The Dent County Salary Commission meets by Missouri. Statute, and the elected officials voted for a cost of living adjustment that was equal to all employees of Dent County. In this salary meeting there were 11 elected officials who voted for a 4% COLA or Cost of living adjustment. The elected officials could have voted themselves a raise by voting an increase in the base assessed valuation, but we did not. We simply chose a reasonable rate adjustment that would help everyone in the county’s employment during these hard times in America. Ultimately that decision is left up to the county commissioner’s at budget time.
So here is why we all agreed on a 4% COLA, for everyone, all elected officials and all county
employees. We have around $7 million in a major fund at a local bank that currently draws around $17,000 a month in interest. With the cost of groceries, gas, tires, repair on vehicles, repair on homes and the shortage of the workforce, we felt the decision was imperative to sustain our current stability. I was in a meeting last week where Governor Parson said if you have good employees who work hard you better treat them good. In other words, if you don’t pay them good there is nobody to fill their spots. As we all know there are jobs everywhere available.
We have been trying to give employee raises every year to keep up with the times, but we still have Dent County jail employees starting at $13 per hour. We have skilled operators at road and bridge department who start at $15 per hour, when you could go do any construction trade and start out making around $25 per hour. We have law enforcement starting out at $16 per hour when they are the ones protecting us and our families and putting their lives on the line every day for us.
As for all elected officials, I think that we all do a great job being conservative with the constituents’ tax dollars. We all stay well within our budgets year after year. I truly believe if the county was in a poor financial state all the office holders would agree to reject any COLA that year. But that is not the case. Our county is in great financial shape, and we all work together to ensure it stays that way.
Here is a little bit of what your elected officials do for you:
• Bob Wells, your Dent County sheriff, is housing federal inmates so that the jail can be self-supportive instead of costing the county money. This benefits Dent County and other surrounding counties.
• Cindy Ard, Dent County recorder of deeds, has brought recorder fees of $92,000 that lands back into general revenue.
• Angie Curley, Dent County clerk, will also soon receive an election reimbursement from the state and other entities of 32,000 from past elections.
• County clerk Curley and Dent County Treasurer Denita Williams worked hard to receive LATCF (Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund) ,which is part of the American Rescue Plan that appropriated $2 billion to treasury across fiscal year 2022-2023. They submitted a request for funding and received $244,000.00 as of 2022 and the same amount in 2023.
• I, as District 1 commissioner, applied for and was awarded $806,339.60 on a FLAP (Federal Land Access Program) Grant to asphalt County Road 6670.
In 2022, I sought out a forestry grant from Secure Rural Schools Act Title II, in which I received
$45,000 for County Road 5600 and $43,820 for 2023 on the same road.
I also continue to work on two additional FLAP projects that were initiated by former commissioner Dennis Purcell, for Cooley Bridge in the amount of $451,678.84 and a section of county road 6670 for $384,000.
As I read the story in the Dec. 6 edition of The Salem News, I was disturbed by the misleading information.
It talked about some of the office holders in the courthouse making $47,312.51, so I thought it’s important to inform you of the salary of some of the other current office holders. Presiding Commissioner Darrell Skiles’ annual salary is $34,139.91. District commissioners, myself and Gary Larson make $31,933. Coroner Ben Pursifull, on call 24/7/365 makes $16,432.16.
We have been and will continue to be transparent about our decisions as we serve this county, and we hope this information has given insight to finance and payroll decisions made in recent weeks.
I thought I would write this so the citizens of Dent County would know the rest of the story.
