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S 213-200 ol. 154, No. 2
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Total Taxes Assessed:
2017...........................$8.301 million 2018...........................$8.669 million (N ote: Total taxe s assessed is for real estate and personal property only. The total excl udes utilities i. e railroads, electric companies for track and lines. )
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Gallatin City Administrator Tony Stonecypher is resigning effective Jan. 11, 2019, in order to accept a position at his hometown in Iowa. Mr. Stonecyper announced his decision last night at the December meeting of the Gallatin Board of Aldermen at city hall. Mr. Stonecypher began working as city administrator here in April, 2015. He has focused his career on managing small rural communities, including cities in Texas and Iowa but primarily in Missouri including Bethany and now Gallatin. A noteworthy project concluded during his Tony S tonecypher tenure here is the construction of Gallatin’s new Gallatin and R-5 significant i h School street water treatment plant. A city tax was renewed Gallatin, Missouri improvements have occurred during the past three years. Stonecypher also assisted in the development of the organization of Friends of Gallatin, used to secure USDA financing for a new utility department truck. Discussion on options about replacing the city administrator or reorganizing city management is anticipated at the next aldermen’s meeting on Monday, Dec. 17. In other business at the public meeting held Dec. 10, the employee year-to-date wage report including overtime pay was provided to the (continued on page 4 ) board and discussed.
men agreed to award a $75 electric credit to the first place commercial and first place residential Christmas lighting participants again this year. Discussion was held on the decorated trees on the north end of town. Another tree on the opposite side of Hwy 13 will be decorated as a holiday gateway into town. In other business at the Nov. 27 meeting, Police Chief Mark Richards submitted a report on activity for Nov. 27: one suspicious person, circumstance; one welfare check; two juvenile problems; one traffic accident with damage; one domestic disturbance; two runaway juveniles; one assault; one peace disturbance; one vandal-
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Got lights? Register online to win Gallatin’s contest! You could win a $75 credit on your January 2019 utility bill! Gallatin’s “Light Up The Night” Christmas decorating contest awards a credit on the January electric billing to those selected as winners in residential and commercial categories. This “just for fun” event is sponsored by Friends of Gallatin and the City of Gallatin. The rules are few and the effort brightens many. A team of judges will choose the winners the last weekend in December.
Registration entries must be received by Dec. 27. There is no entry fee, but you must register at FriendsOfGallatin.org or mail your registration to Lighting Contest c/o Sally Black, 1006 S. Clay, Gallatin, MO 64640. All that is needed to register is your name, phone, and address; and please designate a category of either commercial or residential. This friendly, fun competition is simply to promote the Christmas season in our hometown!
Becoming a destination...
Gardens at Hedrick Medical offer a growing variety of use In late May of 2018, the Hedrick Medical Center Foundation officially opened The Gardens at Hedrick Medical Center. Use of the area grows with each passing week. “Now that people can actually see it, they’re figuring out how they can use it,” said Lindy Chapman, Hedrick Medical Center Foundation Development Officer. “Whether it’s personally for walking, hosting a meeting in the pavilion, or visiting someone in the hospital, we’re seeing The
Gardens being used in a variety of ways.” The Gardens is home to various themed areas and structures for patients, visitors, community members, and employees to utilize and enjoy. Some of those areas include the Rain Garden, which features a wooden overlook, surrounded by plants that thrive in a wet environment, and the Outdoor Therapy Garden, which includes five circles that provide staging areas for trees and therapy (continued on page 3 )
New water plant fully softening water now, line repairs completed Gallatin Public Works Director Mark Morey reports that city water crews repaired a four-foot PVC section in the main water line at East Mill and Searcy. The water plant has been running on Well 4 since the radios had to be repaired on Well 2. The new water plant is fully softening the water now. The hardness has been reduced from 24 grains per gallon with the old plant to 10 grains per gallon with the new plant. Ross Construction and West Tech are working together to decide a plan of action on the blow downs at the new water plant. On Nov. 27 the Gallatin Board of Alder-
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City administrator resigns
Payment of county taxes is due by Dec. 31. Taxpayers failing to submit payment to the collector’s office at the courthouse either in person or by mail postmarked Dec. 31 or earlier will face penalties beginning Jan. 1, 2019. Letters of notification were mailed to Daviess County taxpayers during November. Explanations to help taxpayers understand statements and how real estate and personal property are taxed were cited in these letters of notification, to help taxpayers avoid confusion and late penalties. Any questions or errors must be brought to the attention of the assessor’s office at 660.663.3300 before any payment is made. The collector has no authority to make any changes without the assessor’s intervention. Tax revenue is disbursed to various entities in the county to finance local services at approved rates called levies. A levy is applied for each $100 of assessed valuation. Tax levies can change by election vote or levy adjustments may legally occur for a variety of authorized reasons. Usually taxpayers are aware of the tax levies applied to the property they own to determine taxes owed but may or may not know what tax levies exist elsewhere in Daviess County. The table (at right) lists tax levies applied throughout the county for 2017-18. This table of Daviess County levies was prepared by the Daviess County Assessor’s Office. To summarize, there are 61 taxing entities in Daviess County. By comparing the tax levy for 2017 to that for 2018, there were 38 levies that increased (most only slightly), 19 levies that were unchanged, and 4 levies that decreased. It may also be interesting to note the following totals:
2017...........................$135,304,263 2018...........................$137,886,393
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Compare, contrast local tax levies as county conducts business as usual
Total County Assessed Valuation:
Good Luck, Ravens!
ism. There were two dogs in the pound. Bills in the amount of $24,197.50 were approved for payment. During the 2019 budget discussion, the board finished reviewing the budget for the water and sewer departments. Morey mentioned adding automated well drawdowns that will cost $5,000 each. Hourly pay rates were discussed briefly. Updated budget numbers will be provided to the board at the Dec. 10 meeting. Discussion was held on the People Service Operation and Maintenance Report for October 2018. Temporary electric service discussion was held and the board agreed to have an
Enter the “Light Up the Night” Christmas decoration contest online Contest entry deadline: Thursday, D ec. 2 7
ordinance drafted and presented. A deposit amount for long-term customers was discussed but no action by the board was taken. The next two meetings were set for Dec. 10 and Dec. 17. The above are the unapproved minutes of the regular meeting for the City of Gallatin held on Nov. 27 at city hall. Present were Mayor Barb Ballew; President of Board John Whitfield; Aldermen Carol Walker, Dan Lockridge, Steve Evans; City Administrator Tony Stonecypher; City Clerk Hattie Bailey; Public Works Director Mark Morey; Police Chief Mark Richards; and Police Chaplain Austin Bonnett. E asy contest registration on:
FriendsofGallatin.org
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