WARLEN RESPONDS TO COMMENTS FROM FRICKER AND WOOD
In a letter this week, the director of the Platte County Health Department pushed back against a variety of comments and positions taken by two members of the Platte County Commission last week.
At a meeting Feb. 6, Scott Fricker and Dagmar Wood, two of the three county commissioners, had refused to sign clarification of the warranty deed to the health department’s facility in Platte City. Fricker claimed the property is owned by Platte County and not the health department. The commission tabled the matter, with Fricker saying he wanted the health department “to open their books and their meeting minutes and show us how and why this deal was put together from the very start.”
In a letter to the county commission on Monday, Andrew Warlen, director of the Platte County Health Department, emphasized that the 1959 deed to the health department property in Platte City lists ownership as “the County of Platte, a political subdivision of the State of Missouri, and its successors, for the use and control of the Board of Health Center Trustees of Platte County, Missouri.”
In his letter to the county commissioners, a copy of which was obtained by The Landmark via a Sunshine request, Warlen says: “My understanding from legal counsel is that it was phrased this way over 60 years ago so that if the board of trustees was dissolved, ownership would revert to the county. That apparently was common practice at the time.”
The real property was purchased in 1959 for $6,000 from Robert L. Head and Stella Head.
Warlen emphasizes that the health department paid for 100 percent of the costs of engineering and constructing the current health department building, as well as all improvements and maintenance.
“It is my understanding that Platte County has not provided any form of consideration, funding or other funds to operate, insure, maintain or improve the Platte City building since 1960, which belies any construct that Platte County, Missouri has any form of ownership of the structure or land in question,” Warlen writes in his letter to commissioners.
The health department’s board of trustees finalized the purchase of a building at 7925 NW 110th St., Kansas City in Platte County, in mid-April of 2020. The health department’s goal is to move of all operations to that location and to sell its existing buildings in Platte City and Parkville.
The Platte City location at 212 Marshall Road is currently under contract with a potential buyer. During the course of finalizing the closing, the act of clarifying the original deed was sought from the county commission.
County commissioners, in a 2-1 vote with Joe Vanover casting the no vote, decided to table clarification of the deed and instead criticized the health department’s real estate plans and asked the health department to “open its books.”
Warlen said the clarification of the deed was sought “with the hope that the issue would be dealt with in the most efficient way possible and to avoid unnecessary costs to our taxpayers.”
In his letter, Warlen gives some background on the health department’s deal to purchase the building on NW 110th Street.
Warlen said that site was chosen for purchase in late 2019 and a contract with the seller was executed to purchase the property on Jan. 31, 2020.
“The board of trustees was then legally obligated to complete the sale if terms were met. At the time of execution, it was unknown what a substantial impact COVID-19 would have,” Warlen said.
“Shortly after closing, COVID-19 response became the health department’s number one priority,” says Warlen, who took over as director of the health department in January of 2022 after the retirement of previous director Mary Jo Vernon.
“This made it necessary to delay improvements to the building, moving and the sale of existing buildings. These tasks were resumed in late Spring 2022. However, the newly purchased building was able to be used in its unimproved state, with more than 1,000 COVID-19 vaccinations being administered at that location,” Warlen writes in his letter to county commissioners.
Warlen also responded to the county commission’s request that the health department “open their books and their meeting minutes.”
As a taxpayer-funded entity, the health department’s books and meeting minutes are public information and open for public examination.
“This is and has always been done,” Warlen remarked. In fact the health department provides financial reports to the county, the health director said.
“Every year, without legal obligation to do so, the health department routinely provides various financial reports to the county,” Warlen writes in his letter.
“The health department is required to have a yearly outside financial audit as well as to participate in audits performed by other agencies related to requirements for various grants and contracts,” Warlen said.
“Like the (county) commission, the health department is subject to Missouri Sunshine Law and is legally obligated to produce open documents upon request. Open records such as meeting agendas, meeting minutes, and financial reports are all available in accordance with Sunshine Law, many of which are on our website,” he added.
Warlen goes on to give specifics about the health department’s recent interaction regarding requests from county commissioners Fricker and Wood.
“As an example of the health department’s openness and responsiveness, Presiding Commissioner Fricker and Commissioner Wood made information requests in early January 2023. All three requests that were made were responded to within 24 hours (one coming in on a Sunday). Responses included answers to their questions as well as the production of various documents including the 2021 financial audit, the warranty deed on the property at 7925 NW 110th Street, and the memorandum of lease for 7925 NW 110th Street,” Warlen said in his letter to county commissioners.
“Transparency and cooperation is always one of our goals,” Warlen said.
The health director closed his letter to commissioners by saying “please let me know if you need any additional information to move forward with signing the warranty deed. I look forward to continuing to work together to improve the lives and health of Platte Countians.”
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