Adair County Public Administrator

Welcome! 

I’m Rhonda Noe, and I have served as your Public Administrator since 2013. In my capacity as Public Administrator I am the Guardian and/or Conservator for approximately 115 Adair County residents who have been deemed incapacitated and/or disabled by the Court. I may also be appointed as the personal representative for decedents’ estates or as ad litem conservator for estates at the pleasure of the Probate Court. Although persons under guardianship and/or conservatorship under the Adair County Public Administrator are Adair County residents, many are in placements in other areas of the state due to limited local resources for persons with mental illness.

The office of Public Administrator was established in 1880 by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, and serves a four year term. The duties and responsibilities of the office are set forth in the Revised Statutes of Missouri in Chapters 473 and 475. Most persons under guardianship of the public administrator are incapacitated due to mental illness, developmental disabilities, or they are frail elderly individuals with no family to care for them. The guardian of a person must be available 24/7 to give medical consents and handle situations which may arise.

Guardianship

The general powers and duties of a guardian of an incapacitated person are to take charge of the person and to provide for their care, treatment, habilitation, education, support, and maintenance; and the powers and duties include, but are not limited to, the following:
  1. Assure that the Ward resides in the best and least restrictive setting reasonably available.
  2. Assure that the Ward receives medical care and other services that are needed.
  3. Promote and protect the care, comfort, safety, health, and welfare of the Ward.
  4. Provide required consents on behalf of the Ward.
  5. To exercise all power and discharge all duties necessary or proper to implement the provisions of this section.

A status report is filed annually with the Probate Court concerning the care, placement and condition, and personal contacts with the Ward.

Conservatorship

The Conservator of an estate of a disabled person or minor child shall protect, preserve, and manage the estate, invest it prudently, and account for it faithfully. The Conservator shall take possession of all of the protectee’s real and personal property, and of rents, in issue, and profits therefrom. The conservator shall prosecute and defend all actions instituted in behalf of or against the protectee, collect all debts due or becoming due to the protectee. The conservator of an adult or minor Ward is not obligated by virtue of his appointment to use his own financial resources for support of the Ward. The Public Administrator expends protectee’s funds for purposes authorized by statute or court order, and safeguards all assets. A settlement is filed and audited annually with the Probate Court detailing all receipts to and expenditures from the protectee’s account during the preceding year.

The Mission

As a National Certified Guardian, and a member of the National Guardianship Association, I strive to fulfill the duties of my office in adherence to the ethical principles set forth in the NGA Standards of Practice. My mission is to promote the dignity, security, and self-worth of the individuals I serve, provide fiduciary integrity in the management of their estate funds, and ensure they reside in the least restrictive living environment possible to maintain their safety, well-being, and quality of life.

Staff

Shelley Story, Deputy
sstory@adaircomo.com
Angela Platz, Deputy
aplatz@adaircomo.com
Beth Lambert, Deputy
blambert@adaircomo.com

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