OSAGE COUNTY — At the May 15 Osage County commission meeting, Public Administrator Brenny Montgomery asked commissioners for money to subscribe to Estates Management System, by SEM Applications, Inc., software she said is used by other Public Administrators. In the course of that conversation, she also expressed much frustration with former Public Administrator Paul Stratman.

“Through lots of research and going to the convention for (Missouri Association of Public Administrators) and stuff, and the fact that I literally had nothing from the (previous Public Administrator) on any of my clients, wards, or whatever,” Montgomery said, “I come to find out that they have this SEM software that every PA should have.

“So, basically,” Montgomery continued, “what this does is everything that you enter, like the notes, constantly getting calls, the notes - that gets put in there. Their Medicaid gets put in there, their Medicare, whatever is putting in their funds, you know, all of this stuff, so that it is easy for somebody, myself, or whoever steps in after me, can type in their name, and there’s everything that you need to know about this person.”

Montgomery went on to explain that she had received very little information about her wards from Stratman.

“He dropped off boxes, but most of it’s like bank statements, which I don’t really need, or invoices and stuff,” Montgomery explained. “Very little information have I had on any of my wards or clients.”

“We have basically no records,” Western District Commissioner Dale Logan confirmed.

“Zilch,” Montgomery agreed. “And I have to build it up. I have gone to (Judge) Sonya Brandt and (Circuit Clerk) Beth (Billington), because I’ve gotten nothing, and my so-called deputy is no longer my deputy because he just doesn’t comply with anything. And come to find out, when I go to care-planning meetings and stuff like that, he’s never been.”

“Let me back up here,” Logan said. “I have a question, if you don’t mind. We authorized $3,000 of payment for the deputy. Was that paid?”

“Not all of it, thank goodness,” Montgomery said. “And that’s kind of why I was asking for this, because that money could probably go towards that.”

The cost, she said, is $6 per month, per open case.

“I’m at like 29 (wards) right now. That’s $174 a month. So, approximately about $2,888 a year for the software, and they help take care of it,” Montgomery said, explaining that both the software company and other Public Administrators had offered to help her.

Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin asked how much money she had left in her budget from what was allocated to pay a deputy.

“I really can’t say, but I know I haven’t used it all up,” Montgomery responded. “I’m not paying him because they’re calling his phone constantly. I did not give out his personal phone number. He did. That’s his own mistake. If he calls me up and says, ‘I had talked to so and so, or they emailed me,’ that’s not my problem, and that’s not our problem. He set that stuff up. He has to deal with that, bottom line. So I pay him when he shows up here, and he works for me. (If) he does not work for me, I’m not paying.

“I know I sound tough, but you know, like he promised to do these things,” she continued. “He did not go through with them, and, come to find out, he’s not taking care of all these people that he’s supposed to have taken care of, and now it’s all in my lap. That’s why I went to the judge and them, and they’re giving me documents, which I got another meeting with them next week. They’ve been doing like, five at a time, and it goes back to like 2023.

“So, I’m dealing with all of this where I’m getting more information, and I’ve got, like, no family numbers; some of these documents I got had no Social Security number,” Montgomery went on. “They were pre-made, cut out, he may have typed up at the last minute kind of thing, with a name and a phone number and maybe an address and whatever. So I’ve not had information, and he still hasn’t brought stuff that he’s supposed to bring.”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Peters said, about the software. “It’s a lot of money. I guess I would say, try to figure out how much she spent on salary.”

Griffin pointed out that money allocated for wages could not technically be spent on software. Treasurer Valerie Prater told her to use her miscellaneous budget line, and that would be over budget at the end of the year, but might be partially offset overall by the lower amount spent on salaries.

“Seriously, like, that or you guys are going to be up against getting maybe sued or, you know, audited,” Montgoery said. “Because if they come and audit us, what do we have (as proof)?”

“You don’t have anything,” Griffin said.

“Nothing,” Montgomery echoed.

“I think we have to do it, myself,” Logan said.

“Absolutely,” Griffin agreed.

“In the long run, if I’m not here after four years and I go to hand this over, it’s all there,” Montgomery said. “And you guys don’t have to have another one stressing out, like I am, trying to figure out everything.”

“It’s a great idea,” Peters said. “I like your idea.”

“It also does their checks and stuff for them,” Montgomery added. “Every county is using this, and they also do online training. Then these people will come to you and help you as well. I got to see a little bit of it. It was just amazing how they just pulled up one person’s name and everything was there. You know, it’s just entering it all in there, because nothing’s ever been entered. It’ll take a lot of time. I’ve got backup for that. So I was kind of thrilled to have that because I’m like, ‘Crap. I’ll be doing this in my sleep.’”

Commissioners gave their blessing for the software subscription.

Montgomery went on to say that Judge Brandt had contacted Stratman regarding the missing records and property.

“Just recently, probably, because he started sending me stuff,” Montgomery said. “It’s been really stressful, as I can’t take care of the wards if I’m busy trying to clean up the mess, and we have to take care of the people. (Judge) Sonya (Brandt) said, she was like, ‘If you hadn’t come to us, we would have just thought you weren’t doing your job.’ I’m over here busting my butt trying to figure it all out on my own. When I asked Paul things, it’s like pulling teeth. You know, like, give me the whole thing.”

“I’m surprised at some of the things you’re giving us here,” Logan said. “I would not have guessed that.”

“Yeah, me, too. Me, too,” Montgomery said. “I loved the guy. I just don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know. He doesn’t respond to half of the things. We’ve asked for keys to come back to another ward and he’ll say, ‘Okay.” I’ll see him several times. I never get the keys — like, nothing. He doesn’t say yes, he doesn’t say no, he just — nothing. I’m getting nothing. The last I got anything was boxes he dropped off here, when I wasn’t here, for everybody to see, set out in the hall, and that didn’t sit well with me.

“I’ve got an attorney writing up a letter for removing him from every facility because he’s interfering where he shouldn’t,” she continued.

Stratman attended Tuesday’s meeting this week to address commissioners regarding Montgomery’s statements about him.

“First off, I commend Brenny for having this job,” Stratman said. “It’s not very easy. I did it for 24 years. It’s tough. 24/7, seven days a week, as (my wife) Ann would know. (During) vacation time, I got calls all the time. When the boys were little, I had to leave functions with the family to go places like hospitals or doctors or whatever. So it’s not easy. I commend her for that.

“Twenty-four years ago, when I took office, I had no help,” Stratman continued. “Just figure it out. Just get it done. So, the first couple years were living hell to me and my family, because I didn’t know what I was doing. No one would help me. The former Public Administrator, I beat her in the election. She had nothing to do with me, so I was on my own.”

Stratman went on to say that he had reached out to Montgomery and told her he would help her as much as he could.

“I know she has concerns about how I did stuff,” Stratman said. “My office was (in) my home for 24 years. For 24 years, different commissioners — though not you guys — said, ‘Hey, we’ll get you office in the courthouse.’ It never went through; it just died there. I just didn’t have a place to work outside my home.

“She mentioned that software program they use,” Stratman continued. “In my house, it would not work because you need secure internet, firewalls, and also support to keep that thing from being hacked inside your home. I don’t have that in my house.

“So, I basically did it like I was told years ago to do it, and I just continued doing it,” he went on. “I never had any problems for 24 years. I know things are different now with computers and stuff, but I was old-fashioned. I just basically did it like I did in 2001, and it worked, and I never had any problems with anybody looking at my stuff.”

Stratman said he and Montgomery had a meeting later that morning, and he was still happy to help her at no cost to the county.

“I want to make sure that she gets done what she needs done, and I know that I did my best with what I had,” he said.

Stratman said he also still has a lot of contacts that don’t yet have Montgomery’s number, and that he refers those calls to her.

“So, I’m not taking her calls like she said, but I have individuals who I was guardian of for 20 years,” he said. “They called me on weekends to say hi. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with that, I don’t think. I mean, they’re basically like family.

“I think it’s a very stressful job,” Stratman said. “I know what she’s going through. I’ve been through it several years, (when) no one would help me. I’m helping her. She’s got a lot of support now with the state officials around the state. I never had that. When I took office, Osage, Miller, Maries, Gasconade and Montgomery (counties) all had new Public Administrators that year. All five of us were thrown in the same boat — no support, so just ourselves.

“You know, it’s a learning process, and nobody knows what we do with this job,” he concluded. “I mean, everybody’s different in society. Every person is different, every human being is different. Everybody’s got problems differently, and we have to adjust each person. So, it’s a thankless job I did for years, and I just hope people realize that, and I did my best doing it.”

Stratman later mentioned that, for 24 years, he paid for his mileage, stamps, envelopes, paper, and cell phone out of his own pocket without submitting those costs to the county for reimbursement.

“I think it’s a state law now that every county (elected official has) an office” he added. “I wish they’d done that years ago.”

“Just for your information, as far as I’m concerned, I haven’t ever had anybody complain,” Logan said. “I haven’t had any taxpayers complain about you to me. As a matter of fact, lots of people are all compliments about the job you did.”

“All compliments, really” Peters agreed.