Scroll Down for Sports, Weather and Obituaries! For State-Wide News, go to the MissouriNet! To read previous editions of Your World Today please visit our Archives Page.

The Salem Board of Aldermen met for their regular meeting Monday evening at the city hall council chambers. The board approved the request from Jeanette Russell and Cindy Stluka to hold the Relay for Life event on June 17^th at the Salem City Park. They will use the park from 8:00 that morning until noon on June 18^th. In the consent agenda, the board received $90,621.64 in sales tax revenues for the month of November for General Revenue. In unfinished business, the board approved the permanent liquor license for the Cozumel Mexican Restaurant. Mayor Gary Brown said that city leaders met with the MS&T students and instructor as well as Richard Cavender of the MRPC and discussed ten projects they would like the students to look at. Another meeting will be held in Rolla on January 27th. Brown said that City of Salem electric lineman Danny Yates and Brian Johns passed their test to become Journeymen Linemen. He said that a workshop would be held in January between the Board of Aldermen and Airport Board. The board tabled Bill #3211 regulating the parking on the city hall auditorium parking lot on the east side of the building as there were no hours of enforcement in the bill. They did approve Resolution 5-2010 for the purchase of a 2010 Ford Explorer from Heavin Motors. Alderman Hadyn Powell asked about re-creating the city administrator position for the city and suggested hiring a consulting firm to find the right person if the board decides to go this way as Powell said that the city is a $10 million dollar business and it need to be treated that way with the right checks and balances. This issue would have to be approved by the people according to City Clerk Mary Happel. Powell made the recommendation to discuss this in more detail at the next meeting. After the bills were approved, the meting was adjourned.

The Dent County Commissioners met for their regular meeting at the Dent County Courthouse Monday morning. In the road report, District One Commissioner Dennis Purcell reported that workers are replacing downed signs on Doss Road, cleaning out culverts in the Bunker area, removing a downed tree on Dent County Road 5220 and cutting brush on Dent County Road 5550. He also said that a work crew is working out at the Road and Bridge Department Building addition. District Two Commissioner Gary Larson reported that three workers were out sick. He did say that brush would be cut on Dent County Road 2130 and that some workers are helping out at the R&D Department building. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles representing the commission wanted to congratulate Judge Sandy Ball on his appointment as the Circuit Judge for the 42^nd Circuit by Governor Jay Nixon. At the meeting Monday were State Representative Jason Smith and State Senator- Elect Dan Brown. They both mentioned that the state is expecting about a 700 million dollar shortfall in General Revenue at the next session, which is about a ten percent reduction. Smith and Brown both said that cuts will need to be made and Smith said that nothing is off the table. He said that people want to see the government live within their means, but no one wants to see their services cut. Dr. Brown said that he reinforces the fact that as much as the state legislature hates unfounded federal government mandates that the counties hate those same mandates from the state. He feels the state needs to work on increasing job productivity including small business incentives. He said that there would be a discussion concerning making Missouri a “right-to-work” state and he would like to see a cap and then the phasing out of the Franchise Tax in the state. Jason Smith also said that a state wide Fair Tax question is not going to go away. He did say that of the four counties in his district that Dent County was the most financially sound. The Commissioners asked them to address Chapter 50, Section 50.622 of the Missouri Statutes that allows a county to amend a budget if they receive additional funds. The law does not allow counties to changes the budget if less money comes in or there are unforeseen expenses. Smith said this was introduced last year and will more than likely be introduced again this year, but he doesn’t know what will happen on it. The Commission also asked if a bill could be introduced creating a state law of 35 or 40 MPH on non-state maintained gravel roads so that the county doesn’t have to maintain speed limit signs that are constantly being knocked down, damaged or stolen. Currently the speed limit on those roads is 55 mph. This would be a great dollar savings to all counties and both Brown and Smith thought that was a good idea. The next meeting of the Dent County Commissioners will be held Thursday morning at 9:00 at the courthouse and the meeting is open to the public.

Sports [TOP]