Extension Council approves secretary's retirement account

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The Vernon County MU Extension Council has taken the first steps in shouldering the weight placed upon it by the University of Missouri budget cuts and Affordable Care Act changes.

At Monday evening's meeting, county program director Pat Miller handed out a document titled "MU Extension Allotment to County Offices for FY2017".

The document reads in part, "As the Affordable Care Act outlined healthcare as the responsibility of individuals or their employer, it has become increasingly difficult for MU Extension to continue supplementing health care benefits for staff who are not direct employees. MU Extension has been advised to end the practice of providing counties a supplement for health insurance"

In Vernon County, as in all Missouri counties, the Extension office support staff [secretary] is hired at the expense of the county Extension Council.

"The result is that counties will have greater flexibility to use this funding source in support of extension county office programming," the document explained.

"Effective Jan. 1 2017, MU Extension will no longer be the administrator for the secretary retirement plan with Nationwide Retirement Solutions and will not have any connections to any secretary health insurance plans," the document reads.

It explains that retirement contributions for support staff will be at the discretion of individual county Extension boards.

"That is a right now issue," Miller said.

University of Missouri has been contributing 2 percent, or roughly $500, each year towards Vernon County's support staff, Judi Swank's, retirement.

Leslie Carol-Barlett said the extension council would need to set up the required two accounts with Nationwide by the end of October otherwise, Swank would have to withdraw the money in her retirement account and pay a 20 percent penalty. One account is for Swank's contributions and the other is for the Extension Council's contributions.

Miller said the accounts would have to be established now in case a future council would choose to contribute to Swank's retirement.

The council voted unanimously to establish the two required accounts at Nationwide for support staff's retirement.

* Miller said she did not have exact numbers for the Chicken Barbecue because there are still receipts to be accounted for and unused products to be returned to the vendor.

* MU Extension has made changes to bring Master Gardners more in line with 4-H. Master Gardners that work alone with children will have to be screened to the same standards as 4-H leaders. Master Gardner groups will have to sign a memorandum of understanding with MU Extension in order to receive liability insurance coverage.

* For the past several years, Michelle Westerhold has worked part time in the office and during the annual Youth Fair but she is no longer available.

The Extension office needs someone to fill in when Swank has to be away from work. For employees that work less than 19 hours a week, the Extension does not have to advertise the position.

* Carol-Bartlett and Landon Sullivan have been using video cameras and editing equipment purchased to film instructional videos for their respective programs.

* Miller said there are eight council seats that are up for election in January and candidates need to be chosen by December.

* Miller said families without access to the Internet at home could come to the MU Extension office to sign up for 4-H.