What's Going On Around Your County

Hello Howell County!

Wow! What an extremely long, hot and dry spell were in! The Howell County Commission, on July 11, put out a burn ban into effect for Howell County, which is a D-3 drought designation even though much of Howell County received some precipitation on the 18 of July.

It varied from 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches. The burn ban will stay in effect until further notice. The moisture helped road and bridge crews touch up some of the gravel roads while the hot and dry weather allowed crews to work on the county’s increasing miles of hard surface roads. I want to thank all emergency service workers for all that they are doing in these extremely hot conditions.

Recently, I and several other Howell County elected officials participated in the annual Willow Springs Fourth of July Parade. What a great event!

The Howell County Board of Equalization was held recently with no one appearing before them. Assessor Daniel Franks had some adjustments to property assessments he recommended and was approved.

The Commission continues to approve grants for the Courts, Juvenile and Sheriff’s offices. The Howell County Commission recently accepted and awarded asphalt oil bids to Coastal Energy of Willow Springs for the repair of the county’s hard surface roads which was considerably higher than last year. The Commission recently surveyed and deeded over the area from the curb of the courthouse to the front doors of the businesses on Court Square along with a portion of Old Howell Valley Road from the railroad tracts by MFA Feeds, east to and including the bridge over Howell Creek to the City of West Plains. This will clear up the confusion of ownership, maintenance and liability of these areas.

I want to thank the local Missouri University Extension Office and all the speakers that recently sponsored the drought program offered to point local farmers and ranchers in the right direction for assistance during the ongoing drought. This program was very helpful and highly attended. The Commission continues to review ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) applications.

Collector, Dennis Von Allmen and staff are busy getting ready for the delinquent real estate tax sale held the fourth Monday of August. County Clerk, Kelly Waggoner and her staff are very busy with absentee voting for the upcoming August 2 Primary Election. The County Clerk’s Office will be open on Saturday, July 30 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon for absentee voters who will be unavailable to vote at their precincts on election day. The last day to vote absentee will be by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 1. Remember to get out and exercise your right to vote on Tuesday, August 2.

The 2020 Howell County plat books are still available for $35 and maps are available for $40 at the Howell County Clerk’s Office. All the Commissioners are in the office every Monday and Thursday. Come by and see us. Howell County is a great place to live, work and raise a family!