A follow-up report by State Auditor Nicole Galloway shows the Smithville Area Fire Protection District has made progress to implement many of the recommendations of a 2018 audit. The citizen-requested audit highlighted improper incentive payments to employees, questionable credit card and travel expenditures, and poor planning for the construction of a fire station by the […]
Tag: Tax
USDA opens 2019 enrollment for agriculture risk coverage and price loss coverage program
Agricultural producers can now enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, two popular safety net programs, for the 2019 crop year. Interested producers must sign up for either program by March 15, 2020. The 2018 Farm Bill reauthorized and made updates to these two USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs. ARC […]
Useful USDA resources available for farmers hurt by 2018, 2019 disasters
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced that agricultural producers affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, including Hurricane Dorian, can apply for assistance through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+). Signup for this U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program began Sept. 11, 2019. “U.S. agriculture has been dealt a hefty […]
Attorney to be consulted on method to dissolve Spickard Special Road District
The Grundy County Clerk says an attorney will be consulted on the possible method to be used to dissolve the Spickard Special Road District. The attorney is to provide Grundy County officials with an interpretation of state statutes regarding special road districts. To be determined is whether a public vote is required at an election […]
Audio: Missouri House gives final approval to vehicle sales tax Bill
The Missouri House has voted to give final approval to bipartisan legislation that involves a complicated state Supreme Court ruling about vehicle sales taxes. Wednesday’s vote was 126-21, and 20 House Democrats voted for the bill. House Speaker Elijah Haahr says there’s a lot of support for the bill’s merits. House Minority Leader […]
Spickard Board of Aldermen vote on water contract with Spickard Fire Protection District
The Spickard Board of Aldermen voted on a water contract with the Spickard Fire Protection District Monday. The contract will be kept the same, except for any water use inside of Spickard and for training use not being charged to the fire department. The board approved getting bids on the fire truck and mowing and […]
Groundbreaking for “Better MC2-Project 2020” to be held in Milan on September 23, 2019
The Milan C-2 Board of Education approved the proposal from PSR Construction Inc., from Kirksville, Missouri to serve as the general contractor for the upcoming construction project – Better MC2-Project 2020. The groundbreaking ceremony for the project will be held on Monday, September 23, 2019, at 1:00 pm. The ceremony will be in the front […]
Trenton City Council selects construction company to replace 17th Street Bridge
All votes were unanimous Monday night when the Trenton City Council approved three bills and adopted three ordinances. The 17th Street Bridge replacement will be done by Boone Construction Company of Columbia who submitted the lowest of bids from six companies. City Administrator Ron Urton said the selection of Boone has been accepted by the […]
Grundy County sales tax revenue tops $57,000 in all three categories
Sales tax revenue received by Grundy County this month totals more than $57,000 in each of three categories: general revenue, the ambulance, and law enforcement. Every three months, the amount of sales tax revenue is greater than in other months because of quarterly payments submitted by businesses. Other months this year in which sales tax […]
Audio: Missouri Special Session begins Monday at Statehouse in Jefferson City
Missouri lawmakers will return to Jefferson City today (Monday) for a special session involving a complicated State Supreme Court ruling about vehicle sales. Governor Mike Parson announced in August that he’s calling the special session over the Supreme Court’s “Kehlenbrink vs. Department of Revenue” case. The Supreme Court’s summer ruling involves using the […]
Hospitals, health care advocates launch campaign to authorize Medicaid expansion through statewide vote
Missouri’s hospitals and a coalition of individuals and organizations supporting Medicaid expansion announced the launch of a campaign to let Missouri voters decide the future of expanded coverage to low-income individuals caught in the “coverage gap.” “Missouri is among only a handful of states to not expand Medicaid. As a result, approximately 200,000 citizens of […]
Audio: Missouri Attorney General files five stealing charges against former southeastern Missouri official
Missouri’s Attorney General has filed five charges of felony stealing against the former deputy collector for Madison County in southeastern Missouri county. Charges against 31-year-old Kelcey Gresham of Fredericktown were announced yesterday. The AG’s office says the crimes came to light last fall when Madison County residents who had paid their property taxes […]
Arts Alive elects officers at latest meeting
The Arts Alive Board of Directors elected officers Tuesday night. Dan Maxey was elected as president, Amy Gutherie vice president, Shani Kinney secretary, and Katie Kinney as treasurer. Other Arts Alive Board members include Kim Cleeton, Cindy Guthrie, Diane Lowrey, Cheri McHargue, Jim Norris, Ann Plumb, Marlene Ralston, Phil Schlarb, Carla Still, Terry Toms, and […]
Record numbers attend Trenton High School Alumni Reunion
Record numbers were reported at each of the All-Alumni events over the weekend and most of the special classes shared similar responses with great attendance. The 70th Annual Trenton High School Alumni Reunion is now history and plans are already underway for the 2020 edition. Officers of the Foundation Trust for THS/THS Alumni Association were […]
Sheriff Stephen Stockman: Lack of tax revenue to staff office, build new facility or house inmates
Mercer County Sheriff Stephen Stockman has released more information on the inmate from Kansas City who escaped from the Mercer County Jail in Princeton Wednesday. It was the second time in August 27-year-old Drake Kately has been reported as escaping and he has yet to be found by law enforcement. Stockman says dispatch notified the […]
Spickard Board of Aldermen take action on contracts
The Spickard Board of Aldermen took action on two contracts at a special meeting Wednesday night. Board member J. R. Roberts read a new contract with the Spickard Special Road District. Previous information from the City of Spickard reported the contract would be for one year and involve the city deducting costs of street lighting […]
Construction wages cut in half by new prevailing wage rules
According to Jeff Phillips, Communications and Outreach Manager of the Laborers International Union of North America in St. Joseph, construction workers in many rural Missouri counties are working for less this Labor Day holiday. Missouri’s new prevailing wage law has cut wages for construction workers in many counties, sometimes by more than half. The new […]
Kinloch Fire Protection District fails to improve after $100,000 is misspent, state auditor says
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released her follow-up review of the Kinloch Fire Protection District, located in St. Louis County, after an audit last year detailed how nearly $100,000 in public funds was missing or spent inappropriately. The follow-up review found that while some of the audit recommendations are implemented or in progress, many were either only […]
Trenton Economic Development Committee to meet on Tuesday
The Trenton Economic Development Committee will discuss the hotel/motel bed tax at a meeting next week. The meeting will be held at Trenton City Hall on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, at 7 o’clock in the evening. Other items on the agenda include an update and report on the Mid-America Music Festival from Andrea McKown as […]
Application deadline approaching for disaster unemployment benefits in six Missouri counties
The Missouri Department of Labor’s Division of Employment Security will accept applications for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) for individuals in six Missouri counties through September 5, 2019, whose employment was lost or interrupted due to severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding that began April 29, 2019, and ended July 5, 2019. A disaster assistance amendment was […]