I attended the April 24, 2025, Camden County Commission meeting at 10:00 a.m.
Commissioners Skelton and Dougan were present.
The first agenda item was “LOREDC Annual Membership Dues.”
Heather Brown is a member of the Board of Directors for the Lake of the Ozarks Regional Economic Development Council (LOREDC) and she addressed the Commission.
Brown explained that LOREDC covers Miller, Morgan, and Camden counties. They provide economic data to developers who are interested in coming to the lake area. They serve as the marketing operation for economic development at the lake. They also prepare housing and hospitality studies.
Brown was happy to receive any amount from the Commission.
According to Presiding Commissioner Skelton, the county gave them $1,000 last year.
The Commission voted unanimously to give them $1,000 for 2025.
The second agenda item was “LOCLG Annual Membership Dues.”
Randy Angst and Mitch Shields were present to ask for the Lake of the Ozarks Council of Local Government’s annual dues from Camden County.
Presiding Commissioner Skelton asked what was going on with the grants from the LOCLG?
Angst stated that they have contracted with two individuals who LOCLG will use for grant writing. They have experienced some turnover in personnel. LOCLG has had to cut its expenses and “right size” their organization to reflect their current, reduced revenue.
Commissioner Skelton expressed concerns that he wanted to keep development of the lake area unique and avoid the type of planned development that has made Columbia and other urban areas of Missouri look and feel “too planned.”
Angst and Shields seemed to agree with this idea. The proposed dues for this year are $13,599.96. That amount is calculated at the rate of 44 cents per person for the population that resides in unincorporated areas of Camden County. Using all of my fingers and toes, I calculated that it amounts to 30,909 people.
The Commission voted unanimously to approve the LOCLG annual dues.
The third agenda item was “Budget Amendment for EMA – $615.00”
Presiding Commissioner Skelton asked what problems EMA was facing with its equipment?
John Scheper, the EMA Director, answered that the agency’s equipment was in bad shape and money was needed to repair almost all of it to get it in condition where it could respond to the field.
Commissioner Dougan approved of the coordination Camden County EMA has had with the other agencies. He hadn’t seen a performance like that from the EMA in twenty years.
Commissioner Skelton seemed to be particularly unhappy with the wrap they had put on the EMA truck. He asked if it cost $3,600?
Scheper explained that the $3,600 cost wasn’t just for the wrap. It was also for the equipment that was needed to update the vehicle. Scheper also enlightened the Commission on the status of the FEMA/SEMA money. FEMA money has been unfrozen so it should be available soon. The recent flooding in the county will not meet the state threshold for damage, but the fire event will and the county should see incoming SEMA money within the next few months.
The commissioners approved this budget amendment.
The final agenda item was “Letter of Support for Representative Vernetti.”
$4 million had been approved for the 54 Highway east of Camdenton, but Missouri Senator Lincoln Hough pulled the money when the budget reached the Missouri Senate. The Commission wrote a letter asking for that money to be returned to the budget.
The Commission voted unanimously to sign and send the letter.
And that was that.
On a side note, I recently used the Camden County MU Extension Office for a soil test for my garden. It’s a great resource and for only $20 cash or check, they’ll send your soil off to Mizzou to be tested and email you a report that tells you exactly what fertilizers and other nutrients you’ll need to have successful cultivation. They’re located on the 2nd floor of the Commission Building and you just need to bring a bag of dried dirt from your yard and they’ll take care of the rest! Just click:
https://extension.missouri.edu/counties/camden/soil-testing
for more information and happy planting!
Among the Dogwoods 