News – Friday, September 26th 2025

The Dent County Commission met Thursday morning at the courthouse. Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams presented the CART tax money received in September. She said the county received $97,487.00 which is up from September of 2024 by $7,020.54. Year-to-date, the CART tax is up $57,568.23 over 2024. In the road report, District 1 Commissioner Keith Green stated crews will be working on a loader and doing maintenance on the Mannis brush cutter. Other crew members would be out checking chip and seal roads for asphalt repair, and if time allows, grading would be done on Dent County Road 5220. Green said next week the crew looks to pull ditches and grade a number of roads if the weather holds. District 2 Commissioner Jimmy Williams said workers would be grading Dent County Roads 4060, 5225 and 5240, while brush will be cut on county roads 2315 and 2390. His crew will also be patching chip and seal road 2240 with the Durapatcher. Presiding Commissioner Gary Larson stated he attended the Tourism Tax Committee meeting last week where they approved a request for $500, down from the $1,000 originally asked for before approving two reimbursements. On Wednesday, he participated in a Zoom meeting with the Meramec Community Enhancement Corporation where they reviewed the financial statements. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley reported she received notification from the state auditor that the county is due for an audit for the year 2025. She said she would be holding a voter registration on October 21st at the Salem High School even though there will be no November elections this year in Dent County. The commission then approved renewing their annual membership with the Meramec Regional Planning Commission for $6,063 which is up from the $5,000 they paid last year. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be Monday morning at the courthouse at 9:00 and the meeting is open to the public. 

The Salem Community Center at the Armory will be the setting for the Meramec Regional Planning Commission’s (MRPC) Annual Dinner and Awards Program on Thursday Oct. 23rd. The city of Salem and Dent County will serve as hosts. Each year, MRPC requests proposals from cities and counties in the Meramec Region to host the annual dinner event, where volunteers from across the region are honored for their contributions to their communities and the region. The MRPC board evaluates proposals and selects the location based on various criteria.  Residents may purchase tickets at a cost of $40 to attend the dinner and awards ceremony. Vintage Apron will be catering, and dinner will include creamy Italian chicken breast and roast beef as the entrees. A reception starting at 5:30 will be sponsored by Archer-Elgin Engineering, Surveying and Architecture and will include a silent auction and live music performed by Lake of the Ozarks Council of Government Executive Director Mitch Shields. To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at meramecregion.org