The Stoddard County Senate Bill 40 Board (SB40) discussed the ARC Funding Agreement, for the Stoddard County ARC at its January meeting. Board Chairman Josh Hester said a contract is sent to the ARC Board and Sheltered Workshop Board each year. The contract is signed and returned and is the agreement between SB40 and the entities involved. This contract is the document that dictates what the SB40 Board will pay the ARC and the Workshop. Hester said a contract had not been received yet from the ARC for 2023.
Hester said he spoke to an ARC board member the previous Friday about the contract and did not get a satisfactory answer. Hester said the audit manager said these documents are needed for the audit. ARC Director Courtney Moore said at the time they could not convene the board and at the time of the SB40 meeting some of the board was out of town. Moore is not permitted to act without the board approval.
Moore said they are happy to provide the SB40 board the information they need such as where the money goes.
Hester turned the floor over to board member Wayne Jean, who is also an accountant. Jean said he spoke with the auditor and the county was dinged on the audit due to the missing contract with the ARC as well as the missing contract for the Workshop. The contract with the Workshop has since been signed.
Jean said they would like to go back to the original language in the contract that would require the ARC to provide financial information to the SB40 Board. Jean said they (SB40) re paying the ARC money all year and they don’t know what the ARC’s financial position is. He said this is needed so the SB40 Board will know if a claw back clause is needed in the contract.
Moore was asked multiple times if the ARC could provide financial records which would show bank account balances. Moore said she would have to get approval from her board. She was not permitted to act without their approval.
It was then asked if one member of the SB40 Board could view the records and report back to the SB40 Board. Only the SB40 representative would know the exact numbers and report back that the ARC was paying their bills. SB40 member Mark Avery said they knew the ARC was paying their bills but needed to go through this process for the audit.
Again Moore said she would need to get approval for the board. It should be noted the ARC Board is operated under similar guidelines to a school board. The superintendent of a school or in this case the ARC Director may not make financial decisions (including decisions with the financial records) without the approval of the board.
Stoddard County Commissioner Carol Jarrell, who was in attendance said this was putting Moore between a “rock and a hard place”. Moore needed to answer the SB40 Board’s questions but could not provide what they needed without the approval of the ARC Board.
The immediate need was the payment of the transportation bill for December. This is a fee that must be paid each month for clients that are not wavered. Wavered clients have their transportation fees paid by medicaid. The ARC provides transportation to the day center for the clients. The ARC also provided transportation for some clients to the Sheltered Workshop.
The SB40 Board agreed to pay the December transportation bill in the amount of $3,116.56. The SB40 Board further agreed to pay the transportation fees each month with a cap of $59,000 for the year. It was sad the fees most likely would not get near the $59,000 mark. This was something needed because this is tax payer money being used. This deal is pending the approval of the audit manager. Once the manager says this will meet the audit requirement for this item. The SB40 Board will conduct an email vote on the monthly once approval is received from the audit manager.
Devin Miller, director of the Stoddard County Sheltered Workshop, said the renovation project at the workshop is not quite 50 percent complete. Miller included the invoice from Rick Shipman Construction for Phase II of the project. This could be paid in March after the board receives some of its tax income.
Miller said Rick Shipman Construction has gone from the loading dock to the connection of the next building. The recycling area still has to be renovated. They will next turn right and work down to the old loading dock which will be torn out.
Miller said the workers ran into extra things during the project. He said a lot of them thought it would be a “re skin job”. Meaning install new siding and roof. However they have run into bent purlins in the walls and other issues that need to be repaired.
Miller was asked if the work would stop until the next payment or would continue. Miller said he was unsure but they were not at a good stopping point with the roof repair due to leaking and other issues. He said a good stopping point, if they do, would be when the work reaches the old loading dock. Miller said the work is still in the store room/warehouse area.
Miller was asked if the material for the full job was ordered or just for the first phases. Miller was unsure how much has been ordered saying the original project manager for the job is no longer with Rick Shipman Construction. He said he has not had the chance to talk extensively with the new project manager.
Miller said the recycling market has tanked when he went over the financials for the workshop. He said they picked up Dewitt and is doing a job for them now. He said the workshop sent a load of aluminum and plastic off, which will help. He said a recycle grant they hope to get soon will help. Miller said cardboard has dropped to $25 a ton from $120 a ton. He said he hopes this will improve by summer. Miller said the workshop currently has 17 clients working at the facility.
Board Chairman Josh Hester said the SB40 Board was under budget for the year during the approval of the financials. He said the board had a net income of $58,343.65 for the year. The ending balance was $195, 321.02.
The SB40 Board elected not to donate to the Kenny Rogers Center Program at this time due to the renovation of the Sheltered Workshop. The program the board was approached about would be a commitment to monthly payments to assist patients with insurance difficulties.The said they may revisit this in the future.