REVAMPED PERRY COUNTY SB40 BOARD GATHERS

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- As Perry County's revamped Senate Bill 40 board met with a new group of members for the third time this year, old tensions that divided the board earlier seemed hard to bury.

Four people who had been part of a lawsuit to retain their positions on the unpaid board participated again as members Friday for the first time since they were dismissed last March.

Issues such as whether to pay debts claimed by the former operator of Perry County's sheltered workshop for the handicapped and the whereabouts of old board records showed members opinions were split.

Board chairman Patrick Naeger, a state legislator, maintained that charges for lawn care and bookkeeping by former workshop operator VIP Industries of Cape Girardeau were poorly documented.

"We have received invoices for trash collection, pest control and other items," Naeger said. "But the question with the mowing and bookkeeping has been getting a proper invoice."

But board member Ted Ballman said Hillary Schmittzehe, operator of VIP, had told him that two bids were received for lawn care of $112 and $92. Schmittzehe decided to charge $100 for the mowing and have a disabled client at the workshop handle the job under supervision, Ballman said.

Naeger doubted whether this was a fair price considering the disabled worker earned approximately $3 an hour and it took no more than six hours to cut the grass around the sheltered workshop.

"I just want to get this paying of bills to VIP behind us," Ballman said.

In a 5-4 vote, the board chose to pay VIP fees claimed for lawn care and bookkeeping, amounting to roughly $1,500. Naeger, along with the three newest board members, voted not to pay.

The board also discussed an ongoing audit of old financial statements by Michael Horrell and Associates of Ste. Genevieve. Horrell had stated in a letter that minutes from several board meetings between 1998 and this year were missing from records provided to the accounting firm, said Ruth Tinker, board secretary.

Former board secretary Sylvester Buchheit explained that he had some records from February, since Naeger had requested that he correct them. All other records were kept in a filing cabinet at the sheltered workshop, Buchheit said.

Naeger asked Buchheit if he knew about minutes from meetings in 1999, since only two had been located.

"We didn't have many meetings in 1999," Buchheit said. "If there were any minutes, they were put in the filing cabinet drawer."

Buchheit mentioned that VIP administrator Susan Willis was paid a nominal fee to type and correct the board's minutes, so she might have copies.

Naeger said the board would request that Willis provide any copies that she had.

Overall, Ballman said he was satisfied with the meeting. "I think we've put some of this stuff behind us," he said.

Ballman, Buchheit and Edna Ponder had participated in a lawsuit claiming they were dismissed unjustly. In their settlement, it was stated that Adrian Moll and Jim Lottes should also be allowed to keep their board seats.

However, Moll was reappointed to the board by commissioners after filing an application in April. Lottes was the only member not removed from the board, since he had not violated membership renewal procedures that commissioners cited as the reason for dismissals.