Meramec Regional Planning Commission
Minutes
March 11, 2010
Call to Order
Chairman Laura Antolak called the March 11 meeting of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission to order at 7:30 p.m.
Guests
The following guests were welcomed to the meeting: Rep. Dan Brown and Bill Ransdall, community development specialist for the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
Consent Agenda
The following consent agenda items were presented for approval:
Minutes (February)
Statewide Grant Applications
Contracts
• City of Irondale
Permission was requested for MRPC’s chairman and/or executive director to enter into a contract to provide technical assistance in the preparation of a CDBG Water Project application for the city of Irondale.• City of Houston
Permission was requested for MRPC’s chairman and/or executive director to enter into a contract to perform lead-based paint risk assessment for the MHDC HERO program for the city of Houston.• City of Houston
Permission was requested for MRPC’s chairman and/or executive director to enter into a contract to perform housing inspection services for the MHDC HERO program for the city of Houston.• Boonslick RPC
Permission was requested for MRPC’s chairman and/or executive director to sign an amendment to the financial assistance agreement between MRPC and Boonslick Regional Planning Commission. The contract is to provide assistance in a statewide assessment of waste treatment facilities. Additional funds became available, and the number of facilities to include in the assessment was expanded. The contract amount was increased from $12,900 to $19,700.
Additions
• Mo. Office of Homeland Security
Permission was requested for MRPC’s chairman and/or executive director to sign a financial assistance agreement with the Missouri Office of Homeland Security for $5,000 through the Interoperable Emergency Communication Grant Program. The grant period is from March 1 through August 31, 2010.• USDA AARA
Permission was requested for MRPC’s chairman and/or executive director to sign an amendment to its USDA AARA reporting contract, which increases the contract amount by $2,375 to reflect the filing of additional reports for USDA.• South Central Ozark Council of Governments
Permission was requested for MRPC’s chairman and/or executive director to enter into a contract with South Central Ozark Council of Governments to provide asbestos inspection services for the Butler Building in West Plains, Mo.
John Petersen made a motion to approve the consent agenda with the changes; seconded by Richard Huse. The motion carried.
Presentation by Bill Ransdall
Bill Ransdall, new community development specialist for the Missouri Department of Economic Development, spoke as follows about his new job.
He serves as a liaison between DED and municipalities, counties, regional planning commissions and local governments. The purpose of his job is to facilitate and communicate and to develop a personal relationship with each of the agencies. He believes that he was chosen for this position because of his past experience as city councilman, mayor, state representative and presiding commissioner.\
He encouraged MRPC board members to think about what he can do to make a better working relationship with DED than in the past. He noted he is a man of action and welcomes e-mails or calls to help get a project moving forward or to solve a problem.
External Relations Committee
Russell Scheulen, committee chairman, reported on External Relations Committee activities as follows:
• Mr. Scheulen reported that the External Relations Committee recommended MRPC’s full board pass a resolution in opposition to proposed legislation Senate Bill 680 that would result in changes to Missouri’s Spill Bill. The proposed legislation, introduced by Sen. Jason Crowell, will change the threshold quantity from 50 gallons to 3,000 gallons as well as reduce the responsible party’s liability to 25 percent of the cost of cleanup, and this bill does not explain who, after exempting the responsible party for those costs, will be responsible for those costs. Since only one half of one percent of all reported petroleum-based spills are reported annually, local entities would be responsible for 99.5 percent of those spills.
Kraig Bone made a motion to pass a resolution in opposition to SB 680; seconded by Gary Brown. The motion carried.
Mr. Scheulen added that the committee reviewed MRPC’s Bylaws for needed changes. One was identified. Change $300 to $1,000 as listed below.
Section 13.1 The Executive Director is expected to make the necessary purchases of supplies, services and equipment as authorized by the budget. He will oversee all expenditures and will seek competitive, written bids on any single purchase of $2,000 or more or of multiple purchases of the same kind in any consecutive six-month period. For purchases $300 or less, competitive bidding is not required.
(Change $300 to $1,000.)
The bylaws change will be presented to MRPC’s full board for approval at the April business meeting.
Mr. Scheulen stated that Peter Herrington, at-large representative for labor, has submitted a letter of resignation from MRPC’s board. He is moving to St. Louis as he has purchased a bookstore. Staff will be sending out nomination forms to fill that vacancy.
Mr. Scheulen further stated that Ms. Prigge provided a handout from Recovery.gov—a website for tracking stimulus funds. She provided a handout with data on funds allotted to the communities in the Meramec Region.
Planning Committee
Dennis Wilson reported on Planning Committee activities as follows:
Connie Willman reported on how the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) has benefited the Meramec Region since its formation in 2001.
Chuck Cantrell reported on past and current Federal Home Loan Bank projects. He informed the committee that the first FHLB project that MRPC was awarded was Whispering Oaks in 2002. These senior housing complexes were were originally funded by USDA Rural Development over 30 years ago. In 2008 and 2009 MRPC was awarded five separate complexes to rehab with funding provided by the FHLB program. These complexes included Leasburg Village Apartment, Owensville Senior Housing, Vienna Homes, Inc., Cuba Retirement Homes and Dixon Manor. New projects include: Frederick Terrace Apartments in Arcadia Valley, Greater St. Clair Homes, Steelville Homes, Inc., and Autumn Age Homes.
Ms. Willman reported on recent changes to staffing as follows:
• Behshid Marcellus took an early retirement. MRPC will be hiring a new secretary/administrative assistant for the front office in addition to Ruth, current secretary/receptionist.
• Lesley Bennish has transferred to the Environmental Programs department.
• Patti Adams has been hired and will be starting on March 15. She will be the new Community Development Specialist/Grant Administrator.
• Maria Kardon is back, and she will be working one day a week with grant administration as well as with loans.
• MRPC is still interviewing and searching for a new IT person who will also serve as half time community development specialist and grant writer.
•MRPC’s fiscal department still has a bookkeeper/accountant position open.
Housing Advisory Board
Darrell Skiles reported on Housing Advisory Board activities as follows:
• Linda Loughridge presented the Feb. 29, 2010, financials for the PHA.
•Linda Hollandsworth brought the board up to date on the number of families assisted and the amount of housing assistance payment for all six counties.
• The Housing Advisory Board approved the PHA Five-year plan, which was mailed to them prior to the board meeting for review.
• Kimber Wagner reported on how the Family Self-Sufficiency and Homeownership programs work. The PHA currently has 86 families on the FSS program with 32 of the families having an escrow balance. It also currently has 11 families on the Homeownership program with two of those families purchasing their homes since January 2010.
Transportation
On, Feb. 25, Bonnie Prigge reported that she and Richard Cavender participated with MoDOT, RPCs and planning partners around the state to identify what projects in the state could be constructively improved if there were transportation funds available. MoDOT had posted video clips of the 32 projects being ranked, and Richard and Bonnie reviewed those projects prior to the meeting. They sat with their group and ranked them high, medium or low. Of the 32 statewide projects, Highway 63 for Phelps, Maries and Osage counties ranked 2 nd and Highway 50, the Osage/Gasconade portion, ranked 25.
MoDOT Director Pete Rahn spoke at the meeting. Ms. Prigge explained how money has been pulled from the budget for the Off System Bridge work. At the federal level, transportation funding is being provided by a continuing resolution. which is at a reduced level. This has resulted in MoDOT postponing bid lettings, because funding is less than budgeted. She added MoDOT is not anticipating any new transportation funds any time soon and that it will probably be 2014 before voters will be asked for new money, according to the MoDOT report.
Business Loans
Tom Klebba reported that staff is in the process of closing on three SBA loans. One is in Webster County for $505,000; one in Phelps County for $649,000; and one in Dent County for $137,000. There is one new SBA loan in Phelps County for $560,000, that was recently approved by the MRDC pending final approval. Staff closed on one SBA loan in Crawford County for $66,000 last month.
MRDC has received a total of $40,000 in donations toward a goal of $125,000 in order to reapply for an IRP loan. The deadline is June 2010 to apply. Staff continues to market the program.
Workforce Development
Alan Galindo, rapid response coordinator for C-WIB, distributed the latest copy of 2010 Mo. Central Region Rapid Response Report and newsletter.
Operation Committee
Gary Brown reported on Operations Committee activities as follows:
Financials: Gary Brown made a motion to approve the MRPC/MRB financial statements and MRPC/MRDC-RLF & IRP program financial statements for the period ending February 28, 2010; seconded by Paul Smith. The motion carried.
Personnel Policy Job Description Revision: The operations committee reviewed proposed job description changes for Community Development Specialist and Senior Community Development Specialist. The proposed changes include additional duties for each position with more challenging responsibilities added to the senior level position. The committee recommended presenting the changes to MRPC’s full board for approval.
Gary Brown made a motion to approve the personnel policy revisions for the Community Development Specialist and Senior Community Development Specialist; seconded by Paul Smith. The motion carried.
Annual Leave: MRPC has one employee who was rehired a little over a year ago and if the recently approved annual leave policy was in place at that time would have earned at a higher level upon re-entry. The employee was rehired March 10, 2008, and under current policy, would have earned an additional hour per pay period since that rehire date totaling 48.5 hours of additional leave accrual.
Gary Brown made a motion to approve that request; seconded by Paul Smith. The motion carried.
Meramec Region Community Foundation
Richard Cavender presented a power point presentation on establishing a Meramec Community Region Community Foundation. His presentation included information on how to become an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and all that entails, as well as how the board is to be structured, the type of funds the dollars can be in invested in, required start up monies and what the investment is projected to bring forth in the first year.
MRPC has been working with the Community Foundation of the Ozarks for ten years and has been successful in helping to establish foundations in Bourbon, Crawford County, Hermann, Newburg and St. James. Dent County already had an existing foundation.
To set up a Meramec Region Community Foundation, MRPC would provide staff support to attract donors and other affiliates to become a part of the regional foundation. CFO would split the annual fund management fee of 0.75 of one percent of the region’s fund. MRPC’s part would be one half of 0.75 of one percent. CFO would provide administrative support, investment management, legal advice, and IRS reporting and training.
Gary Brown made a motion to donate $30,000 of MRPC’s Principal Assets to the new foundation board as an unrestricted grant fund. MRPC would no longer own that money. The new foundation board would own those funds. And to also establish an organizational capacity fund to house $250,000 of MRPC Principal Assets. MRPC retains ownership of those funds; seconded by Jim Grebing. The motion carried.
Succession Committee
Laura Antolak reported that the MRPC’s board retreat on succession planning was held on Feb. 16. Steve Etcher and David Warm facilitated the meeting. A summary of the meeting will forthcoming.
Chairman, Vice Chairman and Director’s Report
Laura Antolak, Russell Scheulen and Richard Cavender attended NADO’s Washington Policy Conference, which was held March 1-3. Laura reported that the conference was interesting and that the focus was on EDA and transportation funding. There was not much positive funding news. She added that they met with four of the five legislators for the Meramec Region—Sen. Christopher Bond and representatives JoAnn Emerson, Blaine Luetkemeyer and Ike Skelton. They met with office staff of Sen. Claire McCaskill. Steve Etcher, director of Boonslick RPC, and Randy White, director of Pioneer Trails RPC, accompanied them to the offices of the federal legislators that were in common with MRPC.
Richard Cavender added that Laura and Russell represented MRPC well.
Farewell
Richard Huse, mayor of Belle, and Andy Mattison, mayor of Newburg, are not seeking re-election. They were thanked for their service. Mayor Huse stated that he will bring the new mayor to the April meeting.
Adjourn
Gary Brown made a motion to adjourn at 8:35 p.m.; seconded by John Petersen. The motion carried.
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Laura Antolak, Chairman
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Gary Brown, Secretary