GROUP RALLIES IN HOPE SB 40 WILL REALLOCATE SOME FUNDS

A group of advocates for mentally disabled adults want Cape Girardeau County's Senate Bill 40 board to reallocate some of the money that currently goes to the sheltered workshops.

The group, We Are People Too, says money raised from a county tax should be spent on various services for disabled adults, not just earmarked for VIP Industries' sheltered workshops and related organizations.

The tax generates more than $500,000 annually

David Grant and his mother, Margaret, of Cape Girardeau are among the leaders of the local group.

About 10 members of the group held a rally in Capaha Park Saturday morning to draw attention to their cause.

"We are rallying for SB 40 money," said David Grant, who worked 11 years for VIP Industries. "The money should be used for more than sheltered workshops."

Reached at his home, Robert Landgraf, who chairs the county's nine-member SB 40 board, said the board legally can't allocate any of the tax money to other services for the disabled.

Landgraf said the property tax ballot measure, approved by voters in April 1975, stipulated that the money would be used for establishment, maintenance and operation of sheltered workshops and residential facilities for the disabled.

Some of the tax money can go to fund transportation of disabled workers from their group homes to the workshops, Landgraf said. But it would be illegal for the board to fund unrelated services such as an adult day care, he said.

We Are People Too formed in April to push for changes in how money is allocated for services for the disabled in Cape Girardeau County. They also want the SB 40 board to better publicize the times and dates of the board meetings and conduct its business more openly.

The advocacy group has about 40 members.

Landgraf said notice of the meetings is posted at the sheltered workshops in Cape Girardeau and Fruitland, Mo. and said the next meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the sheltered workshop in Fruitland. He said the board would provide the Southeast Missourian with a schedule of upcoming meetings.

The board isn't trying to operate in secrecy, he said. "We have to have an open meeting," he said, referring to the state's "Sunshine Law."

The Grants want to see tax money used to help fund adult day care for both mentally and physically handicapped residents.

David Grant said individuals who aren't able to work at the sheltered workshops need a place they can go after they turn 21 and are out of school.

He said various organizations have tried unsuccessfully to get some of the tax money that currently goes to the sheltered workshops and related group homes for the handicapped workers.

Those in the We Are People Too group say the SB 40 board members are too closely linked with VIP Industries.

Dale Smith formerly managed a VIP sheltered workshop in Fruitland and also worked for Regency Management, another operation that provides handicapped services such as group-home management.

Smith said he doesn't want to destroy the sheltered workshops. His goal is to secure SB 40 funding for a variety of services.

Smith applied for a position on the SB 40 board. But the Cape Girardeau County Commission recently reappointed the three board members whose terms were set to expire at the end of June. Landgraf was among those reappointed to a three-year term.

Some members of the We Are People Too group want new faces on the board. But David Grant said he hopes the current board will listen to their concerns and make some changes in how the tax money is allocated.

Landgraf said the board is willing to listen. But he said the board's hands are legally tied when it comes to funding.

In addition, there's a decision from the Missouri Court of Appeals Western District regarding use of SB 40 funds in another part of the state. The court ruled that such tax money can only be used to fund sheltered workshops and directly related services.

Landgraf said the court decision seems to support the actions of the Cape Girardeau County board.

Margaret Grant acknowledged the legal hurdle. Missouri lawmakers need to address the issue, she said.

Landgraf said those who want an adult day care facility in Cape Girardeau should seek funding from the Missouri Department of Mental Health, which is financing such an operation in Sikeston.

But Margaret Grant argued that adult day care is a service that the SB 40 board should help fund.