[nfbmi-talk] Business Enterprise Program article ann arbor news

joe harcz Comcast joeharcz at comcast.net
Fri Nov 30 12:37:44 UTC 2012


There is something else important here. That is Ed Rodgers made changes to 
the State Plan for Independent Living to use Elderly Blind dollars for this 
new data system that he references here.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joe Sontag" <suncat0 at gmail.com>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 10:59 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Business Enterprise Program article ann arbor news


> You'll never guess how some members of the Elected Operators' Committee 
> and other operators are reacting to this article.  They are heaping abuse 
> on Mr. Rothenhauser, even his  sister, saying he's a bad operator who 
> should be removed from the program.  I know nothing about his abilities as 
> an operator, but I know that his facility has been a troubled location for 
> many years, well before Mark took over.
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "joe harcz Comcast" <joeharcz at comcast.net>
> To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 19:47
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Business Enterprise Program article ann arbor 
> news
>
>
>> Outragious. Simply outragious. My copy of this report was totally and 
>> outragiously inaccessable.
>>
>> That is a fact Jackson!
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "trising" <trising at sbcglobal.net>
>> To: "nfbmi List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2012 6:36 PM
>> Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Business Enterprise Program article ann arbor news
>>
>>
>>>    Mark Rothenhauser, 55, operates the snack bar at the state Capitol. 
>>> He's been participating in the state's Business Enterprise Program for 
>>> people who are blind and visually impaired for six years.Melissa Anders 
>>> | MLive
>>> LANSING, MI - The state did not properly manage a program that helps 
>>> blind people run vending facilities in government buildings, according 
>>> to an audit report that estimates the program improperly spent about a 
>>> quarter million dollars.
>>>
>>> A report released Tuesday by Michigan's Auditor General found that the 
>>> Michigan Commission for the Blind did not effectively monitor the 
>>> finances, contracting and inventory for its Business Enterprise Program. 
>>> The program offers licenses to blind and visually impaired people to 
>>> operate vending machines, cafeterias, snack bars, carts and other food 
>>> services in state and federal buildings, highway rest stops and visitor 
>>> centers.
>>>
>>> The audit generally covered Oct. 2008 through July 2011, when the 
>>> program was still managed by the Michigan Commission for the Blind.
>>>
>>> The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) realized there 
>>> were several issues with the vending program and requested the audit.
>>>
>>> Gov. Rick Snyder responded to broader issues surrounding the Commission 
>>> for the Blind with an executive order that replaced the commission with 
>>> the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons in October.
>>>
>>> Ed Rodgers took over as director of the bureau last month with the 
>>> mandate to make improvements.
>>>
>>> "While there's issues and problems we need to correct, the public needs 
>>> to be reassured that this administration is not wasting taxpayers' 
>>> dollars and that we are running an effective and efficient program," 
>>> Rodgers said. "We're doing what we're supposed to be doing."
>>>
>>> The Business Enterprise Program had eight staff members and more than 80 
>>> licensees who operated about 400 sites throughout the state as of July 
>>> 2011.
>>>
>>> Operators give 10 percent of their profits to the commission to pay for 
>>> expenses such as new equipment and retirement funds.
>>>
>>> "The public needs to be reassured that this administration is not 
>>> wasting taxpayers' dollars." - Ed Rodgers
>>> The audit estimates that the commission improperly spent $254,000 in 
>>> operator fees from Oct. 2008 through July 2011 on miscellaneous program 
>>> expenses that were not in accordance with state code.
>>>
>>> The commission also did not effectively confirm operators' monthly sales 
>>> reports, meaning the state couldn't make sure that it properly 
>>> calculated and paid retirement contributions, pension payments and 
>>> operator fees, the audit found. Even though the vendors are independent 
>>> contractors, the program pays out such benefits.
>>>
>>> That finding didn't surprise Mark Rothenhauser, who operates the snack 
>>> bar at the state Capitol. He sells pizza slices, popcorn, soda and other 
>>> snacks from a small shop located on the ground level of the building.
>>>
>>> "An operator can basically pull a number out of the air and report that 
>>> as sales," he said. "There's not a mechanism in place to authenticate 
>>> what the operator reports as sales is actually their sales. So if you go 
>>> with that, you don't know if they're paying the correct set-aside fee."
>>>
>>> Rodgers said he set aside $150,000 to create a new data program for the 
>>> entire bureau that will keep better track of vending sales and net 
>>> income. It should be in place early next year.
>>>
>>> Other audit findings dealt with deficiencies in monitoring equipment 
>>> inventory, contracts and operator assistance.
>>>
>>> The bureau is completing an inventory of its equipment, such as coolers 
>>> and microwaves, and is setting up performance measures for staff members 
>>> who assist operators.
>>>
>>> "The auditor general's office should be applauded for the thorough job 
>>> they did in this," Rodgers said.
>>>
>>> Email Melissa Anders at manders at mlive.com. Follow her on Twitter: 
>>> @MelissaDAnders.
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>>
>>
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