WEED AND SEED BOARD APPROVES NEW BUDGET

SIKESTON -- Southeast Missouri Weed and Seed may not now have access to several hundred thousand dollars in grant money, but that didn't stop board members from passing next year's budget on Monday.

The board, which unites five Southeast Missouri cities in an effort to combat crime and create grass-roots social changes, lost its funding from the U.S. Department of Justice earlier this month. The department had cited several breaches of federal policies as the reason for freezing the grant money but promised it would be restored once questions were resolved.

Most of the issues brought up by the Justice Department should be answered in a few weeks, said Ronald Scaggs, interim director of SEMO Weed and Seed. He said he hopes to comply with federal requests in two weeks.

"So far things look very positive," Scaggs said.

Since Scaggs was notified about the funding suspension in a letter dated Aug. 27, he has had numerous conversations with members of Weed and Seed's national office to clarify and create policy for the board.

Of the approximately 30 issues Scaggs discussed with Weed and Seed program administrators in Washington, D.C., 10 percent of them were substantive, he said. In one instance, the federal office had misinterpreted the word "amended" in the board's minutes. "This is just an example of government minutia," Scaggs said.

A letter will be sent to Washington this week outlining measures being taken to follow federal guidelines, Scaggs said.

One of SEMO Weed and Seed's more looming questions should be answered by Sept. 23. That is when the regional board plans to meet to make a recommendation on candidates for executive director. Interviews of the final six candidates will take place Thursday, Scaggs said.

The board had been without an executive director since Calvin Bird resigned in April. Weed and Seed's national office had chided the regional board for dragging its feet during the hiring process.

The national office lacks understanding, said Rick Hetzel, Cape Girardeau police chief and a board member. "As a group of volunteers that come together for three hours a month, we can't come together to write policy," Hetzel said.

Policy issues were supposed to be the responsibility of an executive director, which the board hasn't had since April, Hetzel said.

Earlier in the year the regional board had narrowed a field of executive-director candidates to four before making a selection. When their chosen candidate was notified, the board's offer was declined, and they started over, Hetzel said.

"We had no choice but to go out again," he said.

Caruthersville Mayor Diane Sayre, a board member, praised Scaggs for reworking SEMO Weed and Seed's policy to comply with federal requests in two weeks. Nevertheless, Sayre said the board needs to scrutinize its activities more carefully.

SEMO Weed and Seed's 1999 budget was accepted as $657,305. It was originally proposed as $726,860, which was $51,860 over budget.

The bulk of the cutting eliminated $50,000 for the Southeast Missouri Crime Laboratory. Since it isn't possible to specify how the money would be used to benefit the South Cape Girardeau area targeted by Weed and Seed, the board agreed it should cut the funding.

Individual Weed and Seed budgets for Cape Girardeau, Caruthersville, Charleston, Poplar Bluff and Sikeston were approved at $100,000 or slightly less.

Since its ability to draw funds was suspended, Weed and Seed activities have continued to be paid for out of $10,000 reserve funds. Each of the five cities originally contributed the money from their general funds, Scaggs said.