News – Friday, June 20th 2025

An accident occurred in Dent County Wednesday afternoon at 1:35 on private property four miles east of Salem. According to the Highway Patrol report a 66-year-old Salem man was operating a 2000 URAL 650 Motorcycle. The driver of the motorcycle was driving in the driveway to the garage when it struck a pothole and he was ejected. The man suffered minor injuries and was taken to Salem Memorial Hospital by Salem Ambulance. He was not wearing any safety equipment at the time of the accident. The motorcycle sustained no damage and was left at the scene.

The Utility Committee convened for its regular meeting on Wednesday at 6:15 PM in the Auditorium at 202 N. Washington St. However, due to a lack of quorum, no votes were held on the proposed agenda items. The meeting began with City Administrator Sally Burbridge providing updates on several key issues. She explained that recent changes in legislation regarding card payment processing would prevent the City from charging a convenience fee for in-person debit card payments. While the new regulations prohibit the fee for in-person payments, convenience fees will still be allowed for online transactions. Additionally, the City will no longer be able to offer auto-pay via debit or credit card through the Utility Office; however, auto-pay via ACH check will remain available. Burbridge also noted that the City’s card reader system, provided by US Bank, is no longer supported for software upgrades or security enhancements. This system has allowed the City to consolidate payments across multiple accounts into a single transaction, avoiding additional card processing fees. In other updates, Burbridge discussed upcoming maintenance work on the City’s water towers, starting with the tower at the Industrial Park once the new tower is completed and operational. She mentioned the possibility of contracting with a company for routine maintenance across all City water towers. Finance Director Stacy Houston then presented the proposed budgets and Capital Improvement Plans for the Electric, Water, and Sewer funds. The proposed budget for the Electric Depreciation and Replacement fund includes an estimated deficit of approximately $300,000, primarily due to the need to replace an inoperable bucket truck. This shortfall may be covered by reserve funds from previous years. The City has also allocated $450,000 to rehabilitate the Industrial Park water tower, with this amount subject to change once the project goes to bid. As a result of this project, the water fund will need to use approximately $182,000 from previous year’s reserves to address the deficit. During the reports, Burbridge briefly highlighted key takeaways from the recent MPUA & MMMPEP meeting and the MPUA conference. Public Works Director Steve Paine also provided an update on the City’s utility crews, specifically reminding residents that Forester, the company tasked with trimming trees along the feeder lines, will first address the foliage and then return within 72 hours, weather permitting, to clean up any debris. The meeting then adjourned.

The 4th of July Celebrations in Salem kicks off with the Salem Community Choir at the Salem Civic Center. The first performance is at 2:00 in the afternoon, then again at 4:00. Just in time to head down to the parade route and pick a spot. The parade will start at 6:00 in the evening. After the parade head over to the Salem City Park and check out the vendors and food trucks, with the fireworks show to begin at dark.