Lancaster County
Board of Commissioners
Board of Commissioners
STAFF MEETING AGENDA Lancaster County Board Of Commissioners County-City Building Fourth Floor Conference Room Thursday, September 25, 1997 8:30 a.m. AGENDA ITEM 1 APPROVAL OF STAFF MEETING MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 18, 1997 2 ADDITIONS TO AGENDA 3 8:30am GENERAL ASSISTANCE BURIAL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT GA Burial Subcommittee 4 9:15am PENDING LITIGATION Mike Thew, Chief Deputy County Attorney 5 9:30am CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU QUARTERLY REPORT Dan Quandt, CVB Director 6 10:00am PRELIMINARY PLAT NO. 97007, BLUE SPRUCE ESTATES Mike DeKalb, Planning Department 7 10:15am DANGEROUS BUILDINGS Diane Staab, aDeputy County Attorney; Mel Goddard, Building & Safety 8 10:30am POST ADJUDICATED YOUTH & WARDS OF THE STATE Dennis Banks, Attention Center Director 9 11:00am EMERGENCY PLACEMENT CUSTODY AT CORNHUSKER PLACE Kit Boesch, Human Services Director; Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer; George Hanigan, CMHC Director; Jim Baird, Cornhusker Place Director 10 ACTION ITEMS 11 CONSENT ITEMS 12 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT a. NACO Legislative Committee Meeting b. Budget Amendment for City Building Maintenance Fund c. LPS Lands Available for Trade with County 13 PENDING a. Establishment of Special Improvement District in Princeton b. South Street Campus 14 DISCUSSION OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Board of Health - Hudkins b. Information Services Policy Committee - Steinman 15 SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Lancaster Manor Advisory Committee - Thursday, September 25, 1997, at 12:00 p.m., at Lancaster Manor, Conference Room - Tussing b. Master Plan Steering Committee - Thursday, September 25, 1997, at 1:15 p.m., at the County-City Building, Fourth Floor Conference Room - Hudkins c. Community Mental Health Center Advisory Board Wednesday, October 1, 1997, at 12:00 p.m., at the CMHC, Basement Conference Room - Svoboda 16 INVITATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS a. 1997 Annual Stewards and Retirees Educational Banquet - Saturday, October 11, 1997, at 5:30 p.m., at Sherry's Dining and Dancing, 3223 Cornhusker Highway 17 CORRESPONDENCE TO THE COUNTY BOARD 18 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTY BOARD 19 AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNTY BOARD MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1997 20 EMERGENCY ITEMS AND OTHER BUSINESS
MINUTES Lancaster County Board Of Commissioners County-City Building Fourth Floor Conference Room Thursday, September 25, 1997 8:30 a.m. Commissioners Present: Linda Steinman, Chair Kathy Campbell Larry Hudkins Darlene Tussing Commissioners Absent: Steve Svoboda Others Present: Kerry Eagan, Chief Administrative Officer Ann Taylor, County Clerk's Office AGENDA ITEM 1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 18, 1997 MOTION: Tussing moved and Campbell seconded approval. On call Tussing, Campbell and Steinman voted aye. Hudkins not present for voting. Motion carried. 2 ADDITIONS TO AGENDA a. Review Furniture Purchases for New Building b. Project Manager for Attention Center Project Hudkins arrived. MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded approval of the additions to the agenda. On call Campbell, Tussing, Hudkins and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 3 GENERAL ASSISTANCE BURIAL SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT - General Assistance Burial Subcommittee, Susan Klein, Health and Human Services; Kathy Smith, Purchasing; Dave Kroeker, Budget and Fiscal Officer; Gary Chalupa, Veterans Service Officer Kathy Smith, Purchasing, reviewed the comparison schedule for the County Burial Plan and the County Burial Fee Schedule comparison to surrounding counties (Exhibit A). Hudkins inquired whether there would be a charge for burial of cremated remains in County owned cemeteries. Campbell responded that unless legislative change allowing the Board to authorize cremation occurs, burial of cremated remains would only be at family member request. Smith reported that burial providers had noted concerns regarding the amount offered for adult burial. She stated that the Burial Committee reviewed the cost quotes submitted by burial providers in a survey and proposed the amount of $1,600 for an adult burial, with a total fee of $2,150 to include open and closing costs be offered in the contract. Smith also noted that the three year contract provides a two year cap on a fee, with provisions for an increase on the third year based on the consumer price index. Steinman inquired whether it would be beneficial for the County to contract with one particular provider, based on the County Attorney opinion which stated that the County would not be liable for costs incurred by a non-contracting mortuary which picked up a body and began the embalming process at a family's request. Susan Klein, Health and Human Services, suggested that the $250 special circumstance funds could be used for such a case, or reimbursement could be sought from the contracting mortuary. Klein reported minor changes to the contract which included separation of burial items from cremation, minor language changes to coincide with terms used by the funeral industry and removal of examples from the special circumstances clause and increasing the amount of the award to $250. Eagan recommended that the three-year inflationary escalation language be included in the plan as well as the contract. Campbell and Smith agreed to work with Mike Thew, Deputy County Attorney, to resolve the issue of reimbursing non-contracted funeral homes for costs incurred. Kroeker agreed to add the three-year inflationary escalator clause to the County burial plan. Campbell asked Gary Chalupa, Veterans Service Officer, whether the issue of granite headstones for Veterans Service markers had been resolved. Chalupa responded that the County was obligated to abide by the regulations set by the cemeteries, but that a less expensive provider could be used. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA a. Review Furniture Purchases for New Building Dave Kroeker, Budget and Fiscal Officer, briefly reviewed furniture expenses for County office for the County-City Building (Exhibit B). He noted that there may be slight adjustments to the figures for purchases from other vendors and labor charges. Board consensus to approve the submitted figures. b. Project Manager for Attention Center Project Kathy Smith, Purchasing, reported that Chinn Planning had agreed to contract with counties participating in the "Three Phase Comprehensive Study for the Juvenile Justice System" at the rate of $80 per hour. She stated this would allow counties to only contract for the amount of time necessary to meet their needs. Brief discussion followed on selection of a project manager for the study, with Board consensus to appoint Dennis Banks, Attention Center Director, with oversight provided by Dave Kroeker, Budget and Fiscal Officer. 4 PENDING LITIGATION - Mike Thew, Chief Deputy County Attorney MOTION: Tussing moved and Hudkins seconded to enter Executive Session at 9:27 a.m. for the purpose of discussing pending litigation. On call Tussing, Hudkins, Campbell and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. MOTION: Tussing moved and Campbell seconded to exit Executive Session at 9:38 a.m. On call Tussing, Campbell, Hudkins and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 5 CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU QUARTERLY REPORT - Dan Quandt, Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Dan Quandt, Convention and Visitors Bureau Director, reported that convention business is still the number one priority of the Convention and Visitors Bureau. He stated that the associations, conventions and hotels are being contacted by the Convention and Visitors Bureau to assess needs and receive feedback. Quandt also noted that a new data base was in place to assist in assembling convention data and tracking lost business. Quandt reported that letters had been sent to the board members of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce requesting participation in the Lincoln Leaders program, which promotes bringing convention business to Lincoln. Hudkins suggested that the program be named Lincoln/Lancaster County Leaders. 6 PRELIMINARY PLAT NUMBER 97007, BLUE SPRUCE ESTATES, SOUTHEAST OF NORTH 148TH AND HOLDREGE STREETS - Mike DeKalb, Planning Department; Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney; Mike Rierden, Attorney Mike DeKalb, Planning, reported on the history of Preliminary Plat 97007, Blue Spruce Estates, and concerns by neighbors of length of cul-de-sac, septic or lagoon systems and density issues (Exhibit D). DeKalb displayed a site plan and stated that the road had been shortened and moved, one lot had been eliminated and that the lots had been rearranged in response to Health Department concerns regarding the flood plain. In response to a question from Hudkins, DeKalb stated that access to all the lots would be from an internal road, except Lot 1 which will access Holdrege Street and Lot 6 which will have access to North 148th Street. Tussing inquired whether the association covenants dictated the size of lots. DeKalb replied no, although the association would prefer the size of lots be in the five to six acre range to correspond with neighboring acreages. He also noted that the covenant setback requirements differ from the AG zoning and that lagoons will not be permitted. In response to a question from Dale Stertz, Building and Safety, DeKalb stated that the developer will require all lots to use the Minnesota pile system, as septic systems were not permitted due to the high water table. Hudkins asked Mike Rierden, attorney for the developer, since uniformity and lot size seems to be an issue with neighbors, whether the developer would consider dropping Lots 4 and 5 to increase their size and to decrease the size of Lot 6. Rierden stated that he knew of no geographical reason why this would not be acceptable to the developer. 7 DANGEROUS BUILDINGS - Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney; Dale Stertz, Building and Safety Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney, recommended that the County adopt the City of Lincoln's Uniform and Dangerous Building Code, noting that an interlocal agreement with the City would be necessary. In response to a question from Steinman, Staab stated that the code would not apply to farmsteads twenty acres or more. Brief discussion followed on whether to adopt the Appeals Board utilized by the City of Lincoln. Dale Stertz, Building and Safety, noted that the Appeals Board which is technical in nature, is currently made up of three individuals which all reside within the City of Lincoln. Hudkins noted concern regarding lack of rural representation on the appeals board, and suggested that the County Engineer serve as an ex-officio member of the board. Campbell stated that the appointment of the Appeals Board members should include approval by the County Board and that a fund for up-front demolition costs will need to be established. She suggested that initial funding be from the Contingency Fund, with costs assessed against the property. 8 POST ADJUDICATED YOUTH AND WARDS OF THE STATE - Dennis Banks, Attention Center Director; Michelle Schindler, Deputy Attention Center Director Dennis Banks, Attention Center Director, distributed a National Juvenile Detention Association (NJDA) position statement draft (Exhibit E) noting that the NJDA had advocated that juvenile detention not be used as a sentence and opposed holding adult jurisdictional youth in juvenile detention facilities. Banks suggested that the Board may wish to respond to these issues while the document is in the drafting stage. In response to a question from Campbell, Banks stated that County Court judges have sentenced juveniles to detention as a sentence, although Juvenile Court judges had not. Banks briefly reviewed the fiscal year 1997 summary report for the Attention Center (Exhibit F) noting an 8.5 percent increase in admissions to the facility. In response to a question from Hudkins, Michelle Schindler, Deputy Attention Center Director, stated that long term placements of juveniles in the Attention Center are a reflection of evaluation which requires specific types of disposition placement and the crowded court dockets. Banks reported that 66 percent of the total of short term placements were related to misdemeanor crimes and that frequently Attention Center placements were based on lack of other placement options. Campbell inquired whether the juvenile court system is causing youth to wait longer for a court date on misdemeanors cases than similarly charged adults. Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney, stated that frequently adults opt to post bond on misdemeanor cases. Schindler reviewed admission and discharge comparisons for post adjudicated youth and post dispositioned status youth for January 1, 1996 through May 31, 1997 (Exhibit G), noting that the majority of costs are related to youth returning from court or their evaluation while awaiting disposition. Banks reported that the Attention Center was still awaiting a County Attorney opinion as to whether post adjudicated youth costs are the responsibility of the County or the state of Nebraska. Hudkins requested Schindler to provide an additional five years worth of data for comparison. 9 EMERGENCY PLACEMENT CUSTODY AT CORNHUSKER PLACE - Kit Boesch, Human Services Director; Dave Kroeker, Budget and Fiscal Officer; George Hanigan, Community Mental Health Director; Jim Baird, Cornhusker Place Director; Patti Schumann, Cornhusker Place Jim Baird, Cornhusker Place Director, gave a brief overview of a contract that Cornhusker Place has through Region V to provide care under the Mental Health Commitment Act for intoxicated individuals until they are sufficiently sober to be able to be transferred to the Crisis Center. He noted that the other 15 counties in the Region pay for Emergency Protective Custody (EPC) clients, but that Lancaster County does not. Baird stated that renegotiation of the Region V contract had prompted the Cornhusker Place Board to send a letter to the Board the end of August requesting that the issue of Lancaster County's participation be addressed. Kit Boesch, Human Services Administrator, inquired whether payment for EPC clients was made by the Region or whether the Region provided funds to the counties to pay Cornhusker Place. George Hanigan, Community Mental Health Center Director, explained that the Crisis Center was originally envisioned as a regional facility, however, the County Attorney's Office had cautioned that Lancaster County tax monies could not be used to support non-Lancaster County residents in the program. He stated that client days were estimated to determine how much of the funding was County versus State, and that Lancaster County provided the entire match for that program with reimbursement by counties utilizing the program. Hanigan stated that initially a contract was set up with the individual counties, but that Region V suggested that they contract with the individual counties in an effort to provide funding for the detox portion of the full mental health program. He stated that the Region V contract was with Lancaster County Mental Health Center as well as Cornhusker Place. Hanigan stated that the issue of ensuring that Lancaster County not pay for EPC clients from other counties has become confused with the need for additional resources for a more comprehensive emergency program for Cornhusker Place. He stated that Region V needs to identify the essential services of a comprehensive emergency program. The State can be requested to allocate funding of 90 percent of the program, with the remainder funded by local government, which is the City and County combined. In response to a question from Boesch, Baird stated that Region V bills the counties for services, the counties submit payment to Region V and one check is submitted from Region V to Cornhusker Place. In response to a question from Campbell on how Lancaster County's clients were paid for, Dave Kroeker, Budget and Fiscal Officer, stated that the Region V contract did not exclude Lancaster County. He stated, however, that because separate contracts between Region V and Lancaster County were not established, it was assumed that Lancaster County was excluded. Hanigan stated that the issue of funding of the Emergency Protective Custody Program becomes confused when it's funded through Cornhusker Place. He stated that Lancaster County guarantees all of the County match and funding of the Crisis Center, with reimbursement by other counties for services utilized. He stated that is why a separate contract was not developed with Lancaster County, that Lancaster County had always contributed more on the front-end costs. Campbell noted that it appears that County dollars used to fund Cornhusker Place were allocated toward some programs, but not emergency protective custody programs. Baird reported that of the 214 emergency protective clients served by Cornhusker Place last year, 182 were from Lancaster County. He noted that EPC clients require much closer supervision due to the threat of harm to themselves or others, medical observation and evaluation and increased staff time. He also noted increased physical constraints and liability placed on the center by acceptance of EPC clients. In response to a question from Boesch, Hanigan noted that the greater issue for Cornhusker Place is the ability to provide a safe environment for clients and lack of ongoing support, rather than monetary. He also noted that this is an opportune time to establish a comprehensive emergency program to coincide with the State's redesign of behavioral health. He stated freeing up overmatch funds for the Mental Health Center could then provide a funding resource for Cornhusker Place. Campbell stated that if the County is unable to tap into those State resources, the Board may need to rethink how it allocates it's alcohol dollars. Baird reported that he would be meeting with Jill Rubottom, Region V, to discuss how County dollars should be allocated. In response to a question from Boesch regarding reorganization of regional dollars, Hanigan stated that they would basically be receiving the same amount as allocated last year for a three month extended period. He noted that on October 4th community support dollars will be made available through the rehab option, which could free up a significant amount of funds. The Board requested that Baird return in two weeks with an estimate of renovation costs for Cornhusker Place and that Boesch and Hanigan also return to discuss establishment of a committee to re-evaluate priorities and funding of those priorities. 10 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT a. Nebraska Association of County Officials Legislative Committee Meeting Hudkins agreed to report the Board's legislative concerns at the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) Board meeting on Tuesday, October 1. Campbell requested that Gordon Kissel, Legislative Consultant, be placed on the agenda for the Thursday, October 2nd meeting to discuss legislative issues. b. Budget Amendment for City Building Maintenance Fund Kerry Eagan, Chief Administrative Officer, reported that an interlocal agreement with the City was needed to pay for maintenance of City property not covered by the Building Commission. c. Lincoln Public Schools Lands Available for Trade with County Eagan noted that a list of properties available for possible trade for the South Street soccer field was included in the Commissioners' information packet. 11 PENDING a. Establishment of Special Improvement District in Princeton b. South Street Campus Steinman reported that the appraisal from John Layman, appraiser, on the South Street property had been received. 12 DISCUSSION OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Board of Health - Hudkins Hudkins reported that Greg Wright had tentatively accepted the position of Intern Director of the Health Department, pending approval of University of Nebraska Chancellor. Hudkins stated that a national search would be conducted for a new director. b. Information Services Policy Committee - Steinman Steinman reported that the networking connecting all buildings housing departments temporarily relocated due to renovation was discussed. She also reported that a contract with an outside vendor for training for security on computer firewalls and other security issues was discussed. 13 SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Lancaster Manor Advisory Committee - Thursday, September 25, 1997 at 12 p.m. at Lancaster Manor Conference Room - Tussing b. Master Plan Steering Committee - Thursday, September 25, 1997 at 1:15 p.m. at the County-City Building, Fourth Floor Conference Room - Hudkins c. Community Mental Health Center Advisory Board - Wednesday, October 1, 1997 at 12 p.m. at the Community Mental Health Center, Basement Conference Room - Svoboda 14 INVITATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS a. 1997 Annual Stewards and Retirees Educational Banquet - Saturday, October 11, 1997 at 5:30 p.m. at Sherry's Dining and Dancing, 3223 Cornhusker Highway 15 CORRESPONDENCE TO THE COUNTY BOARD 16 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTY BOARD 17 AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNTY BOARD MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 30, 1997 18 EMERGENCY ITEMS AND OTHER BUSINESS 19 ADJOURNMENT By direction of the Chair, the meeting was adjourned. Kandra Hahn Lancaster County Clerk