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TRENTON
THURS., MAR. 21, 2024
REPUBLICAN-TIMES “GOD BLESS AMERICA”
Old Glory flying at Five Points
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BRIEFS
NCMC Closed Friday
North Central Missouri College will be closed on Friday, March 22, for Spring Holiday. This closing includes all buildings and offices at all locations. The Ketcham Community Center will have holiday hours of 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. NCMC and KCC will reopen on March 25 for regular hours of business.
Bulldog Mascot Pancake Day
The Trenton R-9 Bulldog Mascot teams of Trenton High and Middle School will be holding a Spring Pancake day fundraiser at CF Russell Stadium on Saturday, March 23 from 7:30-10:30 a.m. The eat and pay what you want event will feature a menu of pancakes, sausage, biscuits and gravy, juice, coffee, milk and water. Trent the Trenton Bulldog will be there throughout the entire morning and Mickey and Minnie Mouse will visit from 8:30-9:00. The Easter Bunny will be there from 9-10 a.m. with a basket full of Easter eggs containing prizes provided by the Mascot team that the children will be able to pick. In the event of rain or snow, the event will be moved to the Trenton High School Commons. All donations from this event will go to the Trenton R-9 Mascot Teams of Trenton High and Middle School. Dave Burkeybile is the Trenton R-9 Mascot Sponsor.
Democratic Presidential Primary
The 2024 Democratic Presidential Primary will be held Saturday, March 23 from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Voting will take place in the First Floor Conference Room at the Grundy County Courthouse. Any registered voter may participate, unless they are registered as another political party member or voted in the Republican primary earlier in March. Voters must present a voter registration card or a form of identification, such as a piece of mail which shows the voter’s current name and address. In the event a county does not have a polling place, voters may vote in Grundy County or another county in which there is a voting location. The primary determines the number of delegates each presidential candidate on the ballot will receive in Grundy County. Those delegates will be chosen at the county caucus on Tuesday, April 16. To participate in the Democratic county caucus, you must have voted in this Democratic primary. Contact Marie Dolan for more information.
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Established Sept. 4, 1864 - 160th Year - No. 29
School District Approves Salary Scale, Insurance and Contracts by Mark McLaughlin R-T Staff Writer The Trenton R-IX Board of Education met in regular session Tuesday, March 12 and approved the 2024-25 salary schedule, named Rissler Elementary Assistant Principal Wade Proffitt as new Elementary Principal, approved Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield as the insurance provider for the district, and approved teacher and staff contracts. Citing financial concerns due to a sharp decline in state funding, Superintendent Daniel Gott and the Board worked to keep staff progressing positively on the pay scale, not cutting positions or reducing staff. The Board approved to allow a step on Certified and Non-Certified
staff and Administrative salaries, but froze movement on the base, years of service and adding lateral steps on additional graduate hours (Bachelors to Bachelors Plus 12-hours, for example) for another year. Gott hopes that the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) June year-end report provides more money to the District in order to go back later and add those lateral steps. That would involve re-issuing contracts this spring and summer. The District approved the proposal of the Missouri Education Trust (MET) to provide insurance benefits for the employees of the District. The cost to teachers for their share of their health insurance actually goes down
0.02 percent over last year. Gott noted that the District is in its fifth year with MET. In the first stages of joining this multi-school consortium, the District was forced to pay a large “entry” fee, essentially a frontloading mechanism from the company that brought the District up to the Consortium’s standard. In the subsequent four years, the rate has gone steadily down to a stable, “break-even” point based on District employees’ history with major medical expenses. Gott noted that the overall staff at Trenton R-IX is exceedingly healthy and has done the good work of “wellness” and preventative steps to stay healthy and reduce costs. [See R-IX, Page 2]
County Local Use Tax on Ballot by Mark McLaughlin R-T Staff Writer Grundy County has placed a “local use tax” question on the April ballot, titled Grundy County Ballot Issue A. The measure reads, “Shall Grundy County, Missouri impose a local use tax at the same rate as the total local sales tax, provided that if the local sales tax rate is reduced or raised by voter approval, the local use tax rate shall also be reduced or raised by the same action?” A Use Tax is a tax on the purchase of goods by Missouri residents from out-ofstate vendors. Products exempt from the sales tax would also be exempt from the Use Tax. The language is confusing, but in a nutshell, it amounts to this – A “use” tax
is a “point-of-delivery” tax, assessed to online purchases from out of state, such as Amazon, Nike, or E-Bay, and seeks to tap out-of-state sales as a means of adding to county revenue for capital projects, bridges, roads, public safety and law enforcement, and the rural fire district. A use tax is a sales tax imposed on the purchase of goods by Missouri residents from out-of-state vendors. The use tax is applied to the same type of products subject to traditional sales tax. The difference is where the goods are purchased and shipped. Of note, the tax would not apply to residents within the City Limits of Trenton, which already has its own sales tax. [See Tax, Page 2]
County Clerk Tests Voting Machines by Mark McLaughlin R-T Staff Writer Grundy County Clerk Courtney Campbell performed a public test of voting machines to be used in upcoming April and November general elections on Thursday, March 14. In attendance for the testing, open to the public. were Campbell, her staff assistants, County Com-
missioner Don Sager, and Becky and Dennis McDonald of Galt. The testing of the machines is an important event given the controversy surrounding voting machines. In last week’s R-T, an article sourcing the Missouri Secretary of State confirmed that the machines used by Grundy County, Dominion Image
Cost PCOS-320C machines, are in compliance with Missouri statute requiring paper ballot voting, and the prohibition against DRE (Digital Recording Electronic) machines. The County owns ten such machines, purchased from Elkin-Swyers of Springfield five to six years ago. The test was completed
using SIM cards provided by the vendor, and “sample packs” of different ballots representative of each polling precinct in the county. The machines were turned on and printed out a tape before insertion of the “test ballots”, showing that no votes had been recorded. Each ballot is inserted into the machine. The top portion of the machine is an
electronic tabulator that tallies votes, and when complete, produces a tape record showing how the votes were counted. The bottom portion of the machine is basically a “bin collector” with no mechanical parts, and stores the tabulated ballots until the voting is completed. The SIM card is re[See Test, Page 2]
Kiwanis to Host Community Easter Egg Hunt The Trenton Kiwanis Club and Trenton High School Key Club will be hosting the Community Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 30 at Moberly Park in Trenton. The event will get underway at 9:30 am with games and activities, with the hunt to start at 10:00 am sharp. Open to all Grundy County
residents aged 10 and under, the event will be held in the upper area of the park near the enclosed shelter house. There will be age divisions for 0-3, 4-6 and 7-10. Children should bring their own basket for the hunt. The park will be sectioned off for different age groups to hunt for
candy and other prizes. In addition, one egg in each age division will contain a grand prize certificate. Those lucky finders will receive a filled Easter basket courtesy of Dave’s Body Shop. Those attending should park in either the upper lot near the enclosed shelter house or the lower
lot near the pool. If using the lower lot individuals are asked to use the park road to walk to the upper area of the park so as not to disturb the area that is to be hunted. Ambulance, fire, and area law enforcement will have vehicles and staff at the park at 9:30 am. Chil[See Kiwanis, Page 2]
Pirates Ball is March 23 The sixth annual NCMC Foundation Voyage Fund Pirates Ball will occur on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at the Ketcham Community Center on the North Central Missouri College main campus in Trenton. A reception for the 2023 Class of Distinguished Alumni Joyce Cutsinger, Mitch Dougan, Pam Johnston, and Tony Ralston will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Jeanette Hoffman Robison Auditorium. A special invitation is extended to the previous Distinguished Alumni Honorees to help celebrate the 2023 Class and encouraged to wear their medallions. Great Western Dining will serve a plated meal with the assistance of Trenton High School’s Gold Rush at 6:00 p.m. The rest of the evening, emceed by Trenton High School Vocal Director Tyler Busick, will feature the four distinguished alumni, a reverse raffle fundraiser, and the vocal talents of Ben & Lauren Johnson. The Johnsons are tribute artists who perform songs from Elvis, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, and more. The reverse raffle will [See Ball, Page 2]