Around Town

By: Ernie Wren

I wish I could have made it to the Ashland Betterment Coalition meeting and open house this past Monday.  It’s great to see that they are moving their monthly meetings to the first Monday of each month, 7pm, at City Hall.  This is a great way for members of the community to make a difference in Ashland with a wonderful group of people.  There are no membership fees, you don’t have to own a business, you just simply have to have a desire to improve Ashland.  Their current initiatives involve putting planters in key downtown locations, and partnering with the Park & Rec department to raise funds for new Christmas lights for the utility poles.  Join the fun!

Some concerns were expressed on social media after the Ashland Police Department (APD) and Mayor Dorise Slinker posted a video regarding current staffing shortages and priorities in shift coverages. This was done to maintain transparency with the members of the community.  This video resulted in discussions regarding funding levels for the APD, tax revenue priorities, and concerns regarding the posting of shift/shortage information.   The APD does face some current staffing challenges.  While the pay will never equal that of the Boone County Sheriff’s department or even Columbia, hopefully the support of the Ashland community can increase funding levels and help bring in new staff members.

See more in this weeks Boone County Journal