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 30, 1997 8:30 a.m. AGENDA ITEM 1 APPROVAL OF STAFF MEETING MINUTES OF OCTOBER 23, 1997 2 ADDITIONS TO AGENDA 3 8:30am BOARD OF CORRECTIONS QUARTERLY MEETING - Mike Thurber, Corrections Director 4 9:30am OASIS SYSTEM ON THE INTERNET - Norm Agena, Lancaster County Assessor; Robin Hendricksen, Chief Deputy Assessor; Dan Nolte, Register of Deeds; Dick Nuernberger, Lancaster County Treasurer 5 9:45am TRACKER PROGRAM - Bill Janike, Chief Juvenile Probation Officer 6 10:00am LAND REUTILIZATION COMMISSION - Marty Barnhart, Director of the Land Reutilization Commission of Douglas County 7 10:30am PENDING LITIGATION - Sue Eckley, Workers' Compensation and Risk Manager 8 ACTION ITEMS a. Execution of Remarketing Agent Appointment 9 CONSENT ITEMS 10 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT a. Government Civil Practice Seminar b. Proposed Amendments of Visitors Promotion Committee (VPC) Bylaws c. Authorization for Use of County Engineer Equipment and Personnel for Storm Clean-Up in the City of Lincoln 11 PENDING a. Establishment of Special Improvement District in Princeton b. South Street Campus 12 DISCUSSION OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Master Plan Steering Committee - Hudkins b. Information Services Policy Committee - Steinman c. Attention Center Advisory Board - Steinman 13 SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Railroad Transportation Safety District - Monday, November 3, 1997, at 8:30 a.m., at the County-City Building, Council Chamber - Steinman, Svoboda, Tussing b. Ecological Advisory Committee - Tuesday, November 4, 1997, at 7:00 a.m., at the County-City Building, Fourth Floor Conference Room - Tussing c. Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development - Tuesday, November 4, 1997, at 7:30 a.m., at NBC, North Star Room - Steinman d. Management Team Retreat - Thursday, November 6, 1997, at 8:30 a.m., at Crooked Creek Golfcourse Clubhouse All Commissioners e. Joint Budget Committee - Friday, November 7, 1997, at 8:00 a.m., at the County-City Building, Mayor's Conference Room - Campbell, Steinman 14 INVITATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS a. Lincoln-Lancaster County Housing Trust Fund Meeting - Tuesday, November 4, 1997, at 2:00 p.m., at the Lincoln Downtown Senior Center, 1005 "O" Street b. Nebraska Cooperative Extension Association Luncheon - Tuesday, November 18, 1997 at 11:30 a.m., at the Ramada Plaza Hotel 15 CORRESPONDENCE TO THE COUNTY BOARD 16 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTY BOARD 17 AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNTY BOARD MEETING OF NOVEMBER 4, 1997 a. Appointment of Elected County Official to the Merit Commission 18 EMERGENCY ITEMS AND OTHER BUSINESS
MINUTES Lancaster County Board Of Commissioners County-City Building Fourth Floor Conference Room Thursday October 30, 1997 8:30 a.m. Commissioners Present: Linda Steinman, Chair Kathy Campbell Steve Svoboda Larry Hudkins Commissioners Absent: Darlene Tussing Others Present: Kerry Eagan, Chief Administrative Officer Ann Taylor, County Clerk's Office AGENDA ITEM 1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING OF OCTOBER 23, 1997 MOTION: Campbell moved and Svoboda seconded approval of the minutes. On call Campbell, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Hudkins was absent. Motion carried. 2 ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA a. Request from Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, to attend a Government Audit and Accounting Financial Management Seminar on November 1, 1997 b. Request from the County Engineer to Initiate a Road Vacation Proceeding at a Location of SW 58th & W Panama Road c. Vacation Request from Russ Shultz for November 7-14, 1997 d. Discussion on Junked Cars e. Mutual of Omaha Health Plans Informational Meeting MOTION: Campbell moved and Svoboda seconded approval. On call Campbell, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 3 BOARD OF CORRECTIONS QUARTERLY MEETING Mike Thurber, Corrections Director Separate minutes. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA a. Request from Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, to attend a Government Audit and Accounting Financial Management Seminar on November 1, 1997 MOTION: Campbell moved and Svoboda seconded approval. On call Campbell, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Hudkins was present but not voting. Motion carried. b. Request from the County Engineer to Initiate a Road Vacation Proceeding at a Location of SW 58th & W Panama Road The Board referred the item to the County Attorney's office. c. Vacation Request from Russ Shultz for November 7-14, 1997 MOTION: Campbell moved and Svoboda seconded approval. On call Campbell, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Hudkins was absent from voting. Motion carried. 4 OASIS SYSTEM ON THE INTERNET Norm Agena, Lancaster County Assessor; Robin Hendricksen, Chief Deputy Assessor; Dan Nolte, Register of Deeds; Dick Nuernberger, Lancaster County Treasurer Robin Hendricksen, Chief Deputy Assessor, reported on a proposal that the Assessor's office made to the Government Access Information Committee (GAIC) to make Oasis System property assessment data available on the Internet to the public, at no cost (Exhibit C). He stated that this would enable the public to access information by property address, Parcel ID number or the property owner's name, significantly reducing the time the Assessor's staff currently spends providing information over the telephone. In response to a question from Steinman, Hendricksen stated that each search field would be limited. He also stated that licenses to allow query searching capability could be set up in the future, if so desired. Hudkins asked Dan Nolte, Register of Deeds, what effect the proposal would have on his office. Nolte responded that there would be a loss of revenue for Information Services for providing remote access to the information through the Register of Deeds office. Campbell requested the inclusion of telephone numbers to contact for additional information. Hendricksen stated that contact information could be enhanced on the Assessor's Internet home page. Dick Nuernberger, Lancaster County Treasurer, commented that he would eventually like to see the ability to collect taxes electronically made available. Campbell requested that a brief demonstration of the system for the public and media be scheduled for the next Tuesday County Board of Commissioners meeting. The Board concurred with Campbell's suggestion. Randy Ober, Information Systems, reported that the loss of projected annual revenue for his department in the amount of $18,000 - $20,000 for remote access to the information would be offset by costs realized for hardware, capacity for dial-in access and billing services. Ober also suggested that District Court child support information be considered for future inclusion on the Internet. MOTION: Campbell moved and Hudkins seconded approval of the Oasis System on the Internet, as presented. On call Campbell, Hudkins, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 5 TRACKER PROGRAM - Bill Janike, Chief Juvenile Probation Officer, Petra Smith, Cedars Youth Service System Bill Janike, Chief Juvenile Probation Officer, reported that a $58,000 federal grant, which provided the initial funding for the Tracker Program, assistance for at-risk youth on probation, expired on June 30, 1997. He stated that the Justice Council had applied for second year grant funding, but that the Nebraska Crime Commission had denied the request. Janike stated that the program was currently operating on match funding from the County in the amount of $26,371 from last year's budget and a $10,000 grant from the Cooper Foundation, as well as $10,000 of in-kind funds provided by Cedars Youth Service System. He noted that these funds would be depleted in December of this year, but that an application for another federal grant may be submitted to the Crime Commission in the spring of 1998. Janike requested that the Board authorize use of the $26,000 approved in this year's budget for match funding to extend the program, which currently serves 35 youth, through June of 1998. Steinman inquired whether the youth in the program would have been incarcerated if the program had not been available. Janike stated that some of the youth would have, and that the program helps keep costs for placement in group homes down. In response to a question from Hudkins, Janike reported that the program has been a success for more than 50% of its participants. MOTION: Campbell moved and Hudkins seconded to authorize Juvenile Probation to utilize the $26,000 in County match funds in this year's budget to continue the Tracker Program. Hudkins requested that Juvenile Probation be selective in deciding which youth are eligible for the program and reduce the number of participants, if necessary. Campbell requested that review of the juvenile boarding contracts, the Attention Center, the staff-secure juvenile facility and the Tracker Program be placed on the schedule for the Mid-Year Budget Retreat. ON CALL: Campbell, Hudkins, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 6 LAND REUTILIZATION COMMISSION - Marty Barnhart, Director of the Land Reutilization Commission of Douglas County Marty Barnhart, Director of the Land Reutilization Commission of Douglas County, reported that the Nebraska Legislature passed legislation in 1973 authorizing counties to create Land Reutilization Commissions to return tax delinquent real estate to the tax roles. Barnhart reported briefly on the success of the Douglas County Land Reutilization Commission, which significantly reduced the number of tax delinquency properties held by Douglas County. He stated that this agency is not supported by tax dollars, but is self-funded through retention of a percentage of the sale proceeds of each property sold. Barnhart distributed a report summarizing the benefits of a Land Reutilization Commission, which he stated is typically comprised of three to seven members including representation from the City, County and School District (Exhibit D). He also reviewed the tax foreclosure process noting that the Land Reutilization Commission will pick up properties that did not receive bids at certificate and Sheriff's sales because they were more than $1,000 delinquent in taxes, more than one year delinquent in taxes or had special assessments against the property. Barnhart also distributed copies of an inventory of foreclosed property developed by the Douglas County Land Reutilization Commission to market those properties (Exhibit E). Barnhart proposed an interlocal agreement for the Douglas County Land Reutilization Commission to provide management and marketing services to a Land Reutilization Commission in Lancaster County, with retention of 90% of the sale proceeds until $25,000 in net sales are reached or until one year has elapsed. He stated that the percentage retention rate would be reduced after either of these marks is reached. He noted that all proceeds of sale would deposited with the Lancaster County Treasurer and that deeds would be filed in the Register of Deeds office, with cost of documentation, title search fees and appraisals paid by the management agency. Hudkins asked Doug Cyr, Deputy County Attorney, whether there would be a downside to this proposal. Cyr stated the tax delinquent properties are not a substantial problem for Lancaster County. He also stated that the retention of 90% of the proceeds of the sale of property was a negative aspect, but noted that the proposal would relieve the County of the burden of disposing of "trash" property and mobile home foreclosures. Terry Adams, Deputy County Treasurer, reported that the City of Lincoln prefers to handle closing on property which includes special assessments on its own. Don Killeen, Property Manager, noted that the City of Lincoln would be the primary interest in the proposed interlocal agreement and stated that they may not be interested in the proposal as the sale of property has been profitable for the City. The Board requested Kerry Eagan, Chief Administrative Officer, to set up a meeting with Marty Barnhart and City and County representatives to discuss the proposal. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA f. Hazardous Conditions Near County Owned Buildings g. Release of an Easement on Property Owned by Lincoln General Hospital MOTION: Campbell moved and Hudkins seconded the approval of these additions to the agenda. On call Campbell, Hudkins, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. f. Hazardous Conditions Around County Owned Buildings The Board asked Don Killeen, Property Manager, what action was necessary to ensure correction of hazardous ice conditions at the Motor Vehicle facility on West "O" Street and at the Election Commissioner's building. Killeen reported that his staff had devised a solution to the drainage problem at the Motor Vehicle facility on West "O" Street, but had not had time to correct the problem before the heavy snow fall. He also reported that there had been some confusion on the part of the contractor regarding snow removal at the Motor Vehicle Services facility at 625 North 46th Street. Sue Eckley, Workers Compensation and Risk Manager, reported that drainage problems exist on both the south and west sides of the Election Commissioner's Building. Hudkins suggested that the Killeen consider hiring an outside contractor to correct the problems so that County is not held liable for resulting injuries. The Board requested that Killeen review the conditions discussed with his staff and report on solutions to Kerry Eagan, Chief Administrative Officer on a weekly basis until the problems are corrected. g. Release of an Easement on Property Owned by Lincoln General Hospital Bill Austin, City Attorney, reported that a title search related to the sale of Lincoln General Hospital had uncovered an easement enacted in 1963 to allow Lancaster County to construct a convalescence and medical facility on Lincoln General Hospital's property. Austin requested the immediate release of this easement by the Board to allow the sale of the hospital to proceed on October 31st. Doug Cyr, Deputy County Attorney, recommended that the Board delay formal action on the request until the November 4th County Board of Commissioners meeting to ensure compliance with the Open Meetings Laws. MOTION: Campbell moved and Hudkins seconded to express the County Board's intent to authorize release of an easement enacted in 1963 to allow Lancaster County to construct a convalescence and medical facility on property owned by Lincoln General Hospital and to place the item on the agenda for the County Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 4, 1997 for this action, pending legal review. On call Campbell, Hudkins, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. Cyr requested that the County Clerk's office provide Austin with a copy of the Board's motion, expressing the Board's intent to take formal action on the matter at the November 4th County Board of Commissioner's meeting. 7 PENDING LITIGATION Sue Eckley, Workers' Compensation and Risk Manager MOTION: Hudkins moved and Campbell seconded to enter Executive Session for the purpose of pending litigation at 11:16 a.m. On call Hudkins, Campbell, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. MOTION: Hudkins moved and Campbell seconded to exit Executive Session at 11:47 a.m. On call Hudkins, Campbell, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA d. Discussion on Junked Cars Steinman reported on concerns expressed by Wayne Giebelhaus, Yankee Hill Neighborhood Association, that the Health Department and City of Lincoln had not been responsive to problems regarding junked cars in the vicinity of the Yankee Hill neighborhood, even though a Health Department ordinance requires compliance within the three mile jurisdiction. Following brief discussion, the Board requested that Hudkins, Steinman and Staab meet with representatives of the Health Department and City Attorney to determine whether the Health Department ordinance is enforceable within the three mile area and what criteria and resources are necessary for enforcement. 8 ACTION ITEMS a. Execution of Remarketing Agent Appointment MOTION: Campbell moved and Svoboda seconded approval. On call Campbell, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Hudkins was present, but not voting. Motion carried. 9 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT a. Government Civil Practice Seminar Eagan briefly reported on the Government Civil Practice Seminar that he attended with Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney, in San Francisco, noting that materials from the seminar were available for the Commissioners' review. b. Proposed Amendments of Visitors Promotion Committee (VPC) Bylaws Campbell suggested that the Board review the original Visitors Promotion Committee bylaws to see how the recommended changes apply and schedule further discussion for a future Thursday County Board of Commissioners meeting. c. Authorization for Use of County Engineer Equipment and Personnel for Storm Clean-Up in the City of Lincoln Eagan reported that Don Thomas, County Engineer, anticipated completion of removal of snow from County roads by Friday and had offered the assistance of the County Engineer's personnel and equipment to the City of Lincoln in their storm clean-up efforts. He stated that the Board's authorization was required, as the work would be taking place outside the County's jurisdiction. MOTION: Campbell moved and Svoboda seconded to authorize the County Engineer to provide storm clean-up assistance to the City of Lincoln, effective October 31, 1997, and to ratify that action at the County Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 4th. 10 PENDING a. Establishment of Special Improvement District in Princeton b. South Street Campus 11 DISCUSSION OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Master Plan Steering Committee - Hudkins Hudkins reported that separate contracts were recommended on the remodel of the old Federal Building. Hudkins also reported that the Womens Commission will be moving into space that Family Service is vacating on the first floor of Trabert Hall. ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT Return to Item c. c. Authorization for Use of County Engineer Equipment and Personnel for Storm Clean-Up in the City of Lincoln In response to a question from Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney, Eagan stated that the work would be performed on a voluntary basis on regular shift hours, with no overtime authorized. Staab noted that the County will then be liable for any injuries sustained by employees or any damage that might occur. The Board requested that Staab contact Don Thomas, County Engineer, for clarification of the work and hours to be performed. d. Information Services Policy Committee - Steinman Steinman reported that the County's Year 2000 projects should be completed by June of 1998. Steinman also reported that discussion took place on having City and County payroll checks issued at the same time. She stated that having one run of payroll checks would reduce costs and staff time. e. Attention Center Advisory Board - Steinman No report was given. f. Mutual of Omaha Health Plans Informational Meeting Steinman reported that the first informational meeting with Mutual of Omaha Health Plans representatives and department heads was held. She noted that Mutual of Omaha had reported on response to employee complaints, payment of claims and the hiring of additional staff to address membership needs. Steinman also noted that the Personnel Department would be providing the Board a list of employee complaints received by their department regarding Mutual of Omaha. 12 SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Railroad Transportation Safety District - Monday, November 3, 1997, at 8:30 a.m., at the County-City Building, Council Chamber - Steinman, Svoboda, Tussing b. Ecological Advisory Committee - Tuesday, November 4, 1997 at 7 a.m., at the County-City Building, Fourth Floor Conference Room - Tussing c. Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development - Tuesday, November 4, 1997, at 7:30 a.m, at National Bank of Commerce, North Star Room - Steinman d. Management Team Retreat - Thursday, November 6, 1997, at 8:30 a.m, at Crooked Creek Golfcourse Clubhouse - All Commissioners e. Joint Budget Committee - Friday, November 7, 1997, at 8 a.m., at the County-City Building, Mayor's Conference Room - Campbell, Steinman 13 INVITATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS a. Lincoln-Lancaster County Housing Trust Fund Meeting - Tuesday, November 4, 1997, at 2 p.m., at the Lincoln Downtown Senior Center, 1005 "O" Street The Board requested that Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, and Kit Boesch, Human Services Administrator, attend the meeting on behalf of the Board. b. Nebraska Cooperative Extension Association Luncheon - Tuesday, November 18, 1997 at 11:30 a.m., at the Ramada Plaza Hotel 14 CORRESPONDENCE TO THE COUNTY BOARD 15 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTY BOARD 16 AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE COUNTY BOARD MEETING OF NOVEMBER 4, 1997 a. Appointment of Elected County Official to the Merit Commission 17 EMERGENCY ITEMS AND OTHER BUSINESS Larry Van Hunnik, Lancaster Manor Administrator, appeared to report on the emergency plan enacted at Lancaster Manor in response to the snow storm, noting that 93 staff members put forth extra time and effort to see that the residents needs were met. Van Hunnik stated that he had recognized these individuals with personal letters, but stated that he would like to provide an additional monetary gesture of appreciation. The Board suggested that Van Hunnik consider recognizing the employees with a pizza party, Special Circumstances awards or by making notation in their personnel files. >Steinman reported that she had been contacted by the Attention Center Director during the storm and had authorized the transfer of several youth to the Kearney and Wayne Juvenile Detention facilities and the Lincoln Regional Center, due to overcrowding. _________________________________________________________________ Campbell reported that concerns regarding the validity of the data on salaries had been raised at the Salary Committee meeting. She also stated that performance reviews were suggested in determining salaries. _________________________________________________________________ Steinman reported that Les Myers, Emergency Services Coordinator, had reported that snow storm damage in Lancaster County totaled more than $84,079,976. Campbell suggested that the Board develop an Emergency Procedure for County departments to coordinate efforts and inventory of resources in emergency situations. Campbell and Steinman agreed to contact elected officials for suggestions. Hudkins stated concern regarding the County Engineer's work crews cease of work at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28th, when continuation of several hours of snow removal work could have resulted in the restoration of electricity to many County residents. 18 ADJOURNMENT By direction of the Chair, the meeting was adjourned. _______________________ Kandra Hahn Lancaster County Clerk