History
The top news in 1969 included the inauguration of Richard M. Nixon as the 37th president of the United States, Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon, Woodstock, and, in Missouri, passage of Senate Bill 40. That was great news to families and friends of people with developmental disabilities.Senate Bill 40, RSMo 205.968 to 205.972, allowed counties in Missouri to tax themselves, by a vote of the citizens, to provide services for people with developmental disabilities.
At that time, there was a strong push to move people with developmental disabilities out of large "State Hospitals" and into the community, usually in group homes located in their own communities, close to family. At the same time, sheltered workshops were being developed to provide work for those living in the community, whether group home or natural home. So it made sense that this new legislation would assist counties in being able to provide these supports.
It took a little while-campaigning by the local Association for Retarded Citizens (now called the Arc of Clay and Platte Counties), the local sheltered workshop (VSI), families and concerned citizens, and sale of lots of honey bears-to pass the levy in Platte County but Platte County was still the third in the State to do so. That was in November of 1974.
The next step was for the County Judges (now called Commissioners) to appoint the required nine-member Board of Directors, whose purpose was utilize the taxes raised to provide services for citizens who have a developmental disability. That first Board met on August 11, 1975 and began what was then called Platte County Sheltered Workshop Board and is now Platte County Board of Services for the Developmentally Disabled.
Charter members of this first board were Colin Campbell, Kathleen Dowd, Dr. June A. Edwards, Eugene Feldhausen, Lee Hull, Rev. Ken Lutgen, Mary Jane McKinnon, Violet Sanders, and Gary Stumbo. Their first order of business was to determine the needs for the County.
There were available in Platte County at that time two programs for people with developmental disabilities-a sheltered workshop called Vocational Services, Inc. and a day program called Developmental Work Activity Association (now known as Triality) for people who were unable to work at the workshop. Platte County had 5 people at the workshop and 2 in the day program. The Board decided that the greatest need was for group homes.
In 1976, the Board rented and remodeled a four-bedroom duplex that opened as an 8-person group home, called Bell House, for men with developmental disabilities. They then contracted with Concerned Care, a nonprofit located in Clay County, to manage the home, and the first Teaching Parents, Steve and Janice Tilman, were hired and began work.
In 1978, the Board rented half a duplex at Tiffany Manor Apartments to open 4-person group home for women called Tiffany House. That year also saw a name change to Platte County Sheltered Facilities Board.
According to the meeting minutes, things were not all that well in Platte County. It seems the Board wanted to control the funds that were being collected by the County as the "Handicapped Tax." There was a question about who should benefit from the interest earned by the funds; and it was nearly impossible to run a household with all the rules and hoops to jump through to pay utilities, food, and other expenses.
Finally on June 12, 1979, a motion was made, seconded and passed by this upstart Board, appointed by the County Commission,
"To direct and empower its Attorney to pursue whatever course of action is necessary, including filing a suit, to clarify the issue of monetary control of funds of the Platte County Sheltered Facilities Board as outlined in Section 205.968 through and including 205.972 R.S.Mo 1969. Said authority of the Attorney shall also include the authority to pursue the recovery of interest on all funds held by Platte County since the initiation of Platte County Sheltered Facilities Board."
The judgment came down in favor of the Board; but the Commission had the final say-they replaced all the members except one. That was 1980.
In 1981, the Board hired their first administrator, Bob Sharkey, and began to manage its own programs with funds it controlled. Programs and services sprouted and grew.
