Local News – Tuesday, March 21st, 2023

The Dent County Commission met Monday morning at the Dent County Courthouse for the first time since March 9th due to Commissioner Wes Mobray’s illness. Commissioner Gary Larson was appointed by County Clerk Angie Curley to be acting Presiding Commissioner for the meeting. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams said the county will let out four-year bids for the county’s banking business that includes a two-year review. Williams said letters will go out to Progressive Ozark Bank, The Bank of Salem, Town and Country Bank, US Bank and Riverways Federal Credit Union. The banking period covered by this bid will be from August 2023 to July of 2027. The bids will be due on Thursday, March 30th by 10:00. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Mobray said three trucks would be delivering materials and two graders would be working side by side on Dent County Road 2470. Another grader would be checking the roads used in the 100-Acre in the Wood Road Rally Saturday and would repair any roads damaged by the rally cars, if needed. District 2 Commission Larson said materials would be added and grading done on Dent County Roads 3180, 4060, 4330 and 4340, while brush would be cut on county road 2130. Larson said he and Commissioner Mobray attended the South Central Association of County Commissioners meeting in Houston on March 10th. Mobray said they discussed the impact to county’s budgets if the proposed elimination of the one-cent sales tax on food were to go through. Also at the meeting, Commissioner Larson was appointed as Vice-President of the association with the opening created by the resignation of Commissioner Skiles. Larson also said he attended the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District board meeting where Chairman Brady Wilson announced his resignation from the board as he is retiring. Larson stated that again due to the resignation of Commissioner Skiles, he was appointed to serve as vice-chair for the district board. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said today is the first day for “no-excuse” absentee voting in her office and that will last through April 3rd. Curley said Wednesday is the last day to mail-out an absentee ballot, and she will be attending the MAGIC Insurance Consortium meeting in Warrenton. She serves on the board of the consortium. Jeff Banderet from Great Rivers Engineering was in for the FLAP Project 077 bid openings and the county received only one bid. It was from West Contracting from Pacific, MO for $197,819. The county has a 20% match and part of the county’s match would be in labor and equipment. The total project cost came in at $228,341 and the maximum the FLAP would provide is $138,548 which is the amount approved in 2020. Banderet will look over the FLAP agreement and the bid, then get back to the commissioners with a recommendation before any decision is reached. At the last meeting, Dent County Collector Shannon VanKirk presented her annual settlement report to the commission that showed $9,295,594.72 was distributed. The commission also approved a letter of support for state funding for Four Rivers Community Health Center. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Mayor Greg Parker has called for a special meeting of the Salem Board of Aldermen for this evening at 6:00 at the City Hall Council Chambers at 202 North Washington. The aldermen are set to discuss bids for the street department for cold mix. The aldermen will also discuss Resolution #11-2023 authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement between the city and Huntington National Bank for the lease of a 2023 Terex C5048 digger derrick. The board will also discuss Bill #3534 that would authorize the mayor to execute and the city clerk attest to a quit claim deed between the City of Salem and Noah Wills, Bill #3535 to authorize the mayor to execute and the city clerk attest to a quit claim deed between the city and Jessical Baldwin and Rickey Vanderpool; and Bill #3536 to authorize the mayor to exicute and the city clerk attest to a quit claim deed between the city and Briceno Properties, LLC before adjourning. The meeting tonight at 6:00 will be open to the public.

The Salem Memorial District Hospital Board of Directors will meet tonight at 6:00 at the hospital library. The board will hear old business first which will include the kitchen drain proposal, the clinic architect, the finance committee meeting dates, the medical staff bylaw update and the strategic planning update. In new business, the board will discuss purchases and hospital board member training before hearing the summary of operations and statistics for the month of February as well as the Chief Nursing Officer report, a report on the 340B drug program, hear a staffing update and discuss the hospital foundation. The board will also discuss marketing and community relations before hearing the Chief of Staff’s report. The board may vote to go into closed session. The meeting tonight is open to the public.