Webster County

MoDOT TRAFFIC ALERT:

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Webster County “Route A” Bridge Over James River CLOSED May 16-20 For Bridge Maintenance

Where: Webster County Route A Bridge CLOSED over James River south of Marshfield

When: Monday-Friday, May 16-20

What: MoDOT crews will be repairing the bridge due to high water

Traffic Impacts:

  • Route A bridge CLOSED over James River south of Marshfield
  • Drivers will be able to get to driveways and entrances on either side of the bridge, but will not be able to travel over the bridge
  • Drivers urged to find alternate routes. No signed detours are planned.
  • Electronic message boards located near the planned road work will alert drivers to any changes in the work schedule
  • Check MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map for road closings/traffic impacts

Weather and/or scheduling conflicts could alter the work schedule.

(For more information, call MoDOT in Springfield at 417-895-7600 or visit www.modot.org/southwest) 

Webster County Courthouse / Court Closing

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The Webster County Courthouse will be closed on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 – due to pending inclement weather.

Furthermore, the Presiding Judge of the Webster County Circuit Court has announced that all in-person court proceedings have been cancelled due to pending inclement weather on Wednesday, February 2, 2022.

Electronic court proceedings may still proceed as scheduled.

We apologize for any inconvenience, but want everyone to stay safe.
Thank you for your cooperation.

Court Closing

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The Webster County Circuit Clerk’s office will be partially closed the week of Dec. 27-31, due to technology updates. Attorneys will still be able to file by fax or in person only during this week.

Candidate filing begins

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Candidate filing for the April 5, 2022 municipal election has opened and runs through December 28.
 
Offices that are taking filings – school boards including OTC, city offices, fire districts, Webster County Nursing Home District, Webster County Health Unit, and Seymour Special Road District.
 
Filing takes place in the respective offices with the exception of those held at the Webster County Clerk’s Office inside the Courthouse, which include: Webster County Health Unit, Seymour Special Road District, Marshfield Fire District, and Elkland Fire District.
 
For more information, contact the organizations directly or call the Webster County Clerk’s Office at 417-859-VOTE.

Holiday Hours

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The Webster County Courthouse, Road and Bridge Department and Emergency Management offices will be closed the following dates for the observance of holidays:

Thursday and Friday, December 23-24, 2021 – Christmas

Friday, December 31, 2021 – New Years

American Rescue Plan Act

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The federal legislation titled the “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021”, was signed into law on March 11, 2021. The broad-ranging spending bill includes financial aid to state and local governments. As a consequence, all of Missouri’s counties and municipalities will receive direct payments to help combat the public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The payments are based on population. At this time, the amounts are only estimates – but those preliminary figures are substantial. For instance, the estimated payment for Webster County is $7,678,625. This does not include payments to municipalities, which have their own separate funding in the legislation. Estimates for municipalities located in the county include:

• Diggins – $59,492.61
• Fordland – $155,822.76
• Marshfield – $1,392,827.07
• Niangua – $78,463.94
• Rogersville – $711,516.92
• Seymour – $370,217.19

Other local government organizations, including school districts and health departments, also have separate allocations under the Act.

Northern Commissioner Dale Fraker stated, “We’ve been following the federal legislation closely, and are waiting for additional guidance from federal and state authorities on the authorized uses of the funds.” Presiding Commissioner Paul Ipock agreed, saying “it would not be wise to make any statement or commitment on how the funds will be used, as it may take awhile before we know many details.”

This is the second allotment Webster County has received during the pandemic. The first, known as the “CARES Act”, provided $4.6 million in funds – which was used for a blend of aid to local governments, businesses, and non-profits. However, it should not be assumed that this new program will be at all similar to the first.

The Commission has agreed upon the following set of guiding principles, to prepare for the time when enough information is available to make decisions on the best use of Webster County’s allotted funds:

1. Enhance public safety
2. Encourage people to go back to work
3. Facilitate the continued safe re-opening of the local economy
4. Provide the greatest long-term benefit to the broadest range of county citizens possible

Southern Commissioner Randy Owens said that, of the options known today, the Webster County Commission is leaning toward finding opportunities to make a long-term impact on economic development. “It’s our children and grandchildren who will be paying back the debt for this legislation. Locally, we need to do the best we can to use the portion we’ll receive on things that will last.”