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City Receives Blue Shield Designation: The City of Lake Ozark and Lake Ozark Police Department are honored to have been named a Missouri Blue Shield City by Missouri Department of Public Safety.Of this designation for our agency and community, Police Chief James Boren says "I'm honored to accept this Blue Shield City designation, which reflects the outstanding work of our Board of Aldermen, city staff, and police department working in partnership. This recognition from Governor Kehoe and the Missouri Department of Public Safety validates what I've observed throughout my 20-year career here—our community's growing commitment to public safety. During my tenure as chief, I've seen firsthand how the dedication of our officers, combined with incredible community support, creates the foundation for this kind of recognition. This achievement belongs to everyone who has contributed to making our city safer."The Missouri Blue Shield Program, created by Governor Kehoe in January 2025 through Executive Order 25-03, recognizes local governments that make significant efforts to reduce crime, foster law enforcement collaboration, and build strong community partnerships for public safety. “Public safety is the foundation of a thriving community and state. It affects everything from families feeling secure to businesses having the confidence to invest and grow,” said Governor Kehoe. “We designed the Missouri Blue Shield Program to recognize communities that go above and beyond in creating a place where people want to live, work, and build their futures. A Missouri Blue Shield designation is a testament to the hard work and dedication of local governments across Missouri who are leading the way in making public safety a priority.”“The Department of Public Safety is proud to work alongside communities like Lake Ozark, that have shown exceptional dedication to enhancing public safety,” said Mark James, Director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety (DPS). “This program is about fostering collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. Our goal is to support these efforts, providing resources and guidance to help communities build sustainable, long-term solutions for crime reduction and public safety.”Communities are eligible for a Missouri Blue Shield designation based on their dedication to reducing crime, making substantial investments in public safety, and developing strong collaboration with law enforcement agencies and community stakeholders. Each participating community’s commitment will be reviewed annually to ensure continued alignment with the program’s goals. Communities that earn a Missouri Blue Shield designation will receive grant funding for law enforcement training and equipment as part of Governor Kehoe’s Recommended Budget for the State Fiscal Year 2026. Communities will also be featured on Governor Kehoe’s social media pages as well as the DPS website to highlight their participation in the program. The City of Lake Ozark earned a Missouri Blue Shield designation due to its exceptional commitment to public safety. Through officer recruitment and retention efforts, introduction of our K9 program, increased funding to public safety, and an enhanced approach to community policing, we have demonstrated a strong and ongoing commitment to protecting our residents and visitors.

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Posted on by dan

Lake Ozark moves toward pay adjustments

The City of Lake Ozark wants to appropriately reward its employees and do its best to retain employees.

The board of aldermen recently approved first reading of an ordinance authorizing pay adjustments for employees in the police, dispatch, and public works departments. Second reading is expected at the regular Sept. 28 meeting.

City Administrator Dave Van Dee said that the recent passage of a Camden County sales tax increase to fund the Camden County Sheriff’s Department was one motivator in Lake Ozark deciding to address the pay issue.

“There appears to be an effort to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and my goal is to bring our lowest starting wage closer to that level,” he said.

That will help the next city administrator to adjust future pay raises with less budgetary stress, he added.

 

Highlights

Police Department 

•Officers will see a pay adjustment from $15.39 an hour to $16.32/hour. The pay has been adjusted from the new-hire level through the chief to maintain an equitable pay structure.

•All employees are hired with a six-month probationary period during which they receive the base pay of $16.32/hour for officers. At the end of the probationary period, with satisfactory completion, the officer would increase to $16.81.

•On or about an officer’s one-year anniversary, again with satisfactory completion, the officer would increase to $17.32/hour.

•A new officer will start at $33,950.96 and raise to $36,018.58 after one year.

“This would allow the city to be more competitive in the market with incremental improvements in the future,” Van Dee said.

 

Dispatch Department 

•Starting wage of $14.49 an hour, up from the current $12.88 an hour. There would be regular increases based on tenure and time in service.

 

Public Works Departments

•Six employees will be impacted by the change which calls for the starting wage to increase from $12.36 to $13.51 an hour. New hires will move to $14.33 after a six-month probationary period. In the current plan, an employee would take four years before reaching that threshold. The adjustment is limited to mostly recently hired employees since upper-level employees were adjusted upward in January 2021.

“All of these changes have been incorporated into the proposed budget amendment and the financial impact has been discussed with the Budget Committee, and they expressed their support,” Van Dee said.