Local News – Wednesday, January 17th, 2024

Dent County Assessor Jamie Homeyer wanted the public to be aware that if you are 100% disabled or are 65-years of age or older, based on your total household income you could be eligible for a Missouri Property Tax Credit of up to $1,100 for real estate taxes paid. To determine if you are eligible, visit with your tax professional or visit the Missouri Department of Revenue website and click on the tab called “taxation” and go to individual taxes. You will be given options to the right and find the “property tax credit” button and clock on it to get all the details. If you owned and occupied your home for the entire year and have over five acres of property, you will need to bring your paid real estate tax receipt to your county assessor’s office, and they will fill out the required form for you to determine your credit. If you live in Dent County, stop by the Dent County Courthouse at the Dent County Assessor’s Office and speak with Jamie Homeyer. Her office hours are 8:00 in the morning to 4:30 in the afternoon, Monday through Friday. You can also call her if you have questions at 729-6010. If you live in a different county, contact your county assessor for help or any questions you may have.

The Missouri Department of Conservation says you can order shrub and tree seedlings through April 15th from the George O. White State Forest Nursery near Licking. Native trees and shrubs can help improve wildlife habitat and soil and water conservation while also improving the appearance and value of private property. The George O. White State Forest Nursery offers a variety of low-cost native tree and shrub seedlings for sale for reforestation, windbreaks, erosion control, wildlife food and cover, and other purposes. The nursery provides mainly one-year-old, bare-root seedlings with sizes varying by species. Seedlings varieties include: pine, bald cypress, cottonwood, black walnut, hickory, oak, pecan, persimmon, river birch, maple, willow, sycamore, blackberry, buttonbush, hazelnut, redbud, ninebark, elderberry, sumac, wild plum, witch hazel, and others. Seedlings are available in bundles of 10 or increments of 25 per species. Prices range from 34 cents to $1 per seedling. Sales tax will be added to orders unless tax exempt. There is a shipping fee and a $9 handling charge for each order. Receive a 15% discount up to $20 off seedling orders with a Heritage Card, Permit Card, or Conservation ID Number. The nursery grows millions of seedlings each year, but some species are very popular and sell out quickly and some seedlings occasionally succumb to harsh weather or hungry wildlife, despite the nursery staff’s best efforts. Even if a species is listed as “sold out,” customers can still place an order for those seedlings because other orders may get canceled, freeing up inventory. Customers won’t be charged for seedlings unless they are available to ship. Again, orders are now being processed so order now! Orders will be shipped or can be picked up at the nursery near Licking from February through May. The 2023-24 seedling order forms were available in the September issue of Missouri Conservationist. They are also available at MDC regional offices and nature centers, or you can contact the George O White State Forest Nursery at 573-674-3229. You can also request a form by e-mail StateForestNursery@mdc.mo.gov. You can also order your trees or shrub seedlings from the mdc.mo.gov website.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education will be holding their regular meeting Thursday evening at 5:30 in the R-80 Board Room. At the meeting, the board will hear the PAT report from Jessica Parker and Marybeth Patrick. Dr. Reed and Dr. Wills will give their report to the board before the building principals and Athletic Director Clay Moody give their reports. New business to be brought before the board includes setting the school year tuition rate, approving the ballot initiative names, accepted a band uniform contribution, reviewing the short and long term facility project lists, and hearing any resignations submitted. The board will then go into executive session to discuss personnel. The meeting is open to the public.

The City of Salem Park and Recreation Board will be meeting tonight at 5:30 at the Salem Community Center@The Armory. At the meeting, they will discuss a board appointment, discuss park truck bids, discuss and review a smoke free communities ordinance for the Salem City Parks, and hear the Park and Recreation report from Park and Recreation Director Melissa Dubois. The board will also receive the budget report and budget updates, talk about the tennis courts, and review the five-year plan before adjourning. The meeting of the City of Salem Park and Recreation Board is open to the public.

From now until January 26th, Dent County voters will have the opportunity to elect members to the University of Missouri Extension Council of Dent County. The council has two positions that need to be filled in the Northern district, five in the Central district and two in the Southern district. Voting may be done at or mailed to the Dent County Extension Center at 112 East 5th Street in Salem at the Judicial Building, or you can drop off ballots at the office on the second floor of the Judicial Building between the hours of 8:00 in the morning and 4:30 in the afternoon, Monday through Thursday. Candidates include Heather Johnson and Curt Murr in the Northern District; Jodie Dean, Charlee Sue Jadwin, Allie Fleener and Kolson Seay in the Central District; and Karin Casper and Tracy Strange in the Southern District. Ballots were distributed in Friday, January 12th’s edition of Your World Today and are available at the Dent County Extension Office. If you have any questions, please call the Dent County Extension Office at 729-3196.