County Commission Record, Stoddard County, MO - Minutes from August 8, 2022
To read the full article from the Commissioner Meeting click HERE.
The Stoddard County Commission met in a regular meeting on Monday, August 8, 2022. Presiding Commissioner Danny Talkington and Commissioner Carol Jarrell were both in attendance. Commissioner Steve Jordan was absent with Covid-19.
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer by Talkington.
Approval of the minutes of Monday, August 1, 2022. Jarrell motioned to accept the minutes, Talkington seconded. All were in favor.
Approval of the July 2022 Adds/Abates from collector, Josh Speakman. Jarrell made a motion to accept. Talkington seconded. All were in favor.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) monies are now available. Speakman stated that he has three days to release the monies for the "new" roof for the Bootheel Regional Planning Commission building. He will need the necessary signatures to go forward.
Electronic transfers were made for checks payable for court costs and for reimbursement from the State of Missouri in the amount of $72,422.90 to Sheriff's account for state inmates who were incarcerated at the Stoddard County Jail.
Cecil Weeks contacted the county attorney to discuss ARPA funds on how to handle the agreements and what qualifies under the guidelines. The cost was $120.00.
Kay Asbell, Stoddard County Recorder, would like to possibly change from FM Bank to a local bank in Bloomfield as long as there are no fees. Talkington will find out if she has to have bids or can just change banks. It would save extra driving to Dexter all the time and save money.
Sheriff Carl Hefner stated that four dispatchers and one jail employee out with Covid-19 and two female inmates have Covid and also a judge is out with Covid.
"He currently has 105 inmates down from 115 inmates. "Several inmates go to places like 3:16 or Jeremiah House. There are several places like that open now and they can stay from 6 months to one year, if they want," comment Hefner. "They can be good programs for those who want to get help."
"We had military M-16s for years. We get audited twice a year on them since they are federal government based. We have to be certified once a year. They are just junk. What good is it to have a rifle that doesn't shoot consistently? So I decided to purchase guns from The Gun Shop," commented Hefner. "I will send all the M-16s back to the Department of Defense. So I went and bought some. They are AR-15s and have heard they work very well."
"I am so glad you purchased them locally," commented Jarrell. Sheriff Hefner spent $3,000.00 on the new rifles with the Gun Shop located on Cameron Street in Dexter.
Another question Hefner had for the Commissioners was paid time off for county employees who miss due to Covid. During the Covid-19 Pandemic the county paid employees for their time off if they had Covid-19. The Commissioners have not changed that rule; however the employee does need a Covid-19 test for verification.
Andrew Bohnert, Stoddard County Emergency Management Director, was also in attendance. "I will be submitting for reimbursement for paying the COVID cleaners since the budget line item is expended to get reimbursed from the FEMA Public Assistance. The Federal Government will pay 90% this year. Last year it was paid at %100."
"Our siren testing is going well. Advance needs a new control panel. Waiting on the grant to come thru to put in the three new siren warning systems," stated Bohnert. "I sent information to the county attorney Travis Eliot to get the easements done. Just waiting on the grant money and will continue as soon as it comes available."
Bohnert also had the Commissioners fill out an information form for the new Salamander software. Key individuals will have special photo I.D. with a barcode on them for emergencies, but also to help track their hours for reimbursement from FEMA during a catastrophe incident.
Collector Josh Speakman was on hand. He stated he will be on vacation next week.
Just a reminder the 1st day to "Absentee Vote" for November 8, 2022 General Election.
Jarrell made a motion to adjourn at 11:55 a.m. Talkington seconded the motion. All were in favor.
Dexter Board of Alderman met on Monday, August 1, 2022 to discuss naming an engineer for the city street project as well discuss two ordinances.
Dexter Board of Aldermen name engineer for city street project
The Dexter Board of of Aldermen worked through two meetings Monday evening. The first was a special meeting in which they named Waters Engineering the engineers for a street improvement project. The city has applied for a $500,000 grant for the project. A public hearing was also held; however, no members of the public were in attendance to comment on the project.
During the special meeting, city administrator Trevor Pulley said the city has received a $109,000 grant to pay for the man hours and machinery used in the cleanup following a tornado that struck the city last summer.
The board passed a resolution and two ordinances in the regular monthly meeting. The resolution approved a move by the Dexter Airport Board. The airport board named Hanson Professional Services Inc. the engineer and consulting firm for upcoming airport projects.
The first ordinance presented by city attorney Yewell “Bud” Lawrence Jr., made it illegal to remove, damage - or cause the removal due to damage - a tree from public property in the city. The ordinance also makes it unlawful to top a tree on public property. Lawrence said this ordinance is required due to the city’s membership on the tree council. This ordinance does not apply to private property.
The second ordinance is the annual abatement of outstanding refund checks, certain taxes, fines or costs from the years 1997 through 2021. Lawrence said this is done each year to get unclaimed refund checks and taxes, fines that are at least 10 years old and/or cannot for a variety of reasons be collected.
Economic Development
Dexter Chamber Executive Director Alisha Trammell informed the board about some upcoming events. She said next week is National Farmers Market week. She said the vendors will donate items that will be given away at the next Farmers Market at East Park as gift baskets.
Other upcoming events are the Homecoming Tailgate on Sept. 16th, the Stoddard County Fair Sept. 20th through Sept. 24th. She also said Fall Fest will be held on Oct. 8th.
Other Business
Dexter Police Chief Hank Trout said the department will participate in the Drive Sober or get Pulled Over Program Aug. 19 through Sept. 5. Trout also said the department will participate in active shooter training at Dexter High School Friday, Aug. 5th.
Pulley informed the board that a special meeting will be held on Aug. 25. One of the topics at this meeting will be an ordinance to put an item on the November ballot. If voters pass this item the city collector position in Dexter will no longer be an elected position and become an appointed position. Pulley said this is due to the job being much more technical than it used to be. He said the job used to entail collecting a tax payment and stamping a receipt. The job now involves multiple computer programs and other responsibilities. Pulley said if this becomes an appointed position, the city can appoint a qualified candidate and continue its high quality of service to residents.
Mayor Jason Banken appointed Marissa Mills to the Parks and Recreation Board. The board of aldermen approved the appointment.
Article submitted by Josh Ayers, editor of the Dexter Statesman.
Sparklight to Award $15,000 to K-12 Teachers Building A Stronger Connection in their Community
Sparklight today announced it will award $1,500 each to 10 K-12 teachers making a difference in their schools and communities as part of the internet service provider’s “A Stronger Connection” social media campaign.
Individuals throughout the communities in the 21 states Sparklight serves may nominate a teacher simply by sharing a photo and written entry outlining how the educator works to build connections and go above and beyond for their students.
“Teachers perform a vital role in educating the future leaders of our communities, and often spend their personal time and resources to ensure their students have the tools they need to be successful,” said Trish Niemann, Vice President of Communications Strategy. “Sparklight wants to recognize the outstanding educators in the cities and towns we serve and help them get their school year off to a great start.”
Entries will be accepted through Aug. 26 at sparklight.com/contest. Individuals whose nominees are selected to win will also receive a back-to-school prize pack from Sparklight.
The winners will be highlighted on Sparklight’s social media channels, including Facebook and Instagram.
About Sparklight
Sparklight® is a leading broadband communications provider and part of the Cable One family of brands, which serves more than 1.1 million residential and business customers in 24 states. Sparklight provides consumers with a wide array of connectivity and entertainment services, including high-speed internet and advanced Wi-Fi solutions, cable television and phone service. Sparklight Business provides scalable and cost-effective products for businesses ranging in size from small to mid-market, in addition to enterprise, wholesale and carrier customers.
Stoddard County Commission Meeting Agenda for Monday, August 8, 2022
The Commissioners will approve previous minutes
The Commissioners will approve the July 2022 Adds/Abates from Collector, Josh Speakman
Old Business
New Business
No one is on the Agenda to speak
