Lancaster County
Board of Commissioners
Board of Commissioners
STAFF MEETING AGENDA Lancaster County Board Of Commissioners County-City Building Fourth Floor Conference Room Thursday, October 23, 1997 8:30 a.m. AGENDA ITEM 1 APPROVAL OF STAFF MEETING MINUTES OF OCTOBER 14, 1997 2 ADDITIONS TO AGENDA 3 8:30am EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PROGRAM - Pat Kant, Personnel Coordinator 4 9:00am ADDITIONAL CHAIRS FOR PUBLIC DEFENDER - Dennis Keefe, Public Defender 5 9:15am PENDING LITIGATION - Mike Thew, Deputy County Attorney; TORT CLAIM - Sue Eckley, Workers' Compensation & Risk Manager; MARY SMITH'S WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIM - Doug Cyr, Deputy County Attorney; Sue Eckley, Workers' Compensation & Risk Manager 6 ACTION ITEMS a. Appointment of District Energy Corporation Director for Two (2) Year Term Commencing January 1, 1998 (Expiring Term of Larry Hudkins) b. Registration for Nursing Facility Intergovernmental Transfer City-County Informational Meetings c. Lincoln General Hospital Consent to Assignment d. Ratification of Signing of Letter of Support for Child Advocacy Center 7 CONSENT ITEMS a. Set Meeting Date with Douglas and Sarpy Counties for Tri-County Retreat 8 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT 9 PENDING a. Establishment of Special Improvement District in Princeton b. South Street Campus 10 DISCUSSION OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Master Plan Steering Committee - Hudkins b. Board of Health - Steinman c. GAIC - Steinman d. Visitors Promotion Committee - Svoboda e. NACO Convention - Campbell, Tussing 11 SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Chamber Agricultural Committee - Thursday, October 23, 1997, at 12:00 p.m., location TBA - Hudkins b. Court Administrator Committee - Thursday, October 23, 1997, at 12:00 noon, at the County-City Building, Fourth Floor Conference Room - Campbell, Steinman c. Master Plan Steering Committee - Thursday, October 23, 1997, at 1:15 p.m., at the County-City Building, Fourth Floor Conference Room - Hudkins d. Information Services Policy Committee - Tuesday, October 28, 1997, at 11:00 a.m., at the County-City Building, Mayor's Conference Room - Steinman e. Attention Center Advisory Board - Tuesday, October 28, 1997, at 7:00 p.m., at the Attention Center Steinman 12 INVITATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS a. Safe Kids Buckle Up Kick Off - Saturday, October 25, 1997 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at DuTeau Chevrolet, 18th & "O" Streets b. Antelope Valley Major Investment Study Informational Meetings - Friday, November 7, 1997 at 9:00 a.m. OR Tuesday, November 11, 1997 at 7:00 p.m., at the Salvation Army Chapel, 2625 Potter Street c. University of Nebraska State Museum Annual Open House Friday, November 14, 1997 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., at Nebraska Hall, 901 N. 17th Street d. People's City Mission Stewardship Banquet - Thursday, November 20, 1997, time TBA, at Pershing Auditorium 13 CORRESPONDENCE TO THE COUNTY BOARD 14 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTY BOARD 15 AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNTY BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 28, 1997 16 EMERGENCY ITEMS AND OTHER BUSINESS
MINUTES Lancaster County Board Of Commissioners County-City Building Fourth Floor Conference Room Thursday October 23, 1997 8:30 a.m. Commissioners Present: Linda Steinman, Chair Kathy Campbell Steve Svoboda Darlene Tussing Larry Hudkins Others Present: Earleen Ladd, County Clerk's Office AGENDA ITEM 1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING OF OCTOBER 14, 1997 Steinman requested that the second paragraph of Page 3 of the minutes be amended to read over $10,000, instead of over $1,000. The Board also requested that Page 5 of the minutes reflect that the meeting with Chinn Planning, Inc. will be held on November 4th. MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded approval of the minutes with the those corrections. On call Campbell, Tussing, Hudkins, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 2 ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA a. Land Re-utilization Committee b. Information the County Assessor Would Like to Place on the Internet c. Report from Hudkins on the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) Convention MOTION: Hudkins moved and Campbell seconded to approve the additions to the agenda. On call Hudkins, Campbell, Tussing, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 3 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION PROGRAM - Pat Kant, Personnel Coordinator Pat Kant, Personnel Coordinator, briefly reported on the City of Lincoln's Employee Recognition Program, which recognizes one or two City employee's each month, awarding those employees a $100 savings bond and one day off of work. In addition, one employee is recognized annually and awarded a $500 savings bond and two days off of work. Kant stating that it was important to establish criteria for recognition and develop a selection process in order for employees to recognize the validity of the program. She noted that membership of the City's Selection Committee includes representation from each of the labor unions and one non- represented employee. Campbell requested that the Board also set aside one day each year to recognize all County employees. MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded to request the Personnel Department to form an Employee Recognition Committee, to be comprised of representation of each of the three labor unions and two non-represented employees, to develop program criteria and selection process, with a report to the Board when development is complete. On call Campbell, Tussing, Hudkins, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. Steinman reported that the County's Professional Development Luncheon will be held on December 11th at the Auld Recreation Center, 3140 Sumner Street. Kant noted that the speaker will be Dan Kincaid, who will speak on the topic of humor in the workplace. 4 ADDITIONAL CHAIRS FOR THE PUBLIC DEFENDER - Dennis Keefe, Public Defender Dennis Keefe, Public Defender, briefly reported on the request for seven additional office chairs for his staff, for a total cost of $4,371.84. Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, recommended that funding of the request be through the Building Fund. MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded approval. On call Campbell, Hudkins, Tussing, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 5 PENDING LITIGATION - Mike Thew, Deputy County Attorney; TORT CLAIM - Sue Eckley, Workers Compensation & Risk Manager; MARY SMITH'S WORKERS' COMPENSATION CLAIM - Doug Cyr, Deputy County Attorney, Sue Eckley, Workers' Compensation & Risk Manager MOTION: Tussing moved and Hudkins seconded to enter Executive Session for the purpose of pending litigation at 9:15 a.m. On call Tussing, Hudkins, Svoboda, Campbell and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. MOTION: Tussing moved and Hudkins seconded to exit Executive Session at 10:05 a.m. On call Tussing, Hudkins, Svoboda, Campbell and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 6 ACTION ITEMS a. Appointment of District Energy Corporation Director for a Two (2) Year Term Commencing January 1, 1998 Board consensus to place the item on the agenda for the Tuesday, October 28th County Board of Commissioners meeting. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA a. Land Re-utilization Committee Campbell reported that a sub-committee on land re-utilization gave a report at the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) Convention. She stated that counties may proceed with land re-utilization programs and that Douglas County has developed a Land Re-utilization Commission to market their properties. She noted that Douglas County contracts on a percentage basis, and suggested that Lancaster negotiate a similar contract with Douglas County's Land Re-utilization Commission. Campbell suggested that Marty Barnhart, Director of the Land Re-utilization Commission for Douglas County be scheduled for a Thursday County Board of Commissioners meeting for discussion of the topic and that Mike Thew and Doug Cyr, Deputy County Attorneys; Terry Adams, Deputy County Treasurer; Norm Agena, County Assessor be requested to attend. ACTION ITEMS b. Registration for Nursing Facility Intergovernmental Transfer City-county Informational Meetings Larry Van Hunnik, Lancaster Manor Administrator, briefly reported on the Nebraska Health and Human Services System (HHSS) proposed Intergovernmental Transfer (IGT) program for city and county owned nursing facilities, which allows the State to gain additional federal Medicaid matching money from the federal government. Tussing inquired how many other governmental nursing home facilities exist in Nebraska and how they range in size. Van Hunnik stated that he did not have those numbers available, but that Lancaster and Douglas County probably have the largest facilities. He also noted that approximately one third of the funds the State anticipates receiving from the program would be from the Lancaster Manor facility. In response to a question from Steinman, Van Hunnik stated that the Board should probably attempt to negotiate the proposed annual reimbursement figure of $10,000 for the Manor. Board consensus to send Larry Van Hunnik, Lancaster Manor Administrator; Linda Steinman, County Board Chair; Darlene Tussing, County Board liaison to Lancaster Manor; Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer and Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney to the informational meeting to be held in Lincoln on November 5th to explain the transfer program. Brief discussion followed on the Board's concern that participation in the program may not be ethical. Duane Austria, Deputy County Attorney, reported that Congress allows States to initiate these types of programs, but that the State must submit a plan to Health Care Finance Administration (HCFA) for reimbursement under Medicare/Medicaid. Campbell asked if the State must provide a determination of what the reimbursement funds will be used for. Van Hunnik stated that the first year the funds will be disbursed through the Nebraska Department on Aging or the Partnership Program to convert rural nursing facilities to assisted living facilities. He stated that Lancaster, Douglas and Sarpy would be excluded from the plan, as those services are already available in those counties. Campbell suggested that the Board closely monitor use of the funds and consider lobbying to receive funds to provide ancillary services at Lancaster Manor. Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, suggested that the issue of how receipt and disbursement of the funds would flow through the County's budget should also be addressed at the informational meeting. c. Lincoln General Hospital Consent to Assignment Steinman reported that the request from the Attention Center was to transfer the assignment of medical care from Lincoln General Hospital to Bryan Memorial Hospital. MOTION: Campbell moved and Hudkins seconded approval. On call Campbell, Hudkins, Tussing, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. d. Ratification of Signing of a Letter of Support for Child Advocacy Center MOTION: Tussing moved and Campbell seconded approval of ratification of signing of a letter of support for the Child Advocacy Center. On call Tussing, Campbell, Hudkins and Svoboda voted aye. Steinman abstained from voting. Motion carried. Steinman noted, for the record, that she is a member of the Child Advocacy Center Board of Directors. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA b. Information the County Assessor Would Like to Place on the Internet Steinman reported that the County Assessor presented a proposal at the Government Access & Information Committee (GAIC) to place property assessment information on the Internet, at no charge to the public. She stated that currently $15,000 to $20,000 is realized through charges for access to the information through the Register of Deeds Office. She stated however, that elimination of the administrative costs would negate the lost revenue. Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, stated that easier accessability and more information would be available through the Internet, than that which is currently provided. Kroeker reported that Information Services had said it might be feasible to place the Register of Deeds' information on the Internet also. In response to a question from Campbell, Kroeker reported that the fees are currently used to defer data processing costs. He suggested that a decision on whether or not to charge for the service should be made at implementation. Board consensus to have Robin Hendricksen, Deputy County Assessor; Dan Nolte, Register of Deeds; and Doug Thomas, Information Services appear at the Thursday, October 30th County Board of Commissioners meeting for further discussion of the issue. 7 CONSENT ITEMS a. Set Meeting Date with Douglas and Sarpy Counties for Tri-County Retreat Board consensus to schedule the Tri-County Retreat for November 20, 1997. 8 PENDING a. Establishment of Special Improvement District in Princeton b. South Street Campus 9 DISCUSSION OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Master Plan Steering Committee - Hudkins No report. b. Board of Health - Steinman Steinman reported that four members of the Board of Health will review eleven nominations to fill a vacancy and make recommendation to the Mayor. Steinman reported that appointments to the Food Advisory Committee were discussed, with a decision to select eight representatives from the public and six representatives from the restaurants. Steinman also reported that an Environmental Protection Agency grant to provide indoor air quality assistance to schools, pre-schools and child care centers and a $15,000 cap on recruitment costs for a new Health Department Director were discussed. c. Government Access Information Committee - Steinman Steinman reported that the County Assessor's proposal to place property assessment information on the Internet was discussed. d. Visitors Promotion Committee - Svoboda Svoboda distributed copies of by-law procedural recommendations proposed by the Lancaster County Visitors Promotion Committee (Exhibit A). Svoboda also reported a $39,500 surplus at the beginning of the Visitors Promotion Committee budget year and noted that lodging taxes are slightly ahead of last year. Steinman noted a concern raised by a motel owner regarding the Convention and Visitors Bureau's introduction of a seven percent charge for the Housing Bureau. She noted that a similar service is offered by Lincoln Lodging, a consortium of motels and hotels. Campbell suggested that Steinman refer the question to Dan Quandt, Visitors and Convention Bureau Director, in writing, requesting that he raise the issue with the Visitors Promotion Committee and respond back to the Board. e. Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) Convention Hudkins, Campbell, Tussing Hudkins briefly reported on the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) Convention, noting that a request was made during the legislative session for the State to return a higher percentage of the taxes collected for liquor to the counties for criminal justice costs. Hudkins also reported that an Agricultural and Horticultural Land Valuation Board symposium was held to discuss the effectiveness and future direction of the land valuation boards. Brief discussion followed on LB 1114, which restricts the amount political subdivisions can levy. In response to a question from Steinman, Hudkins reported that the lowest levy will take effect for political subdivisions that cross county lines. He stated that legislation is proposed which would allow those political subdivisions to subdivide. Campbell briefly reported on the Tax Increment Financing session she attended, noting concern regarding the impact of LB 1085. She suggested that Kerry Eagan, Chief Administrative Officer, be directed to write a report on Lancaster County's efforts to consolidate government functions and that the Board invite the surrounding counties to a meeting in early December to discuss the issue. Campbell noted that other counties are linking to study juvenile detention issues and joint facilities. Board consensus to invite representatives of the surrounding counties to a luncheon meeting for December 4, 1997 to discuss LB 1085. Campbell also reported that discussion in the General Session focused on the property tax calendar and the Tax Equalization & Review Commission (TERC). Tussing briefly reported on the General Assistance session, which focused primarily on history and a report from Scotts Bluff County, which administers its own General Assistance plan. Tussing also reported that she attended the Juvenile session in which discussion took place on how to access Crime Commission funds. 10 SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Chamber Agricultural Committee - Thursday, October 23, 1997, at 12 p.m., Location to be Announced - Hudkins b. Court Administrator Committee - Thursday, October 23, 1997, at 12 p.m., at the County-City Building, Fourth Floor Conference Room - Campbell, Steinman c. Master Plan Steering Committee - Thursday, October 23, 1997, at 1:15 p.m., at the County-City Building, Fourth Floor Conference Room - Hudkins d. Information Services Policy Committee - Tuesday, October 23, 1997, at 11 a.m., at the County-City Building, Mayor's Conference Room - Steinman e. Attention Center Advisory Board - Tuesday, October 23, 1997, at 7 p.m., at the Attention Center - Steinman 12 INVITATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS a. Safe Kids Buckle Up Kick Off - Saturday, October 25, 1997, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at DuTeau Chevrolet, 18th & O Streets b. Antelope Valley Major Investment Study Informational Meetings - Friday, November 7, 1997 at 9 a.m. or Tuesday, November 11, 1997 at 7 p.m., at the Salvation Army Chapel, 2625 Potter Street c. University of Nebraska State Museum Annual Open House - Friday, November 14, 1997 from 7 to 9 p.m., at Nebraska Hall, 901 N 17th Street d. People's City Mission Stewardship Banquet - Thursday, November 20, 1997, Time to be Announced, at Pershing Auditorium 13 CORRESPONDENCE TO THE COUNTY BOARD 14 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTY BOARD 15 AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNTY BOARD MEETING OF OCTOBER 28, 1997 16 EMERGENCY ITEMS AND OTHER BUSINESS Discussion took place regarding the County's recognition of Tuesday, November 11th as Veterans Day, which would necessitate rescheduling of the regularly scheduled Tuesday County Board of Commissioners meeting. Board consensus to reschedule the following meetings: a. The Thursday County Board of Commissioners meeting regularly scheduled for November 6th will be rescheduled for November 4th from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., location to be announced. b. The Tuesday County Board of Commissioners meeting regularly scheduled for November 11th will be rescheduled for Thursday, November 13th at 1:30 p.m. in the Commissioners Hearing Room. c. The Thursday County Board of Commissioners meeting regularly scheduled for November 20th will be rescheduled for Tuesday, November 18th from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., location to be announced. d. The Thursday County Board of Commissioners meeting regularly scheduled for November 27th will be rescheduled for Tuesday, November 25th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., location to be announced. 17 ADJOURNMENT By direction of the Chair, the meeting was adjourned. _______________________ Kandra Hahn Lancaster County Clerk