 4050, while other workers would be repairing and replacing downed or stolen road signs. Larson went on to say work was going to be done on the snowplow blades on county trucks #116 and #122, while maintenance work would be done on county truck #68. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles said he attended the CCAM Board meeting last Wednesday and worked on the commissioner training that will be held in February. He said they also received a report on the upcoming legislative session. Skiles said that Thursday, he and Representatives Ron Copeland and Bennie Cook visited Montauk State Park to look over the complex and see if some state money can be allocated toward improvements at the park to the lodge, cabins and more. Skiles said he would be attending the MRPC Legislative Day today at the capitol. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said she attended the MAC board meeting Wednesday before the Missouri Association of County Clerk Election Authority board met with legislators with a pamphlet that outlined what has to be done county wide to hold elections. She said they also received updates on the proposed redistricting. She said today is the final date for the election authorities to submit their certification for the municipal election. Curley said she has received five submissions from high schoolers for a new “I Voted” sticker with the last day to submit being February 4th. The commission then voted on a proposition to extend the Road and Bridge Sales tax which is scheduled to expire this year. They discussed the ballot language that read, “Shall the County of Dent, Missouri, retain the countywide sales tax at the rate of 1/4th of one percent for the purpose of maintaining and improving roads and bridges?” A “yes” vote will continue the current countywide sales tax of 1/4th of one percent for the maintenance and capital improvements for roads and bridges that has been imposed since 2015 and will remove the requirement to place the question on the ballot for the renewal after seven years but will not result in an increase in sales tax. A “no” vote means the current tax will expire would expire on September 30th. The commissioners approved the language and certifying the issue to be placed on the April 5th ballot. Commissioner Skiles said the public hearing for the 2022 county budget would be this Thursday morning at 10:00 at the commission’s office and it is open to everyone. There will be no regular commission meeting that day, but the commissioners will be paying bills after the budget is approved.
The Salem R-80 School Board in closed session Thursday night discussed Superintendent Lynne Reed’s evaluation, then made a motion to extend her contract through the 2024-2025 school year. The meeting was then adjourned.
The Salem Tigers Basketball Homecoming will be held Friday night between the JV and varsity basketball games against Licking at the Salem High School Gym. The Homecoming Court is Khloe Baldwin for the freshmen, Leya Russell for the sophomores and Hannah Brookshire for the juniors. The three seniors vying for title of Homecoming Queen will be Evelyn Labastida, Faith LaJoie and Alyssa Russell.
The Salem Board of Alderman will meet this evening at 6:00 at the City Hall Council Chambers. After the consent agenda, the board will hear Bill #3498 which would create an ordinance amending Chapter 700, Article 1 of the Code of Ordinances pertaining to the disconnection of utility services. The amendment indicates residential customers will not be charged for a reconnection fee when electric is temporarily restored, and that the electric consumed during the emergency reconnect time will be billed to the customer. The board will hear bids for police vehicles and for 30 and 45-foot utility poles. The board will hear the report from City Administrator Ray Walden, Mayor Kim Steelman, Public Works Director Mark Nash and aldermen reports. The board will also review the city’s financial statemen for the 6-month period from July 1st through December 31st, 2021. The board may then go into closed session. The meeting of the Salem Board of Aldermen tonight at 6:00 is open to the public.