The Stoddard County Commissioners began their meeting with a Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer for those traveling to the area to watch the solar eclipse and the law enforcement to handle all the influx of people in the area.

Loyd Rice, GoSEMO Fiber Internet

"I have submitted our first invoice for the Puxico rural internet that was part of the $1 million ARPA funds already approved," stated Rice. 

The total invoice is for $229,467.20.

He also updated the Commission.  There have been 12 miles of duct complete and 6 miles of fiber pulled through this duct.  Also Asherville is getting their lines put in and service will be available soon as well.

Official Election Update, Cecil Weeks, Stoddard County Clerk

Normal for the April election about 11% of the Stoddard County registered voters came out to the polls.

All the votes were certified on Friday, April 5, 2024.

Sewer Project in Advance

Advance City Mayor wanted to change the ARPA request.  He wants to move about $11,500 to purchase a sewer camera to help identify issues perform inspections.  

"There are 300 feet from manhole to manhole and this camera system can go 400 feet," stated Daniel Seger, Advance City Mayor.

Motion to transfer ARPA funding from a previously requested area to the $11,492.00 to purchase sewer camera pending approval from Katelyn Lambert, BRPC made by Commissioner C.D. Stewart, seconded by Commission Carol Jarrell.  All three voted yes and motion passed.

Andy Holden, Sheriff's Department 

Notified on Friday, the First Responders Equipment Grant, Awarded $183,600 on the grant, it is a 50% match or you can use in-kind matching.  

"We have enough in-kind match so there is no more to add to this grant," stated Holden. "Which is very good for us."

It will cost around $91,800 to purchase new digital extenders for our radios in the vehicles. "I believe we have to bid this project out since it is over $12,000," commented Holden.  

"We have extenders now in the vehicles; however the ones we currently have are analog and the new digital extenders will be safer option and more up-to-date," explained Holden.

Holden will advertise for bid in the Bernie Banner this week.  

Motion to accept the grant in the amount of $91,800 from the MO Dept of Public Safety made by Commissioner Carol Jarrell and seconded by Commissioner C.D.   All three voted yes and motion passed.

Other Business:

Motion to accept Amy Haas to both the Industrial Development Authority of Stoddard County Board Member and Foundation Board of Stoddard County Board member made by Commissioner C.D. Stewart and seconded by Commissioner C.D. Stewart.  All three voted yes and motion passed.

Motion to accept the Ads and Abates for March 2024 made by Commissioner Carol Jarrell, seconded by Commissioner C.D. Stewart.  All three voted yes and motion passed.

Motion to accept the April 1st Regular Meeting Minutes made by Commissioner C.D. Stewart, seconded by Commissioner Carol Jarrell.  All three voted yes and motion passed.

Motion to accept the April 1st Closed Session Minutes made by Commissioner Carol Jarrell, seconded by Commissioner C.d. Stewart. All three voted yes and motion passed.

Motion to close the regular open meeting and enter into a closed session made by Commissioner Stewart at 11:38, seconded by Commissioner Jarrell. All three voted yes and motion passed.

The Stoddard County Commission meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer by Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis Monday, April 1, 2024 in Bloomfield.

Mother to Mother Program - Theresa Overall 

The Stoddard County Commissioners signed a Child Abuse Prevention Month Proclamation today, April 1, 2024.

Motion made by Commissioner Carol Jarrell to adopt the proclamation, seconded by Commissioner C.D. Stewart.  All three Commissioners voted yes and the proclamation passed.

Other events planned are a Community Pinwheel Walk on April 13th at 10 a.m. - Noon at West Park in Dexter, MO.  No registration is needed.  Wear blue and enjoy the free donuts and drinks, face painting and more!  There will be vendors on hand with information.  You might even win a prize.

The event is sponsored by the Stoddard County Family Resource Center and Dexter Community Regional Healthcare Foundation in partnership with the Missouri Prevention Program and Dexter, Richland, Bloomfield Parents as Teachers Program.

According to the flyers presented at the meeting, “Preventing child abuse is a community effort and there are many ways to get involved.  The Community Pinwheel Walk is a great way to raise awareness about child abuse prevention and show solidarity with survivors of abuse.”

Bill Aslin, City of Bloomfield Mayor, Industrial Development Authority of Stoddard County Board Member and Foundation Board of Stoddard County Board Member

Aslin presented a letter to the Commission stating the following,

"This letter will inform you of my decision to retire from the above boards as the representative for the Bloomfield community effective at the Annual Meeting to be held on July 16, 2024.  It has been my pleasure and honor to have served, as President, on these boards for 30 years representing the Bloomfield Community.  As I end my tenure I wish to thank the present and past County Commissioners, present and past board members, and current executive director, Peter Coutavas, for their support and service to both boards.  In addition, two of our past executive directors, the late Gary Capps and the late Julian Steiner, both were instrumental in several successful projects during their tenure.  I would be remiss if I did not also thank Sue Tippen for her service of over 20 years as our Assistant Director of both the IDA and Foundation Boards.  Last, but certainly not least, a huge thank you to John Pruitt, Treasurer, and Janet Coleman, Secretary of their service of 28 and 29 years respectively."

I would like to recommend Amy Haas as my replacement on both boards to represent the Bloomfield Community.  Amy currently serves as President of the Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce and President of the Bloomfield City Park Board.  Amy has been very instrumental in helping to secure sites for the new businesses now in Bloomfield."

"I am very saddened to hear you are resigning, but I do want to thank you for your extraordinary work you have done on the board meeting," commented Commissioner Jarrell.

"As I have told my sons there are givers and takers in our community and you have definitely been a giver," stated Presiding Commissioner Greg Mathis.

"I have worked with Bill all these years and he is a true gentlemen and his priorities have always been his town and his community," stated Peter Coutavous.

Motion to accept the resignation of Bill Aslin made by Commissioner C.D. Stewart, seconded by Commissioner Carol Jarrell.  All three voted yes and motion passed.

"We will take Mrs. Amy Haas name under consideration and make an appointment at the next Commission meeting," commented Mathis.

Chuck Kasting, Stoddard County Ambulance District Director

"Several months ago I brought this up with Beau Bishop, EMA Director and having been up at Perryville the last time and the influx of people who came there, I felt the need to work on this project extensively," commented Kasting.

"Stoddard County is the 10th largest county in Missouri and we have a lot of flat viewing area.  We have 9 ambulances staffed on Monday, April 8th," continued Kasting.  

At the current time the forecast is calling for clear skies, warm weather and beautiful viewing of the only eclipse most likely in the next 50 plus years.

"This is a very unique event in our County with totality to be around 1:50 p.m. - 1:56 p.m." Kasting stated.

All schools in Stoddard County will be in session.  In Dexter, Amy James, superintendent is locking down the campus to outside viewers.  They will use buses at the entrances to the campus to prevent people coming and setting up while the students are also viewing the eclipse.

Kasting encouraged all solar eclipse viewers to wear certified eye protection as the suns rays will damage the eyes.  You also can not take photos with your cell phone with out a special lens cover.  Once the event is complete around 2 p.m. the traffic may get heavy pretty fast with people leaving the area.  Be patient and wait.  There will be extra law enforcement on hand to help with traffic as well as any emergencies.  Highway 60 and Highway 25 may become congested during the eclipse as people may pull over onto the side of the roadways to view the eclipse.

Ronnie Owens, PWSD #6 Bernie, MO

"We got with Katelyn Lambert, Bootheel Regional Planning Commission, and she stated we might qualify for ARPA Funds for reimbursement for locates for GoSEMO Fiber," commented Owens.

Owens presented a typed official request.  "PWSD #6 located in Southwest Stoddard County would like to request $12,000 from ARPA funds.  During the months of February and March PWSD #6 was billed $2,999.00 and $9,034.00  respectively.  The bills were from Cas Construction, who is in good standing with the State of Missouri.  The bills were for the locates and repairs due to the new GoSEMO Fiber optic Project.  These expenses were not foreseen and were not included in our budget."

Motion to allocate $12,033.00 from ARPA Funds for Water District #6 made by Commissioner C.D. Stewart, seconded by Commissioner Carol Jarrell.  All three voted yes and motion passed. 

Motion to amend the allocation of $12,033 from ARPA Funds for Water District #6 to $12,000 due to procurement arrangements via text from Katelyn Lambert made by Commissioner C.D. Stewart and seconded by Commissioner Carol Jarrell. All three voted yes and motion passed.  Since it is a reimbursement only $12,000 can be allocated.

Beau Bishop, Director Stoddard County Emergency Management Agency

Bishop has requested that the Commission approve a cyclone Port Maintenance Plan Agreement with SDS Weather LLC for the Omega Radar system in Stoddard County.  The cost is $5,000 for three year contract.

There will be eight active cameras available for viewing along with weather data in Advance, Bell City, Bernie, Bloomfield, Cyrus, Dexter, Essex and Puxico.  The start date would be 2024 through 2027.  This is a one time fee of $5,000 for the enactment of this 3 year plan.

Motion to allows the EMA Director to enter into a contract with SDS Weather LLC for three year maintenance Plan for $5,000 made by Commissioner Carol Jarrell, seconded by Commissioner C.D.Stewart.  All three voted yes and motion passed.

Update on the Siren Project:

The new siren was supposed to be installed last week; however the Chalk Bluff Cemetery siren is not in the correct location." stated Bishop.  "Installation has been put back until I can get the necessary paperwork refiled,"

The ARPA funded radios have been distributed.  "Everyone is happy to have them," commented Bishop.  "I need to submit the receipt to Katelyn Lambert, Bootheel Regional Planning Commission."

Carol Moreland, Stoddard County 911 Services

Presiding Commissioner Mathis received a letter from Mrs. Moreland.  The Commission makes Board appointments for the 911 Board; however does not oversee the Board of Directors.

"We have a board member vacancy. Gary Kitchen passed away last month.  Gary was very dependable and served our county well.  We would like to recommend Saundra Houtz Hickson for the unexpired term.  She lives in Bloomfield and is a Nurse Practitioner in our county.  She was formerly a 911 Communicator for Stoddard County Ambulance and Stoddard County Sheriff's Office.  She is ver familiar with emergency services.  She is a great person focused on serving our County.  The unpaired term ends December 31, 2025.  House Bill 816 states we must have six members to represent public safety agencies.  We have those covered and need a private citizen in the Bloomfield area."

Motion to appoint Saundra Hickson to the Stoddard County 911 Services Board made by Commissioner Carol Jarrell, seconded by Commissioner C.D. Stewart.  All three voted yes and motion passed.

Other Business:

Motion to accept the regular session meeting minutes from March 25, 2024 made by Commissioner Carol Jarrell, seconded by Commissioner C.D. Stewart.  All three voted yes and motion passed.

Motion to accept the closed session meeting minutes from March 25, 2024 made by Commissioner C.D. Stewart, seconded by Commissioner Carol Jarrell. All three voted yes and motion passed.

Motion to enter into closed session due to a personnel issue in the Stoddard County Sheriff's Office at 11:30 a.m. made by Commissioner Carol Jarrell, seconded by Commissioner C.D. Stewart.  All three voted yes and motion passed.

The Stoddard County Commissioners signed a Child Abuse Prevention Month Proclamation today, April 1, 2024.

Whereas, children are vital to our county's future success, prosperity and quality of life as well as being our most vulnerable assets;

Whereas, all children deserve to have the safe, stable, nurturing homes and communities they need to foster their healthy growth and development;

Whereas, preventing child abuse and neglect is a community responsibility affecting both the current and future quality of life of a community;

Where, communities that provide parents with social support, knowledge of parenting and child development and concrete resources they need to cope with stress and nurture their children, ensure all children grow to their full potential;

Whereas, effective child abuse prevention strategies succeed because of partnerships created among citizens, human service agencies, schools, faith communities, health care providers, civic organizations, law enforcement agencies, and the business community;

Therefore, the Stoddard County Commission does hereby proclaim April as Child Abuse Prevention Month and call upon all citizens, community agencies, faith groups, medical facilities, elected leaders and businesses to increase their participation in our efforts to support families, thereby preventing child abuse and strengthening the communities in which we live.

Motion made by Commissioner Carol Jarrell to adopt the proclamation, seconded by Commissioner C.D. Stewart.  All three Commissioners voted yes and the proclamation passed.

Other events planned are a Community Pinwheel Walk on April 13th at 10 a.m. - Noon at West Park in Dexter, MO.  No registration is needed.  Wear blue and enjoy the free donuts and drinks, face painting and more!  There will be vendors on hand with information.  You might even win a prize.

The event is sponsored by the Stoddard County Family Resource Center and Dexter Community Regional Healthcare Foundation in partnership with the Missouri Prevention Program and Dexter, Richland, Bloomfield Parents as Teachers Program.

According to the flyers presented at the meeting, "Preventing child abuse is a community effort and there are many ways to get involved.  The Community Pinwheel Walk is a great way to raise awareness about child abuse prevention and show solidarity with survivors of abuse."

The City of Dexter will have their annual Spring Cleanup during th month of April.

Bulk trash pickup is being offered by the city each Friday in April.

"Red Tags" may be purchased at City Hall or Harp's Grocery Store for furniture or other bulky items for $1.00 each.

Major appliances such as refrigerators, stoves, washers, dryers, and hot water heaters require a "Blue Tag" and can also be purchased at City Hall or Harp's Grocery Store.  the cost for Blue Tags are $10 each. There is a limit of four (4) items to be picked up.

Red Tags may also be purchased for Yard Waste pickup.

You MUST call the Water Department at (573) 624-5527 by Thursday of each week to schedule either the bulk trash or yard waste pickup (one call per household please).