Approved 4/04/04
HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE
March 15, 2004
Members Present: Curtis Hertel, Lisa Dedden, Tina Weatherwax-Grant, Andy Schor, Mike Severino, John Nevin and Board Chairperson Victor Celentino
Members Absent: None
Others Present: John Neilsen, Bruce Bragg, Sue Hill, Al Way, Rodney Taylor, Dean Sienko and John Jacobs
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Hertel at 7:05 p.m. in the Personnel Conference Room of the Human Services Building, 5303 S. Cedar, Lansing.
Approval of the March 1, 2004 Minutes
MOVED BY COMM. DEDDEN, SUPPORTED BY COMM. SCHOR, TO APPROVE THE MARCH 1 MINUTES AS SUBMITTED. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Additions to the Agenda
Limited Public Comment: None
MOVED BY COMM. SEVERINO, SUPPORTED BY COMM. NEVIN, TO APPROVE A CONSENT AGENDA FOR THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:
Mr. Bragg informed the Committee that per the direction of the Human Resources Department, two position titles have been changed. Community Health Representative III is changed to Community Health Representative IV. Clinic Assistant Technician II has been changed to Clinic Assistant Technician III.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
MOVED BY COMM. SEVERINO, SUPPORTED BY COMM. NEVIN, TO APPROVE THE ITEMS ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
MOVED BY COMM. SCHOR, SUPPORTED BY COMM. SEVERINO, TO RECOMMEND THE APPOINTMENT OF DEBRA BLOOMQUIST TO THE CAPITAL AREA DISTRICT LIBRARY. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Mr. Neilsen informed the Committee that this appointment was made at the previous Board of Commissioners' meeting.
4c. Health Department - Resolution to Authorize a Practice Management System Consulting Contract with Plante Moran
MOVED BY COMM. WEATHERWAX-GRANT, SUPPORTED BY COMM. SCHOR, TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE A PRACTICE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CONSULTING CONTRACT WITH PLANTE MORAN.
Comm. Severino asked if the funds have already been set aside for this project. Mr. Bragg explained the 2004 Budget included $400,000 for computer replacement. However, the total cost of this project may exceed $400,000. Mr. Taylor further stated it is very difficult to judge the cost of the project at this time. In a follow-up to his initial recommendation for this project, Mr. Taylor stated he indicated the total project cost may be approximately $800,000.
Comm. Nevin asked about employee training for the new system. Mr. Taylor stated the employees may have to balance the old system while implementing the new system.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Comm. Dedden stated she was a part of the Finance Subcommittee as well as Comm. DeLeon and Comm. Minter. The Subcommittee had two goals to meet during the review of the Community Agency Process. The first goal was to get the Committees out of the rut they have been in regarding the allocation of the funds. Also, the current system does not allow for Committees to make decisions regarding the level of funding to allow for the Agencies.
Placing all the Community Agency applications in one Committee would allow for the necessary review and comparisons. The Board of Commissioners would designate one liaison Committee each year to handle the Community Agency process. The Committee determination would be made based on the current community needs.
Chairperson Celentino informed this Committee that the Law Enforcement and Judiciary Committees have reviewed this proposal. After this review, the Committees referred the recommendations back to the Finance Committee with their concerns and questions. The proposed changes can be interpreted in many different ways.
Comm. Dedden asked if members of the Subcommittee were present to address questions regarding this issue at the Law Enforcement and Judiciary meetings. Comm. Schor stated Comm. Minter could not be present at the Law Enforcement meeting. Law Enforcement thought the proposed changes meant a Committee would be redetermined each year to handle the Community Agency process. Also, it would not be fair for the two Thursday night Committees to criticize the recommendations because a Subcommittee member could not be present at their meetings to address questions.
Comm. Weatherwax-Grant stated she believes the Board's priorities should be re-prioritized each year. This would allow the liaison committees to make more efficient decisions regarding the allocation of Community Agency funds. Chairperson Hertel stated it is very difficult to prioritize the requests when they are divided among the different committees. He further stated he believes the current system is unfair to the agencies who do work within our community which meets the County's priorities.
Comm. Severino expressed his appreciation to the members of the Subcommittee for their time and effort on this matter. He then stated his concern that if a committee is to be designated to handle the entire process each year, that committee should be determined as early in the year as possible to avoid packing a specific committee. Comm. Dedden suggested the determination be made in the spring of each year. The decisions will be made based on current needs. Therefore, it would be difficult to name a committee too far in advance.
Comm. Schor stated that possibly Finance should handle the process since it deals with the finances. Comm. Dedden stated a bulk of the agencies are human service agencies. This discussion continued. Comm. Schor stated the determination of a committee could be made once the Community Agencies funds have been divided.
Announcements
Chairperson Hertel stated the Health Department is not yet prepared to discuss the issue of lead within this County. They may be ready for the discussion in a few weeks.
Public Comment: None
The meeting adjourned at 7:53 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debra Neff