News – Tuesday, August 20th 2024

The City of Salem Utility Committee held their regular meeting on Wednesday August 14th at 6:15 in the Auditorium. The committee approved the agenda as well as the minutes from the July 10, 2024 meeting. During the Reports and Updates portion of the meeting Stacy Houston provided the financial updates on which are on average are down from this time last year. During the Billing Updates, the utilities department sent out 2,531 total bills 103 customers signed up for email billing, 340 paid online, and 369 have their accounts on auto draft and 231 people have opted out of the serve line. A question was asked if there was a system in place to remind customers that their bill is due at a certain time. Administrator Sally Burbridge explained that if customers would like a reminder about their bill payment, they can sign up for Text alerts by texting the word “UTILITY” to 855-435-4811. In the work reports from utility crews. Steve Payne gave a detailed report on the wastewater update from the last few weeks, which had already been reported during the Alderman Board meeting on August 14. He did state that he has been in contact with the Water Superintendent stating they are working on getting a sand particulate filtration system for Well 8, which currently pumps turbid water. He clarified that when the boil water advisory was issued over the weekend of August 10th, there was no sewage in the water, it was just turbidity due to low water pressure that could have put someone at risk. A committee member asked how does the water company get that information out to the public, in a timely manner. Steve explained when there is an issue with the water, such as a boil water advisory, They contact the local radio stations, they make a post on social media, and they reach out to local news outlets. Citizens can sign up for City Announcements via Text alerts by texting the word CITY to 855-435-4811. Sally Burbridge then provided the update on the MMMPEP meeting held on July 30th. She stated the City of Salem is on their list to have them look into the infrastructure and provide an audit on any deficiencies and areas of improvement. The city is also looking for an electric prepay option, similar to the natural gas prepay option they currently provide. The committee then moved on to discussing water meter fees, where committee member John Hambacker stated he is working on a proposal for replacing the service fee for 4 and 6 inch meters to $75 and $150 a month respectively, with no change to service fees for meters less than 4 inches. The committee agreed to table this proposal for a month, until they can get sufficient feedback from the currently approved rate increase. During the questions and comments portion of the meeting, a citizen asked about the Emergency Alert siren, Sally answered that MRPC is currently working on writing a grant to replace our current system. Several citizens mentioned experiencing a considerable jump in their utility bills due to leaks and asked what was being done about that problem. She explained that they are in the process of streamlining their billing process. They run reports each month, before bills go out so they can identify any potential leaks and notify residents. She stated the new meters use a doppler effect for reading usage and as such are more sensitive and accurate than the old meters, which had a history of reading lower usage. Customers with grievances were advised to go into the utility office and discuss this matter in person. The meeting adjourned at 8:09pm.

An accident happened Saturday morning at 10:47 in Franklin County on Interstate 44 westbound at the 232.2 mile marker. According to the highway patrol report, 24-year-old Christian Sgroi of Salem, was operating a black 2024 Suzuki and traveling westbound on Interstate 44 when Sgroi avoided a collision with another vehicle. Sgroi lost control and the Suzuki traveled off the right side of the road and overturned, ejecting Sgroi. Both the Suzuki and Sgroi came to rest off the north side of the roadway. Sgroi suffered serious injuries and was taken to the Mercy Hospital in St. Louis by the St. Clair Ambulance District. The Suzuki was totaled and removed from the scene by Chuck’s Towing.

An accident happened in Phelps County Saturday afternoon at 5:22 on Route F at Highway 72. According to the highway patrol report, a 2016 Ford F-150 driven eastbound by 47-year-old Gregory Gibbs of Rolla, went off the left side of the Route F and struck a tree. Gibbs suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Phelps Health by the Phelps Health Ambulance. Gibbs was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. The Ford sustained minor damage and removed from the scene by Tunes Towing.