Cape County SB40 Board makes recommendations on new members

The Cape Girardeau County SB40 Board on Tuesday gave itself a new name, made recommendations on new members and worked on new funding guidelines and contracts to govern its relationship with VIP Industries.

The board also heard advice from attorney James Marks that members need to push to have valuable industrial property used by VIP Industries put into its name. Presiding Commissioner Gerald Jones wants the land and buildings to belong to the county. Marks said the board, established by statute, has a different existence from other county boards, established as advisory panels by the commission, and has a right by law to own property purchased with its funds.

Five seats on the nine-member board will be filled Thursday by the Cape Girardeau County Commission. With 12 applicants, board members wanted their views known, but several said they don't expect commissioners to go along with the choices.

"I am assuming a miracle, that all of our recommendations will be accepted," said vice chairwoman Dory Johnson, who has one of the five seats "I feel we at least need to make the effort."

The board, which used to work in relative obscurity, has been pushed to the forefront as it seeks to redefine its decades-old relationship with VIP Industries. The disagreements between the board and VIP have become part of the longstanding feud between Jones and Associate Commissioner Jay Purcell. On Tuesday, Purcell attended the board meeting and regularly interjected his views and comments.

"We have got to take personality and politics out of these positions," said Purcell, who is seeking to replace Jones in this year's elections.

A property tax assigned to the board supports a sheltered workshop jobs program and affiliated services for the developmentally disabled. VIP Industries, the most familiar name for a multifaceted group of not-for-profit entities, is the board's sole contractor.

Three terms, for Johnson, Arlysse Popp and Ruth Ann Dickerson, expire June 30. Two resignations for terms ending June 30, 2011, created the other openings.

Johnson, Popp and Dickerson abstained from voting on their own positions. Johnson and Popp were recommended unanimously by the other five members voting, while Dickerson's reappointment was turned down by a 2-3 vote. Instead, the members voted 4-2 in favor of recommending Dale True, who had been the unanimous choice of the board but was rejected by the commission in favor of Dickerson earlier this month to fill an unexpired term.

The board recommended Pamela Deneke, a special-education teacher in Jackson School District, and Brian Noack, an employee of the Perry County Board for the Developmentally Disabled who lives in Cape Girardeau County, to fill the unexpired terms.

To clear up confusion about the board's official name -- an advertisement sought applicants for the Sheltered Workshop/Handicapped Facility Board, a name not used on any of the board's documents -- the board decided to officially call itself the CGC SB40 Board.

The board considered several ideas for inclusion in the new contract with VIP. Marks said the new contract needs to spell out completely what will be provided, how much it will cost and how to measure the effectiveness of the program.

Those standards would apply to any additional service agency the board may fund, Marks said.

The board regularly spends less than the nearly $900,000 in taxes received each year. That has allowed it to build a reserve fund of more than $2.7 million.

VIP, which has built surpluses of almost $15.1 million over its 42-year existence, has asked for less than the $800,000 in county funds it has been receiving annually, board member Larry Tidd said. He estimated after the meeting that the requests for the coming year total $500,000. "The bottom line is that there should be some money there for other considerations," he said.

Hilary Schmittzehe, chief executive of VIP Industries, watched quietly during the meeting. Afterward, he said VIP has not significantly changed what it is requesting for the coming year. How much that would be, he said, would be determined by how much his company's services are needed.

rkellersemissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent addresses:

1 Barton Square, Jackson, MO

1330 Southern Expressway, Cape Girardeau, MO

5616 U.S. 61, Jackson, MO