At the February 2 NOCOMO Board of Directors meeting, new Nodaway County South District Commissioner Scott Walk attended to gain a better understanding of the sheltered workshop’s purpose and undertakings.

In Manager Nicki Samson’s report, the workshop is still following the board approved COVID-19 guidelines for certified employees and staff. She said as long as masks are required in public, NOCOMO will require masks. Several of the certified employees have received or are going to be receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Discussion was held on the SB-40 board activities. The NOCOMO board directed Samson that she no longer needed to attend the SB-40 board meetings, which are held quarterly.

Samson said she had not applied for the Nodaway County CARES Act money, because she applied for two grant rounds through the state. Round one was paid in October for $36,000 and was used to reimburse certified employees wages not received in March, April and June.

Review of the financial report for the first six months ending December 2020, showed the workshop is $4,699.58 positive.

Samson expressed concern about funding for the workshop and the push to have certified employees placed in competitive employment. She shared information sent to her by the Missouri Association of Sheltered Workshop Managers (MASWM).

“For many in Jefferson City, the CARES funding was seen as a replacement for withheld budget funds, and often described as ‘making us whole,’” Dale Garrison, MASWM editor. “We feel it important to delineate the two funding sources and the expenditures that each was intended for, as well as pointing out that more than $3 million of our members’ CARES request has gone unfunded.”

On January 1, the Missouri minimum wage rose to $10.30 per hour. This will affect the certified and regular staff employees wages. On certified employees, the wage will be used to compute the amount paid to each under the 14c certificate.

Also noted in the MASWM material, “President Joe Biden has unveiled his “American Rescue Plan,” or his COVID-19 bill… Deep in the plan, with no further detail, is raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour and the elimination of subminimum wages or the 14c.”

Samson said out of the 87 workshops in Missouri, 27 certified employees, six staff members and 20 board members have died of COVID-19. She reported there have been some quarantines of employees but so far no one has had the virus.

Board President Dave Lawyer said he is stepping down from the board effective with the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year. He wanted to give the board time to recruit his replacement.

Facebook Comments