Local News – Wednesday, August 4th, 2021

The Salem Board of Aldermen held a regular meeting Monday at the City Hall Council Chambers. The board heard from Bill Parsons about an Octoberfest being planned for October 29th, 30th and 31st near the 4th Street Mall from Hickory to Water Street on 4th Street. He also discussed utility bills for a number of different addresses and asked the aldermen to check into these bills that appeared excessive. After the consent agenda was approved, the board discussed Bill #3485 to establish new electric rates for the City of Salem. Utility Committee Chairman Shawn Bolerjack discussed with the board and crowd how the rates were determined and the different options the city looked at before finally deciding on a 4.4% increase to cover the February cold weather incident that left the city with an additional 1.46 million-dollar bill. Since there were a lot of calculations, Bolerjack suggested tabling the passing of the bill until the next meeting so the aldermen will have more time to review the numbers. Public Works Director Mark Nash presented equipment lease and rental options that could take care of the growing waste problem out at the city yard waste disposal site at the industrial park as well as perform other functions for the city. He also had a one-time price from Philip Mercer of $3,200 to do the clean-up work, but the aldermen continued to insist that no dollars would be spent on major purchases until the financial audit is complete. With that being said, they authorized Nash to get bids for gates to seal off the area and a video security system for the waste disposal site. The board did approve a bid of $6,566 from Vandevanter Engineering to repair a lift pump in the city. Nash said the city needed to get another lift pump to have on hand in case another went out as it is getting hard to get the parts in to repair these units and they should have the same type of lift pumps in all of the lift stations. The board again said they would not spend any money on capital improvements until the audited financial statements have been submitted. City Administrator Ray Walden wanted to thank Catherine Dent for volunteering to call people who had utility bills past due to come in and get a payment plan set up. He said the current utility bills for consumption for the June 15th through July 15th time period were mailed out last week. If you have not received your bill by Wednesday, please contact the utility office. Walden said anyone who is still past due on their previous utility bills need to have them paid off or have a plan in place by 5:00 this Thursday afternoon to avoid having their utilities shut-off on Friday, August 6th. Walden stated the contractors for the sewer line extension on Route J and Highway 72 to the hospital will begin work this week near the hospital. Walden also said the City of Salem will be eligible for $992,000 in ARPA funds and he suggested the city prioritize what projects should be addressed with that money and get public input. The city must commit by September 1st to receive the funds and Walden asked the aldermen to consider this at their next meeting on August 16th. The board then went into closed session.

The Dent County Sheriff’s Department has released some reports for the middle of July. On July 16th, a deputy conducted a traffic stop at the intersection of East 7th Street and Young Street. During the traffic stop, a 20-year-old Salem man and a 44-year-old Salem man were arrested for active warrants through Dent County. Both men were taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. Also arrested during the traffic stop was a 21-year-old Salem woman for operating a vehicle on a highway without a valid license, a 1st offense. The woman was transported to the Dent County Jail where she was fingerprinted, issued a summons and released. That same day, a deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle on East Fourth Street. The vehicle failed to yield to the deputy’s patrol vehicle’s emergency lights and siren. The vehicle was finally stopped at the intersection of North Russell Street and East 3rd Street. During the investigation of the traffic stop, a 23-year-old Salem man was arrested for resisting or interfering with an arrest, detention or stop, the possession of a controlled substance except for 35 grams or less of marijuana or synthetic cannabinoid, the unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, operating a motor vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, and failure to register the motor vehicle annually with Missouri Department of Revenue. The man was taken to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. On Sunday, July 18th, a deputy conducted a traffic stop on Dent County Road 2340. During the traffic stop, a 40-year-old Cook Station man was arrested for a felony driving while having their license suspended charge. The man was transported to the Dent County Jail and incarcerated. On Monday, the 19th of July, a deputy traveled to a location in the 1600 block of West Highway 32 to serve an arrest warrant. During the course of the incident, a 42-year-old Salem man was arrested for having an active warrant through Dent County. He was transported to the Dent County Jail and was incarcerated. If anyone has information regarding an ongoing investigation, please call the Dent County Sheriff’s Department at 729-3241.