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Administrative Management - Fiscal
Toward the middle to end of September each year, counties can expect to receive a letter indicating the amount of the annual mail allotment less the annual connectivity charges.
In 2005, a new billing structure was implemented. An amount equaling $100 per specialist position plus $200 flat fee per county will be billed. For county offices who have their own connectivity, the per specialist rate will be charged but not the flat fee.
The billing structure is reflective of the fact that the fees for connectivity are primarily based upon a flat charge and not dependent on the number of staff. Therefore, all counties will be contributing an equal amount to have the service available. The fee per specialist is related to the other costs associated with connectivity and computer services that are specific to the number of computers we have. This would include software licenses, Centra capability, equipment and maintenance costs for the network such as firewall protection. The total of county contributions to these costs covers about 10% of the total cost of providing these services.
Penalty mail was eliminated Oct. 1, 2003. Funds for mail expenses are now included in each state’s general allocation from USDA. University of Missouri Extension will continue to make a distribution to the counties for mailing purposes. The current allotment to be distributed is $328,162. Regional Directors will have discretion in allocating those funds among the counties.
Offices may use the allotment for:
Offices may no longer use government postal meters. Penalty mail envelopes may be used only if the "penalty for private use statement is covered, and a return address is placed on the envelope.
Offices that wish to continue sending metered mail must use a commercial meter. In addition, offices can obtain a bulk mail permit for large mailings. Information is available from local post offices or from the U.S. Postal Service. Applications for bulk mail permits require proof of non-profit status. A tax-exempt letter is one such proof that may be provided. There is a fee for bulk mail permits, therefore, counties will need to compare costs.
Q. For what purposes may the mail allotment be used?
A. Funds must be used for mailing purposes relating to extension programs and business. They may not be used for extension council business. The mail allotment may be used to promote fee-based programs, although it is recommended that mailing expenses be recovered through fees assessed for these programs.
Q. Are counties responsible for tracking mail expenses and documenting appropriate usage?
A. There is an expectation that counties track the income and expenses associated with the mail funds. This allows counties the ability to determine actual costs associated with mailings and Regional Directors and Administration staff to make informed decisions of the amount of the distribution in total as well as the per county allotment. The following link provides guidance in tracking in QuickBooks. http://muextension.missouri.edu/acctmanual/postage.shtml.
Q. Are county offices required to
follow the graphic standards for envelopes?
A. Yes. The Graphic Standards for Extension envelopes apply
to all extension offices.
Q. Are the cooperating and
non-discrimination statements still required to appear on letterhead
and newsletters?
A. Yes. The
Graphic Standards for letterhead and newsletters require the
cooperating statement, logo and non-discrimination statement.
Q. Do penalty mail policies and
procedures (e.g., penalty slips) still apply?
A. With the elimination of penalty mail, related federal
policies and procedures are no longer in force; however, University
of Missouri Extension policies and procedures continue to apply to
all faculty and staff, and extension offices.
Q. Are penalty slips still
required?
A. Penalty slips are not required to be included in mailings.
However, as a matter of good practice, individuals may want to
include a business card if the correspondence is not a newsletter or
on letterhead.
Q. May educational assistants use
the mail allotment?
A. Educational assistants may send materials under their own
name at the supervisor's discretion.
Q. How is the money be allocated
within Extension?
A. University of Missouri
Extension distributes funds to regions based on past usage. Regional
directors will distribute the allotment among counties as equitably
as possible, given differences in county population, assigned staff
and penalty mail usage.
Q. Do counties have to use a
postage meter, or can they purchase stamps?
A. Counties may choose to use
either a postage meter or stamps. Commercial meters require up-front
payment of postage. Using a postage meter would eliminate to need to
purchase stamps and would provide an accurate cost of mailing.
Q. Can a county office share a mail
meter with another entity?
A. To keep costs to a minimum, counties may want to work with other
entities in their locales to split commercial meter costs as postage
will have to be paid upfront. Many meters can be set up to use codes
that allow tracking by user.
Q. Can we still use penalty mail
postage, envelopes and supplies?
A. Penalty mail postage may
not be used. Supplies may be used if the official use/penalty for
private use statement is covered up and the return address is
replaced with the address from which the item is mailed.
If you have any questions, please contact Callie Glascock at 573-882-4522.
Updated 05/01/07
Related information
Fiscal:
Manuals: