Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

Gordon and McCarter fill at-large board vacancies

ST. JAMES—The Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) board adopted the fiscal year 2024-2025 budget at its June 13 meeting. Fiscal Officer Linda Loughridge reviewed the budget in detail with members. 

The 2024-25 budget projects $3,027,559 in revenues with $3,015,126 in expenses, leaving the organization with a surplus of $12,433. These revenues are up $27,691 from fiscal year 2023-24. MRPC’s revenue is approximately 69 percent federal funding, 25 percent local and private sector funding, 4 percent membership dues that come from the cities and counties who MRPC serves and 2 percent state funding.

Indirect costs, or the costs of running the organization, decreased approximately 9 percent from last fiscal year and represents 10.3 percent of the total agency budgeted expenses in 2024-25. Management continues to seek ways to reduce overhead costs. MRPC’s largest expense remains personnel (wages and benefits), which is typical of a service organization. This coming year, no new staff are specified in the budget. New staff could be added if additional projects are secured. MRPC currently has 30 employees, including nine part-time employees.  

MRPC goes through a budget process twice a year. The commission takes steps to minimize operating expenses and increase revenues as much as possible. 

Additionally, MRPC board approved nominations to fill two at-large vacancy positions on the board. Taisia Gordon was appointed as the small business representative and Matt McCarter as the agri-business representative. Gordon is the director of marketing and client services for Archer-Elgin and McCarter is the ag division manager at Gahr Truck and Equipment. The board still has a vacancy in the at-large lending position on the MRPC board. 

In other business, the MRPC board:

• Adopted MRPC’s updated Title VI Plan pending no comments were made by the end of the comment period on June 21. The plan is available on MRPC’s website. No comments were made, and the plan was approved;
• Approved TAP application rankings presented by the Transportation Advisory Committee to be presented to MoDOT;
• Selected State Technical College of Missouri’s proposal to host MRPC’s Annual Dinner at Osage View in Linn on Oct. 24; and 
• Approved the bylaw change to rename the at-large minority position to at-large for the underrepresented. 

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. Mary Heywood, representing the unemployed, serves as chair of the board. A professional staff of 30 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.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.

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