August 29, 2024, Camden County Commission meeting at 10:00 a.m.

I attended the August 29, 2024, Camden County Commission meeting at 10:00 a.m.

All commissioners were present.

The first agenda item was Request for Surplus Funds- $3,993.21.

The second agenda item was Request for Surplus Funds – $1,598.56.

Both requests had been reviewed and approved by the County Attorney and the Treasurer.

The commissioners approved both requests unanimously.

The third agenda item was R&B – Corrective Asphalt Materials bill through Gallagher Asphalt – $19,320.

Pat Wolf (Camden County Road and Bridge Administrator) explained that this purchase was for a new oil process that they’re going to try for the hot-in-place asphalt recycling techniques the Road and Bridge Department has been using this year. He estimated the new oil process could save the county as much as $300,000 in 2025. The money used to pay for this new oil demonstration was already saved from the budget by using the hot-in-place asphalt procedures.

This bill was approved unanimously.

Wolf went on to explain that they are going to use a new traffic survey system to evaluate and assess the condition of the county’s paved roads with a grade score. The new service will be $30,000 cheaper than the previous survey company. The public will be able to view the results online and see the numerical grade for their local roads.

The final agenda item was First Public Hearing – Speed Limit Reduction on Dry Hollow Road, Camdenton.

The residents are requesting that the speed limit for Dry Hollow Road be reduced to 25 MPH. There were a handful of residents present at the meeting. The majority of them were supportive of the speed limit reduction. The road is narrow in some sections with several blind turns. It also gets a high amount of through traffic using the road as a shortcut to get to Ha Ha Tonka.

The commissioners pointed out that there was no point in reducing the posted speed limit on the road if there wasn’t going to be dedicated speed enforcement on it. It was the responsibility of the Sheriff’s Office to make speed enforcement a priority on the road.

As more neighbors addressed the Commission, it became clear that there was another problem that was making the road dangerous for the residents. There was a group of young teenage? boys who had been riding their dirt bikes recklessly on the streets all over the neighborhood. Neighbors have complained to the parents about the kids, but the parents didn’t seem to care. One neighbor said that operating the dirt bikes on county roads was a violation of Missouri law, but nobody from the Sheriff’s Office had made an effort to enforce it.

Commissioner Gohagan explained that this sounded more like an issue the Sheriff could address. According to Gohagan, the Commission was faced with a similar problem regarding nightly rentals. When people complained to the Commission about late night apocalyptic partying at nightly rentals, the Commission told them to call the Sheriff’s Office. Unfortunately, the Sheriff’s dispatchers told the callers they couldn’t do anything because Camden County does not have a noise ordinance. Gohagan stated that the county doesn’t need a noise ordinance because there is an existing Missouri statute that addresses peace disturbances.

Commissioners Skelton and Williams advised the neighbors that their best chance to get some relief would be to go over and visit the Sheriff’s Office in person.

Meanwhile, the Commission will need to schedule two more public meetings before they can make a decision on any speed limit changes.

And that was that.