LINN CREEK – The city’s “acting” police chief is now holding the official title of Police Chief.
    Officer Matt Burns took over the new position and according to him, he has some big shoes to fill.
    “I certainly have some large shoes to fill as my predecessor Trevor Dowdney fostered community outreach and created a lasting impression not only in this town but in the entire lake area,” Burns said. “I will do my very best to bring honor to the office of Chief of Police.”
    Burns came to the city from nearby Camdenton some years back and served under former Police Chief Les Harsh and the recently departed Dowdney.
    Dowdney took over the position of police chief in May of 2009.

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MoDOT: some roads will deteriorate

By Jeff Thompson
    LAKE OF THE OZARKS - The Missouri Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) plan to maintain state highways under a reduced budget will focus on what it considers “primary roads” that connect cities across the state, including lake area Highways 54 and 5.
    The plan was recently presented to the Missouri Highway and Transportation Committee which is expected to act on the proposal at its Feb. 4 meeting.
    MoDOT’s “Tough Choices Ahead” plan will take aim at approximately 8,000 miles of Missouri's 34,000-mile state highway system.
    “The 8,000 miles make up the state’s primary roads and are the highways that connect cities across the state,” a MoDOT spokesman said.
    According to Central District MoDOT Engineer Bob Lynch, lake area primary roads will include Highway 54, Highway 5, Highway 42 and Route 7.
    Also included are Hwy 52 in Morgan County and Hwy 17 in Miller County.
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City passes first reading of animal ordinance

By Jeff Thompson
    CAMDENTON - The city is one step away from new animal control regulations after being dogged by the issue for several months.
    The Board of Aldermen gave first-reading approval to the proposed animal control ordinance after a pit bull ban that the city had in place for a number of years recently came under fire.
    A resident had appeared before the board on Nov. 18, 2014 saying she had been forced to sell her home and move her two American Bulldogs out of the city limits because of a misunderstanding concerning the city’s pit bull ban.
    Misty Brown - the bulldogs’ owner - has remained committed to encouraging city officials to change the pit bull regulations and was present at the Jan. 20 board meeting last Tuesday night.
    Mayor John McNabb described the new ordinance as an overall approach to animals in the city with one section devoted to dogs, one to cats and one to other animals.
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By Jeff Thompson
    CAMDENTON - An ordinance dealing with water and sewer rate hikes was given first-reading approval by the Board of Aldermen last week but not without a warning from a former mayor.
    The monthly water rate is scheduled to increase from $8.80 for the first 2,000 gallons to $10 while the $3.25 charge for every 1,000 gallons thereafter remains the same.
    The monthly sewer base rate would increase from $6.85 to $8.28 while the $2.18 charge for every 1,000 gallons of water used would - like the proposed water rate - remain the same.
    “I’m happy to report we’ve kept this number fairly small,” Mayor John McNabb said.
    According to a water rate comparison chart, Camdenton’s new rates would still be lower than most other municipalities in the lake area.
    The last rate adjustment was in February of 2012, according to a report to the board from City Administrator Jeff Hancock; the new rates would increase water and sewer revenues by approximately $56,000 annually.
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OB infrastructure repairs, upgrades addressed

By Jeff Thompson
    OSAGE BEACH - Public Works Director Nick Edelman dominated the Board of Aldermen’s agenda last week with a myriad of infrastructure repair and upgrade requests.
    Out of 17 separate new business agenda items, 13 fell under the Public Works Department’s purview, including a somewhat contentious request for repairs to Aver Road as well as upgrades to a wireless monitoring system.
    According to Edelman, a construction company (that he did not name) damaged Aver Road while working on the Mace Road Sewer project in 2013.
    “The contractor damaged Aver Road and has failed to perform this (repair) work after several conversations,” Edelman stated in a report to the board.
    The original contractor’s bonding company was no help either, according to Edelman.
    “The bonding company has refused to help contending the city has withheld enough from the contract to perform the repairs,” Edelman stated. “The road continues to deteriorate.”
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OB Board of Aldermen actions Thursday Jan. 22

    OSAGE BEACH - In other business at the Jan. 22 Board of Aldermen meeting:
    * The board approved the purchase of a crack seal machine as well as crack seal material at the request of Public Works Director Nick Edelman.
    In a report to the board, Edelman noted that the city’s transportation department had completed a crack sealing program last summer with good results.
    “By purchasing this machine, it allows greater flexibility to apply crack sealant and increase the life of the city’s streets,” Edelman stated in his report.
    The machine will be bought through the Missouri department of Transportation (MoDOT) state bid program at a cost of $33,972.
    The crack seal material - 43,000 pounds - will cost $28,079.
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