Local News – Wednesday, July 5th, 2023
The City of Salem Board of Aldermen held a special meeting at the city hall council chambers Thursday afternoon to address a few special issues that needed to be approved before the new fiscal year for the city which began on Saturday, July 1st. At the meeting last Tuesday night, numerous bills were read for the first time including the bill to approve the new fiscal year budget, but two bills exclusively dealt with the electric utility. Bill #3541 requested changing the time frame used to determine an automatic rate increase or decrease for the electric rates to May of the current year through April of the next year so that the numbers could be, as City Administrator Sally Burbridge said “trued up,” or be accurate with the billing received by the public. The old time frame used was from July of the current year through June of the next year, but those numbers were not accurate with the biling cycle of the city. The bill was approved. Bill #3542 discussed raising the electric rates by 3.5% as recommended by the utility committee after a long discussion and number crunching session. The rate was automatically set to increase by 7.7% as determined by the cost of power by the city, but the committee felt the public had seen enough rates raised over the year. The 3.5% increase in rates was approved. The last bill to be discussed was the Fiscal Year 2024 budget which was recommended by the finance committee which included a request for $10,000 to be put toward fireworks in 2024. The board approved the budget but would like the public who has been so vocal about the fireworks the past couple of months be involved in helping raise the remainder of the funds. This money is not only for the purchase of the fireworks, but for the additional costs of police overtime, insurance, the renting of the Commons, and in the past, the lease included maintenance of the property to get it ready for the display. The board wants to remind the public that just because an amount is in the budget, it does not mean that amount will automatically be spent if the remaining money can’t be raised. The meeting was then adjourned.
Sheriff Bob Wells and Dent County Prosecutor Andrew M. Curley will be presenting a check for the sum of $1,950.00 to Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams to be placed into the local school fund for Dent County. The money is the result of efforts by law enforcement involving the seizure of currency possessed in connection with the arrest and prosecution of Cody Martin for trafficking methamphetamine in Dent County. Martin was charged with a Class B felony for trafficking drugs in the second degree. In addition to the criminal conviction, the seizure is authorized by Missouri law as a punishment and deterrent to persons that realize currency through the commission of a crime. This money will be used for the benefit of the local school system.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages the public to discover nature during frogging season which started Friday at sunset and will last through October 31st. Those with a fishing permit or small-game hunting permit may frog for bullfrogs and green frogs. The daily limit is eight frogs of both species combined and the possession limit is 16 frogs of both species combined. Only the daily limit may be possessed on waters and bank of waters where frogging. MDC notes that daily limits end at midnight. Froggers who catch their daily limits before midnight and want to return for more frogging after midnight must remove the daily limit of previously caught frogs from the waters or banks before returning. The public can go frogging with a fishing or small-game hunting permit, but children 15 and under and Missouri residents 65-years and older are not required to have a permit. Those using a fishing permit may take frogs by hand, hand net, atlatl, gig, bow, trotline, throwline, limb line, bank line, jug line, snagging, snaring, grabbing, or pole-and-line. With a small-game hunting permit, frogs may be harvested using a .22-caliber or smaller rimfire rifle or pistol, pellet gun, atlatl, bow, crossbow, or by hand or hand net. The use of artificial light is permitted when frogging. For more information, visit mdc.mo.gov.
The Missouri Department of Transportation reports that some construction work will be going on in the immediate listening area in the next few days. In Crawford County on Routes H, NN, and YY, MoDOT plans to do pavement repair today and Thursday. One lane will be open, and crews will flag traffic through the work zone. Also on Route PP in Crawford County, a culvert pipe is being replaced today and Thursday with one lane open, and crews flagging traffic through the work zone. In Dent County, MoDOT will doing pavement repair today and Thursday on Route ZZ with one lane open, and crews flagging traffic through the work zone. in Phelps County on Route NN, work crews will be doing pavement repair through Thursday. One lane will be open, and crews will flag traffic through the work zone. MoDOT also continues their road resurfacing on Interstate 44 from Exit 186 to Exit 195. There will be around–the-clock lane closures from Highway 63 to highway 8-68. The project on Interstate 44 is scheduled for completion in December 2023.