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The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting at the Dent County Courthouse Thursday morning. First District Commissioner Dennis Purcell was not in attendance as he was at the National Park Service meeting in Rolla concerning the Ozark National Scenic Riverways workshop concerning a new management plan. At the meeting, Matt Lloyd from Fabick was in attendance to discuss the purchase of the 2007 loader that the county had leased for two years. The purchase price for the county is $84,400 and the machine still has three years of warranty remaining. Commissioner Gary Larson and Presiding Commissioner Skiles approved the purchase of the loader and will seek local financing. In the road report, District 1 Road Supervisor Rusty Chamberlain said that the work crews would be adding material to a number of bad spots. Chamberlain said that materials would be added to Dent County Roads 5130, 5170, 5400 and 6660. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson said that materials are going to be added to a number of muddy locations on Dent County Roads 2160, 2170, 2570, 2590, 3253, 4030, 4330, 4370, 4380 and 5260. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles stated that he and Commissioner Larson attended a Delta Regional Authority meeting to see if there were any grant funds available for Dent County but it doesn’t look like there is anything available at this time. Skiles said that he attended the MREPC meeting on Wednesday and they are discussing a piece of legislation known as the “spill bill” that would allow from 250 to 3,000 gallons of possible hazardous material to spill with the violator only being responsible for 25% of the cleanup costs. Skiles said that could put an undue burden on cities or counties that would have to pay for the cleanup. Dent County Clerk Angie Curley said that the last day to register to vote for the April election will be March 10^th, and that last date to request that the an absentee ballot can be mailed to you will be March 31^st for the April election. You can also vote now vote absentee through April 5^th. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be held Monday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

The Salem R-80 Board of Education held a Special Meeting on Wednesday, February 24^th at the district administrative offices boardroom and in Closed Session, after conducting an extensive search and numerous interview, the Board voted 7-0 to employ Mrs. Cindy Rumpf as the Salem R-80 Superintendent beginning with the 2010/2011 school year. Congratulations to Mrs. Rumpf!!!

The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District recently announced the theme for its 2010 poster and trash art contest, “Be Green! Keep the Planet Clean.” This is the eighteenth year that Ozark Rivers has sponsored the contest. Students attending public and private schools in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski or Washington counties are eligible to participate. Home-schooled students in the seven-county area are also encouraged to participate. Deadline for entries is April 2, 2010. The poster contest is open to all K-12 students and should focus on the beneficial long-term results of recycling, ways to protect and enhance the environment and how our actions today impact our planet and future. Trash art projects do not have to adhere to the theme but should convey an Earth Day-type message. Posters and trash art entries will be judge separately, and students can participate in both the poster and trash art contest, if they choose. First place prizes are $50 U.S. savings bonds; second place prizes will be earth friendly gifts valued at $15 or more. Every student that participates will receive a small prize. These poster and trash art contests are a part of the district's effort to increase awareness of the solid waste problem and to generate interest in reducing the amount of waste deposited in area landfills. Contest winners will be notified the week of April 12, and the winning posters and artwork will be part of an exhibit at the Missouri University of Science and Technology during its Earth Day celebration on April 22. Persons needing more information should contact Tammy Snodgrass or Teri Smith at (573) 265-2993.

State officials are reminding consumers, sellers and providers of pre-need funeral contracts that a new state law has taken effect requiring a license for the sale of these contracts. The law, which took effect last August 28^th, gives more authority to the Missouri State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors and other regulatory agencies over the sales of pre-need funeral contracts, as well as better oversight of the financial accounts involved. A pre-need funeral contract allows consumers to plan and pay for their funeral services in advance. Often these contracts are guaranteed, which means funeral services will be provided at no additional cost to the consumer’s family. Some consumers do this to prevent their loved ones and other survivors from being burdened with funeral expenses and planning. Missourians bought more than 17,000 pre-need funeral contracts in 2008. Some changes under the new law include: sellers and providers of pre-need funerals must now be licensed, and pre-need agents must be registered by the State Board of Embalmers and Funeral Directors. All sales staff and counselors who are employed by sellers must pass a test on Missouri pre-need laws and register with the state board. 85 percent of a consumer’s purchase must now go into a trust account. In the past, the requirement was 80 percent. The new law also allows the buyer of a prepaid funeral plan to change funeral homes without penalty. The board now has the authority to audit pre-need funeral accounts to ensure they are properly funded. In the past, the board could only audit an account after receiving a complaint. By that time, it was often too late. For more information call (573) 751-0813.

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