MRPC News Release
Jan. 24, 2006
For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Richard Cavender or Bonnie J. Prigge, (573) 265-2993
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN MERAMEC REGION WANT FEWER
FEDERAL MANDATES, LEADERS TELL CONGRESSIONAL STAFF
ST. JAMES—Local governments want more local control and fewer unfunded mandates, members of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission told Congressional staff members representing the Meramec Region's Congressional delegation during its Jan. 12 meeting.
Each January, the MRPC board discusses federal legislative issues with Congressional staff members before establishing the region's federal priorities. In attendance on Jan. 12 were Donna Spickert of Sen. Jim Talent's office, Darren Lingle of Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's office, Ann Kutscher of Rep. Ike Skelton's office and Jenni Riegel of Rep. Kenny Hulshof's office. Each discussed the legislative priorities of the Congressional leaders they serve and then fielded questions and comments from the MRPC board.
Board members were consistent in saying that they did not want anymore unfunded mandates from the federal government. The group cited several examples of legislation and regulations that have been passed down to local governments and organizations without funding to implement them. One example, provided by Cuba Emergency Management Director Les Murdock, was the required emergency management training that city councils, city staff, police officers and firefighters must take. While most classes are free, there is no money for staff time that must be covered when personnel are in training. Another example, cited by Dent County Presiding Commissioner Jim Biggs, was education legislation that places many requirements on schools. While some funding may come with these requirements, the federal government is dictating how the dollars must be spent and, often times, requires additional local dollars be provided as match or to cover funding shortfalls to implement the requirement, Biggs explained.
Doolittle Mayor Paul Smith encouraged Congressional leaders to stop taking money to Washington. "Let us keep money here for schools and fire departments," Smith said. "Local control needs to be at home. We can handle some of these things. We need local people making local decisions on local priorities."
Board members will be surveyed in late January to determine the region's top federal priorities. Those will be included in a federal priorities report. Chairman Gary Brown, Executive Director Richard Cavender and board member Marcus Maggard will travel to Washington, D.C. in March to deliver the report to the region's Congressional delegation.
In other business, the board:
• Approved the state priorities recommended by the External Relations Committee, which were determined by a survey of the board. Chairman Gary Brown, Executive Director Richard Cavender and other board and staff members, in February, will deliver MRPC's State Priorities Report to area legislators in Jefferson City.
• Approved a contract with the city of St. James to prepare the close-out paperwork on the city's water tower project, which was funded in part by a Community Development Block Grant.
• Approved a recommendation from the Operations Committee to adopt the 2005-2006 revised budget.
• Heard a report from Executive Director Richard Cavender regarding the regionalization of Homeland Security. The Missouri Department of Homeland Security has been holding meetings across the state to acquaint emergency response agencies with the idea of organizing regional committees, based on highway patrol districts, to help in the planning and prioritization of homeland security issues and needs. As planned, regional planning commissions in the respective highway patrol districts would serve as coordinators of the effort. The effort would be similar to the partnership between the Missouri Department of Transportation and regional planning commissions, where the formation of Transportation Advisory Committees is now recognized as a national model. The Missouri Association of Councils of Government (MACOG) is working with the state to work out the details of the regionalization plan.
Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. Officers are Chairman Gary Brown of Salem, Vice Chairman Bob Reed of Washington County, Secretary Mary Heywood of Bourbon and Treasurer Laura Antolak of Rolla.
A professional staff, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities upon request.
The public is invited to attend the next MRPC meeting on Feb. 9 at its office at 4 Industrial Drive in St. James, MO.