CHAMBER: JACKSON BUREAU PROFITABLE

JACKSON -- The president of the local Chamber of Commerce for the past year takes issue with a report that the Jackson license bureau is losing money.

Jim Maevers, whose term as president of the Jackson chamber ended Monday night, said Southeast Missouri University Foundation officials have wrongly portrayed the license fee office as a money loser.

The foundation runs both the Cape Girardeau and Jackson license bureaus, with Norma Wildman managing the day-to-day operations.

As reported Monday in the Southeast Missourian, the foundation's board recently approved a 1995 fiscal year budget for the license bureaus that projects a nearly $1,300 deficit for the Jackson office, but a hefty profit for the Cape Girardeau operation.

Maevers, whose chamber ran the Jackson license bureau for years until Gov. Mel Carnahan awarded it to the foundation last year, said the office would show a profit if a portion of Wildman's salary wasn't budgeted to the Jackson operation.

He contended the deficit is merely an accounting move. "It is making money if you look at it from an operational standpoint."

The Jackson office's projected expenses for the coming fiscal year include $9,000 of Wildman's $36,000 salary. The Cape office will pay the other $27,000 of her salary.

But Maevers said Wildman works in the Cape Girardeau license office, not the Jackson bureau. It's misleading, he said, to show any portion of Wildman's salary as an operational expense of the Jackson office.

He said the Jackson license bureau is headed up by Patricia Reisenbichler, the Jackson's chamber executive secretary. The foundation and the chamber share the cost of her salary.

"We don't want the people of Jackson to feel like their license bureau is being mismanaged or is losing money," said Maevers. "It is not. It is a profitable business, and it is being run very effectively and very professionally, and we take pride in that."

Ken Dobbins, Southeast Missouri State University's executive vice president and foundation treasurer, said the 1995 fiscal year budget was drawn up by Wildman.

He said the foundation's oversight committee and then ultimately the foundation board approved the budget, which included allocating funds from both license bureaus to fund Wildman's salary.

"It was a simple cost allocation based on revenue," said Dobbins. "Part of Norma's salary is in the budget for both offices because she's in charge of both offices."

Dobbins said Wildman, who works for the foundation, is in charge of hiring personnel for both offices and dealing with "operational issues."

"If there is a problem, she is the one that works it out, not me," said Dobbins.

Wildman said Monday night that her duties go beyond "working at the counter" at either bureau.

"There are several manager-type items that are a duty of mine," Wildman said. "As far as where I am physically, I'm doing paperwork for both offices, whether I'm in the Cape or Jackson office."

Wildman explained she manages both offices, although Reisenbichler is supervisor of the Jackson office.

Dobbins said foundation officials view the two license bureaus as a single operation and aren't concerned that the Jackson bureau shows a small deficit. The new budget projects a $52,362 profit from the Cape Girardeau operation. Factoring in the Jackson deficit, that still leaves a net profit of about $51,000, Dobbins said.

The Jackson license bureau operates out of the Jackson chamber building, just as it did before the foundation took over operation last October.

The foundation pays $9,000 a year in rent to the chamber. The rent includes utilities. By contrast, the Cape office -- which the governor also awarded to the foundation last year -- operates out of rent-free quarters provided by the Downtown Merchants Association. Utility costs at the Cape office run around $2,500 a year.

Coupled with about $7,300 in salary and benefits for Reisenbichler, the foundation will pay more than $16,000 in the coming fiscal year to the Jackson chamber and a chamber employee, budget figures show.

Even so, Maevers said the money doesn't entirely make up for the lost revenue to the chamber.

When the Jackson chamber ran the office, license bureau revenue paid for 50 percent of Reisenbichler's salary, with the chamber paying the other half. Also, the license bureau paid rent to the chamber, Maevers said.

After those costs were accounted for, the chamber made $15,000 to $20,000 annually that could be used to benefit the community, he said.

That money has not been replaced, said Maevers. "What we receive just recovers some of our operating costs, in that we own the building and have debt service," he said.

As to the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, it's considering ways to raise funds now that it no longer operates the Cape license bureau.

John Mehner, Cape chamber president, said his organization made about a $35,000 profit annually from operating the license bureau.

He said his organization hopes to hold a fund-raiser later this year.