BY-LAWS ARE ADOPTED BY INDUSTRIAL GROUP

JACKSON - Five months of meetings bore fruit Monday as representatives of five entities approved a set of by-laws for a joint industrial development organization.

The organization will be established as a not-for-profit corporation and is a cooperative venture of the cities of Cape Girardeau, Jackson, and Scott City, Cape Girardeau County, and the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. It will be known as the Cape Girardeau Area Industrial Recruitment Association.

All who participated in Monday's meeting expressed enthusiasm and predicted the three-year partnership will be successful because of the need to work together in seeking new industry.

"We've got the wheels off the ground," said Cape Girardeau City Councilman Melvin Gateley. "This is a very positive thing."

Cape County Presiding Commissioner Gene Huckstep, who chaired the ad hoc committee, told the group, "We're in business right now and on our way."

Since their last meeting earlier this month when the by-laws were proposed, representatives were asked to get approval from their entities so that final approval could be given today. The by-laws were approved with only minor corrections.

One potential stumbling block was quickly ironed out when Cape chamber Board Chairman John Mehner reported that his board had decided it did not have $25,000 in its budget to commit to the project as earlier thought.

He said the straight donation would have to be between $10,000 and $15,000.

"They don't want this to kill the thing," stressed Mehner. "They were overwhelmingly behind it."

Mehner said since the Cape chamber was not the major contributor, the drop in their contribution does little to the bottom line of the organization, which had proposed a $150,000 budget.

Mehner said the chamber could budget $10,000 but would likely have to get another $5,000 through private donations. But, when pressed, he committed the chamber to a $15,000 contribution.

"We'll come up with it somewhere," he remarked.

Huckstep, who has committed $50,000 from the county, told those in attendance that if additional funding to make up for the chamber loss is needed, they should not look to the county commission for funding.

The city of Jackson is contributing $20,000 and Scott City is contributing $5,000 to the effort.

"If we can establish a budget of $140,000, that's a good start," said Gateley.

The group also discussed the possibility of getting grants or donations to help fund the organization in the future. Before the next meeting on Nov. 9, formal agreements will be drawn up. At the next meeting, a schedule for payments will be lined out and officers will be elected.

Representing Cape Girardeau, which committed $50,000 to the project, on the board will be Mayor Gene Rhodes and Gateley; Jackson will be represented by City Administrator Carl Talley; Mayor Larry Forhan will represent Scott City; Mehner will be the Cape chamber representative; and Huckstep will be one of the county's two representatives. Huckstep said the county's second member would be appointed by the next meeting.

Board members will serve two-year staggered terms.

The group agreed that four votes of the seven board members will be necessary to pass a motion and that at least three of the five entities must be represented so there is a quorum to conduct business.