Mississippi County phasing out role in SEMO Drug Task Force

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The SEMO Drug Task Force is seeking a new home for its money now that Mississippi County has released itself from the role of banker, said task force head Kevin Glaser.

Earlier this month, Mississippi County Clerk Junior DeLay asked the commission to end the county's role as a pass-through agent for the $375,000 in federal grant money the task force has on account.

The task force's investigators come from about 25 law enforcement agencies across Southeast Missouri. For the last eight years, Mississippi County has held the funds, made up of several grants the task force uses to combat the region's illicit drug problem.

On Tuesday, Delay said the commission decided this month that the task force's money will be phased out of the budget by the end of the calendar year.

"It just inflates our budget," he said. "The liability of our insurance premiums is based on the size of our budget. There are several counties the task force serves and we felt it was time for someone else to fill this role."

Discussing situation

Glaser is actively searching for a replacement to hold the task force's dollars.

"We're going to meet with the task force board members toward the end of this month to see if another city or county can take up that role for us," he said.

He already has discussed the situation with Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan. But there are several factors to consider before any service agreement on funds could be reached, he said. Those include the how checks are issued to the task force and the timeliness of payments.

"How things are handled in Cape Girardeau County may not be conducive to how we operate, so we'll just have to see," Glaser said.

The task force is grateful to Mississippi County for voluntarily being a "safety valve" for so many years, Glaser said.

"As a task force, we're not a separate government entity, and that puts us in a unique situation," he said. "Most of our funds come from federal grants. And the federal government believes it's better to funnel these grants through a legitimate agency, like a city or county, because it provides a system of checks and balances."

Increased budget

The task force's budget exceeds $300,000 annually. It may have increased a little over the last few years due to some of the grants, he said.

Glaser is optimistic that another county or city will assume the caretaker role of the task force's money, perhaps even as soon as the task force board's upcoming meeting.

"It's going to be a necessity at some point because we need someone to step up to the plate as the new pass-through agency or there will be no task force," Glaser said.

mwells@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160