Local News – Tuesday, January 5th, 2021
The Dent County Commissioners met Monday morning for their regular meeting at the courthouse. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles presented former District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell with very nice plaque in honor of his 12 years of service to the county. Salem and Dent County Economic Development Director Sally Burbridge was in attendance to present her report for the month of December. She said page editor training would be held this Friday and next Thursday that will include a rep from each department of the city and county for the new website. She also said she will asking the tourism tax committee for funds to help with new “Welcome to Salem” signs with the new logo imagery. She also said a new sign would be put up at the City Administration Building with the new logo imagery as well. Burbridge said the city did not get the FHLB grant for the “Welcome Home Program” as they fell short by 1.7 points. Riverways Federal Credit Union visited with the FHLB reviewer to see where improvement can be made. Burbridge said it will take consensus from the city on resubmitting the application with additional viewer input. Burbridge talked about the “Love Thy Neighbor” program as they will be holding an informational meeting Thursday night at the First Baptist Church on McArthur at 6:30. This is a church-based volunteer program that provides assistance to residents for maintenance and repair. Everyone is welcome to attend. Burbridge will also be holding a Business @ Breakfast on Thursday, January 14th from 7:00 until 7:45 in the morning to discuss the MRPC’s CARES Revolving Loan Fund. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Wes Mobray stated a downed tree was removed from Dent County Road 5530, while other roads were being checked for downed limbs and trees. Mobray also reported that workers would be cleaning out road pipes that are stopped up. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson said a downed tree was removed from a road this past weekend and other roads were being checked for downed trees and limbs. Larson said pipes would be cleaned out while signs at some low water crossings need to be replaced. Larson went on to say that a low water crossing near Boss would be worked on and that grading would probably be done Tuesday. Commissioner Skiles revealed he tested positive for COVID-19 over the Christmas break which was why he missed last Monday’s meeting. He said the county will be working on the budget for 2021 and no bills can be paid until it is approved. The tentative budget will be ready the afternoon on January 15th for the public and a budget hearing has been set for January 25th at 10:00 in the commissioner’s office. Skiles also said he received a letter from the Missouri Department of Conservation that the PILT payment for 2020 was not made due to some language in House Bill 2019. Payment will be made once the court makes a declaratory judgment on the bill to clarify the language. Last year, the PILT money received by the county from the Conservation Department was $3,865. At the last meeting, Tod Kinerk and Tabitha Utley from the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce were in asking for an increase in funds in the 2021 county to go from $750 to $5,000 due to increased expenses. No decision was made. Sheriff Bob Wells also came in to visit with the commission about the payment of jail doctor bills for two months that would need to come out of the 2020 budget and the commission approved those bills. The next meeting will be held Monday, January 11th at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.
The Dent County Fire Protection District board of directors will be meeting this evening at 6:00 at the fire station located at #2 South Main. After the roll call and approval of the consent agenda the board will review minutes of the December meeting and then hear the financial report and approve bills. The board will then go over the 2021 budget before the calendar review and hearing the monthly reimbursement report. Old and any new business will be heard before various reports are given. The date will then be set for the February meeting before adjourning. The meeting of the Dent County Fire Protection District board of directors is open to the public.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol has provided these preliminary statistics related to the New Year’s holiday weekend. Four people died in traffic crashes during the 78-hour counting period from 6:00 PM New Years Eve until 11:59 Sunday, January 3rd. Troopers investigated 458 traffic crashes, 97 traffic crash injuries, 4 fatalities and 135 DWI arrests. During the 2020 30-hour New Year’s counting period, there were 323 traffic crashes with one person killed, 140 injuries and 58 DWI arrests. There were no boating crashes or drownings over the 2021 New Year’s holiday counting period.