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The Dent County Commissioners met Thursday morning in their offices in the Dent County Courthouse. District 1 Commissioner Dennis Purcell gave his road report. Crews will be grading on Dent County Roads 5390, 5400, 6280 and 6283. Crews will be also hauling rock to Dent County Road 6280 and patching some chip and seal roads. District 2 Commissioner Gary Larson gave his road report. Crews will be grading and hauling rock to Dent County Road 3250. Grading will also be done on County Roads 4405, 4430, 5310, and 4433 in Boss.  In Anutt, crews will be grading and hauling rock to County Roads 2120 and 2340. It was reported that it will be unlikely if any new roads are chip and sealed in the near future. Larson reported that he was told there was a shortage of chips for the process and that chips would not be available until September when prices are likely to go up. The Commissioners will have to find an alternate source for the chips and delays may still occur due to the county crews being backed up for all the road repairs from storms and flooding that have occurred over the last month and weeks. The Commission agreed to be a part of the MRPC’s Multi-County application for a Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing program. The Agape House in Salem would be one organization that would qualify for funding through the program. All counties that are a part of the MRPC would be able to be a part of the application process. Lastly, Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles reported on the National Park Service open house held Wednesday evening. The open house was part of several open houses to allow people to comment on the Ozark National Scenic Riverways and if any changes in current operations should be made, or if the riverway plan should remain the same. The Commission discussed how state and federal representatives should be brought in on the issue, and that the Commission themselves should come out with a statement stating their opinion on the subject.  The next meeting of the Commissioners will be Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. and the meeting is open to the public.

The City of Salem Utility Committee met Thursday evening to discuss policies and utility rates. The committee discussed changing the policy only for senior citizens that when they need water turned off, a work order can be called in where it will be typed up and the service personnel will deliver it to them to be signed. This would not apply to an electric upgrade. The committee decided they would recommend this to the Salem Board of Aldermen. They also discussed raising the deposit to cover trash fees that are not collected when people don’t pay their final bill. Mayor Gary Brown reported that between June of 2008 and May of this year, that 406 people had their utilities turned off where the city lost $42,621.40 in utility fees. Currently, the city has no deposit on trash fees. The mayor recommended that the deposit for trash be $25 and the committee agreed to recommend that to the board. This would make the total utility deposit $200 effective July 1. Brown also recommended raising the reconnect fee to $50 from $25 as the city has numerous repeaters and it is costing the city money in manhours for the disconnection and reconnection of utilities. The committee did not agree to just change the fee and thought that there should be a “three strikes and you pay double” rule allowing a person to pay the $25 fee three times for a reconnect before the fee is raised to $50 per incident. The committee agreed to recommend that to the board. The committee then reviewed rates for the sewer, water and electric rates. Comparing Salem with other cities, and knowing that Salem was hit with a 10.78% electric rate increase by Show-Me Power and that there was no increase in water and sewer rates last year, the committee agreed to raise the water, sewer and electric rates each by 7%. Based on 5,000 gallon a month water usage, that would be an increase each month of about $1.01 for water and 72 cents for sewer. The individual sewer rates are determined from usages for January through March. Based upon 1000-kilowatt usage per month, electric bills would increase about $5.94 each month. Even with the suggested rate increases, Salem would still be cheaper that Rolla, Sullivan Cameron, and Fredericktown in each utility. The committee agreed to recommend the rate increase for each utility to the board of aldermen. The committee meeting was then adjourned.

The City of Salem’s Finance Committee will hold a meeting, called by Mayor Gary Brown, this morning at the City Hall Council Chambers beginning at 10:00 am to consider the 2009/2010 budget. The meeting of the City of Salem’s Finance Committee is open to the public. 

Businesses who suffered property damage or loss from the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding from May 8^th through the 16th can register for federal disaster assistance. Registration is available by calling 1-800 621-3362 from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven days a week, or at www.disasterassistance.gov. In order to complete an application, the following information is necessary: a phone number, address of the damaged property, a brief description of damages, a Social Security number, any insurance information and a current mailing address. The counties in which residents are eligible to register for disaster assistance are: Dent, Shannon, Texas, and surrounding counties. Businesses of any size and private, non-profit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets The U.S. Small Business Administration also sends loss verifiers to inspect damaged property of those who have submitted completed loan applications. And local building and safety inspectors may come to see if damaged structures are safe. All of these inspectors should have photo identification

Residents who suffered property damage or loss from the severe storms, tornadoes and flooding from May 8^th through the 16th can register for federal disaster assistance. Registration is available by calling 1-800 621-3362 or at www.disasterassistance.gov from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., seven days a week until further notice. In order to complete an application, the following information is necessary: a phone number, address of the damaged property, a brief description of damages, a Social Security number, any insurance information and a current mailing address. The counties in which residents are eligible to register for disaster assistance are: Dent, Shannon, Texas, and surrounding counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, in addition to grants for serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $40,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property. FEMA disaster assistance covers basic needs only and will not normally compensate victims for their entire loss. For those with insurance, the government may help pay for basic needs not covered by insurance. Residents who applied for disaster assistance and are not insured can expect to hear from an inspector who will schedule a visit to look at damaged property. FEMA schedules inspections within 7 to 10 days to verify losses.

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Memorial services for Eugene Carl Dolansky of Salem, age 89, will be held Saturday at 11:30 at the Salem United Methodist Church. All the arrangements are under the direction of the Wilson Mortuary in Salem. Memorials may be made to the Salem division of Relay for Life.

Memorial services for Bill Lay of Salem, age 63, will be held Saturday at 12:00 (noon) at the James and Gahr Mortuary in Salem. Visitation will be from 11:00 until service time. Interment will be private.

Graveside services for Roscoe “Rusty” Barclay Hedrick of Marietta, Georgia, formerly of Salem, age 77, will be held Saturday at 1:00 at the Anutt Community Cemetery. Visitation will be from 11:00 to 12:30 at the Dent County Memorial Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Arthritis Foundation.

Funeral services for Inez Barskdale Shockley of caruthersville, formerly of Steelville, age 91, will be held Sunday at 3:00 at the Britton-Bennett Funeral Home in Steelville. Visitation will be held from 2:00-4:00 on Saturday and from 200 until service time Sunday. Interment will be in the Steelville Cemetery.

Memorial services for Mark Francis Thompson of Salem, age 45, will be held Monday at 6:00 at the Wilson Mortuary Chapel in Salem. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to service time. There will be no interment.

Graveside services for Helen McCall Jackson of Springfield, formerly of Salem, will be held Thursday morning at 11:00 at the Cedar Grove Cemetery. Visitation for family and friends will be held from 10:00 to 11:00 Thursday morning. All other arrangements are incomplete and are under the direction of the Dent County Memorial Chapel.

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