Chamber Accepts Council Conditions.

The Carthage Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors voted Monday morning to accept the conditions set forth by the City Finance Committee last Friday. Interim President Dexter Friesen said no other options were considered during the meeting.

"The motion was to hire a CPA to do a complete audit of the Chamber," Friesen told the Mornin’ Mail yesterday afternoon. "And do it within the guidelines of the City Council, as we understood it."

Friesen said the Board also approved a motion that commended Executive Director Heather Kelly for the outstanding job she has done in marketing Carthage.

The special Monday meeting was called in response to the Council voting last Tuesday to put two Chamber contracts on hold until an audit was completed. The Finance Committee met Friday evening to further clarify exactly was required.

The Chamber has contracted as the designated marketing organization for the City for several years. That classification allows for 50% matching funds from the State. An agreement with the Joplin Convention and Visitor’s Bureau for 25% of joint advertising means that every dollar spent by Carthage translates to four dollars of advertising. One of the concerns of the Chamber, as expressed in a letter to the City, was that delays in awarding Chamber contracts would put these matching funds at risk. The proposed contract for marketing is for $39,500.

A separate contract for a tourism marketing program funded with Lodging Tax Funds includes approximately $25,000 for general administrative expenses, and approximately $23,000 for advertising. This program typically does not use matching funds from outside agencies. The Lodging Tax revenue comes from a 2% tax on all hotel/motel stays in Carthage.

The past practice has been for the Chamber to submit receipts to the City for reimbursement. Finance Committee Chair Lujene Clark has stated that she has found approximately $2,800 in overpayments to the Chamber because of double billings in some instances. The Chamber acknowledges there have been some problems with billings, but feels these are due to recent personnel changes.

During the Finance Committee meeting member Art Dunaway stated that the problem goes farther back. He said there were billing problems two years ago when he was on the Finance Committee.

The idea for an audit was raised earlier in the City budget process when Chamber Board member Dan Corp, acting apparently without the knowledge of the Board, appeared at a Budget Committee meeting and stated that the City should not contract with the Chamber unless a full audit was required. Also present at that meeting was former Chamber President Eddie Swingle Neil, who had resigned her post as President just days before the meeting. She made no comments at the meeting. In an interview with the Mornin’ Mail immediately after her resignation however, Neil did state her concerns about bookkeeping. Neil was also present at the Finance Committee meeting last Friday.

Several Board members attended Friday’s meeting, including Corp.

The Finance Committee guidelines for the fiscal year 1998/98 audit include a completion within 60 days, with compliance with any recommendations of the auditing firm within 30 days after receipt. It also requires that any overpayments by Carthage, Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau, or the State Division of Tourism be refunded.

Clark told the members of the Chamber Board present at the Friday meeting that she would bring the contracts back up for consideration by the Council if she was assured that the guidelines would be met.

The meeting, which was posted on Thursday afternoon at City Hall, drew unexpected attention from the area media. Besides Carthage media coverage, the Joplin Globe and KODE TV showed up to cover the event.

According to one bystander after the meeting, the television station received a call notifying them of the meeting.

Commentary

Martin "Bubs" Hohulin

State Representative, District 126

I guess you can file this one either under ‘Now I’ve really seen it all’ or ‘How low can a politician go to get campaign cash?’. You will probably remember when I wrote about Gov. Mel Carnahan’s attempt to unionize all state government employees. He made a strong push for that in order to solidify union labor support for his bid for the U.S. Senate.

Wisely, the Missouri House soundly defeated that proposal during the recently ended Session. If it had passed, it would have cost taxpayers BILLIONS of dollars over the upcoming years and we would have seen strikes and work stoppages of all kinds. Yet, Gov. Carnahan was willing to spend your money and put you at an inconvenience to get at campaign money for himself.

Now it has come out that Gov. Carnahan was ready to implement the unionization plan by Executive Order. I never have liked the Executive Order process and this is a perfect example of why. With the stroke of a pen, he could have implemented the plan the representatives of the people rejected. A draft copy of the Executive Order was discovered and brought to light by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and the Missouri Farm Bureau.

Carnahan’s office immediately, and angrily, denied that it was ever going to amount to anything. Why would it be put in writing and in draft form if it was going to just set on the shelf? The order was very specific about how several separate unions would be set up. The reason there would be more than one is because it would allow for more money to be funneled to his campaign. Incidentally, the money would come straight from the pockets of the state employees through payroll deductions.

I am personally offended that Gov. Carnahan was prepared to spit in the faces of you, the public, by using dictator like tactics to implement something that would be so bad for Missouri. I guess that is what happens when a government official governs by only looking to see where the next campaign check is coming from. We in Missouri deserve better.

As usual, I can be reached at House Post Office, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101, or 1-800-878-7126, or mhohulin@services.state.mo.us for your questions, comments, or advice.

Just Jake Talkin'
Mornin',

I was talkin’ on the phone yesterday when the sirens went off.

"Maybe we can talk about this latter," was the comment I heard on the other end of the line.

I suppose the possibility of a tornado is sufficient reason to get off the phone for a while. Those things are a little dangerous after all. Sometimes we tend to ignore those simple warnin’s after a while.

I hear that Joplin did get a little damage from the wind. Coulda just as easily been me blown out in the street, sittin’ there with a phone to my ear. It was prob’ly good I was talkin’ with someone here in town that had some sense.

The sirens usually go off for a reason, I’d recommend payin’ attention.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

'

by

McCune Brooks Hospital

HEALTH NOTES

Most children enjoy playing with toy tea sets. But some of these sets can be dangerous to your child’s I.Q. development.

Over the past several years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recalled eight brands of children’s ceramic tea sets imported from China. They contained lead levels which could lead to lead poisoning for any child who ate or drank from the dishes or cups.

A newsletter from Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., noted that when lead is ingested, it circulates in the blood, but is gradually stored in the bones and teeth.

Lead poisoning can lead to irreversible brain damage, including mental retardation. The child may also develop learning and behavior problems.

The same newsletter suggests that if you have copper plumbing in your house or apartment, that you never make up infant formula with the "first draw" water. Lead can leach overnight from the solder used to weld water pipes together.

It can then concentrate in the water overnight.

Let the tap water run a few minutes each morning before using it in infant formula, or, indeed, for any purpose.

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