Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

ST. JAMES—Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) received an unmodified audit opinion from Hochschild, Bloom and Company, LLP for the period ending June 30, 2020. The board approved a draft of the single audit contingent on no changes when finalized at its March 11 board meeting, which was held virtually. 

An unmodified audit report occurs when an independent auditor deems a company’s financial statements are fairly and appropriately presented, without any identified exceptions, and in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles and applicable federal regulations. Tammy Alsop with Hochschild, Bloom and Company presented the audit report to the board. 

“It’s the best report an entity can receive,” Alsop said. “With everything going down and the market the way it is, I think the commission was doing a lot of good for the cities and trying to help them a lot. There were no deficiencies or material weaknesses that we found, which is very good. I really appreciate everything Linda [Loughridge] does for us. She does a great job. I know she has a lot to do, so I appreciate the work she does.” 

MRPC had revenues of $2,184,495 for the year ending June 30, 2020 and expenses of $2,167,578. MRPC ended the year with a profit of $21,897. The audit also includes audits of MRB, Meramec Regional Emergency Planning Committee and MRPC’s revolving loan funds as component units.

“I am extremely proud of the MRPC team and their attention to detail,” said Executive Director Bonnie Prigge. “Every staff member plays a role in our success, from following procurement policies to filling out purchase orders and attaching supporting documentation. Our fiscal team does the heavy lifting in ensuring that revenue and expenses are applied to the appropriate projects and are reported accurately. The pandemic made those efforts even more challenging as several staff worked from home, but our staff rose to the challenge, as the audit shows,” Prigge added. 

The audit firm did not issue a management letter or any recommendations for improvement. 

In other business, the MRPC board: 

• Approved Rich Eisterhold with Three Rivers Electric Cooperative as the new for-profit representative for Osage County. Eisterhold replaces Mark Boyer who retired from Three Rivers Electric Cooperative;
• Heard an update from Hannah Larrick with Sen. Blunt’s office. She discussed that Sen. Blunt would not be seeking re-election. His term ends in 2022. She also stated that the COVID rescue bill was passed and signed by President Biden. The bill will award money to individual counties and cities, which can be used for a variety of purposes including broadband infrastructure, previously not included in COVID relief packages;
• Approved two new CARES Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) loans for Ely Manor Events Center in Linn and Alexander Construction in Rolla;
• Heard a report on the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) update to include more resiliency actions. The next CEDS committee meeting for updates to the plan is March 31; and
• Was informed of a grant opportunity for 501(c)3 nonprofits, churches and schools in the Meramec Region through the Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF) for COVID-19 impacts. MRCF received a $10,000 Coover grant through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks to redistribute in amounts ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.

The MRPC board will meet again on April 8, and the intention will be a hybrid meeting where board members can attend in-person or via Zoom. 

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. Gasconade County Presiding Commissioner Larry Miskel serves as chairman of the board. A professional staff of 34 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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