Lancaster County
Board of Commissioners
Board of Commissioners
lancaster.ne.gov
STAFF MEETING AGENDA
Lancaster County Board of Commissioners
New County-City Building
Meeting Room #113 - Adjacent to Council Chambers
Thursday, March 5, 1998
8:00 a.m.
AGENDA ITEM
1 APPROVAL OF STAFF MEETING MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 26, 1998
2 ADDITIONS TO AGENDA
3 8:00am GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (SPATIAL DATA EXCHANGE)
UPDATE - Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer
4 8:30am LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - Gordon Kissel, Legislative Consultant
5 9:00am REPORT ON HEALTH INSURANCE OPTIONS -
Scott Blackard, Arthur Anderson Consulting;
Bill Kostner, Risk Manager
6 9:45am LABOR NEGOTIATIONS - Ron Todd, Personnel Director;
John Cripe, Classification & Pay Manager
7 10:15am REGION V GRANT FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Jill Rubottom, Region V
8 10:30am ST. FRANCIS CHAPEL SALE CONDITIONS
Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney
9 10:45am REPORT FROM AUDITOR SELECTION COMMITTEE
Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer;
Kathy Smith, Purchasing Department
10 11:00am REPORT ON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY ACTIVITIES CENTER
Charlie Willnerd, Agricultural Society Building Committee
Chairman
11 11:30am DISCUSSION REGARDING COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ANNUAL REVIEW
Tim Stewart, Planning Director
12 ACTION ITEMS
a. Microcomputer Request from Sheriff, C#98012, for
$3,752.67 from Microcomputer Fund for Laptop, Printer,
Software
b. Microcomputer Request from District Court Probation,
C#98056, for $45.00 from Microcomputer Fund for
Netscape Browser
c. Request for Laser Printer from Juvenile Court Probation
d. Request from Nemaha Natural Resources District to Pay
1/3 of Fee for Request to Revise Flood Map (County
Share of $1,100.00)
13 CONSENT ITEMS
a. Microcomputer Request from County Engineer, C#98053,
for $1,500.00 from County Engineer's Budget for
Pentium
14 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT
a. Meeting with Karen Chinn re: Phase II of Juvenile
Justice Comprehensive Study
b. Letter from Michael Carpenter, VPC Director
15 PENDING
16 DISCUSSION OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS
a. Master Plan Steering Committee -Hudkins
b. GIS Software Requirement - Steinman
c. Special Board of Health - Hudkins
d. Board of Health - Hudkins
e. Ecological Advisory Committee - Tussing
f. Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development
Steinman
g. Railroad Transportation Safety District - Steinman,
Svoboda, Tussing
17 SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS
a. Joint Budget Committee - Friday, March 6, 1998, at
8:00 a.m., at the County-City Building, Mayor's
Conference Room - Campbell, Steinman
b. Public Building Commission - Tuesday, March 10, 1998,
at 10:00 a.m., at the County-City Building, Room #113
Campbell, Hudkins
18 INVITATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS
a. Mayor's Interfaith Prayer Breakfast - Thursday, May 7,
1998, at 7:30 a.m., at the Ramada Plaza Hotel
19 CORRESPONDENCE TO THE COUNTY BOARD
20 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTY BOARD
21 AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNTY BOARD MEETING OF MARCH 10, 1998
22 EMERGENCY ITEMS AND OTHER BUSINESS
MINUTES Lancaster County Board Of Commissioners County-City Building Meeting Room #113 Thursday, March 5, 1998 8:00 a.m. Commissioners Present: Linda Steinman, Chair Kathy Campbell Darlene Tussing Steve Svoboda Larry Hudkins Others Present: Kerry Eagan, Chief Administrative Officer Ann Taylor, County Clerk's Office Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney AGENDA ITEM 1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING OF FEBRUARY 26, 1998 MOTION: Tussing moved and Campbell seconded approval of the minutes. On call Tussing, Campbell and Steinman voted aye. Svoboda and Hudkins were absent from voting. Motion carried. 2 ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA 3 GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM (SPATIAL DATA EXCHANGE) UPDATE Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, briefly reviewed the goals, Geographic Information System (GIS) software applications, database and bridging software, projected users, implementation options and projected costs discussed at a meeting held on February 27th to discuss creation of a central digital repository for GIS digital graphic files, with Internet accessibility for the general public and City and County agencies (Exhibit A). He noted that Lincoln Electric System, Aliant Communications and UtiliCorp have expressed interest in the project and remain a funding option. Kroeker also noted that a three month trial of the system was proposed. Kroeker stated that he had included $75,000 in the list of Keno Fund Proposed Uses for Fiscal Year 1997-98 (Exhibit B), at the request of the Chair, for the purchase of GIS hardware and software, lowering the amount budgeted for Master Plan Furnishings & Equipment by this amount. 4 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - Gordon Kissel, Legislative Consultant Gordon Kissel, Legislative Consultant, briefly reviewed his legislative update (Exhibit C), noting continued discussion between State Senators and the Governor on which bills should be included in a "county aid package". Kissel reported that public defender costs are being discussed in relation to LB 1041, which changes children-related provisions to conform State law to the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997. He noted that, to date, the Nebraska Bar Association has not taken a formal position on the bill. In response to a question from Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, Kissel stated that a provision for unfunded mandates was not included in LB 989, which changes budget limits for political subdivisions, although that possibility still exists. Campbell inquired whether a uniformity clause was included in LR45CA, which allows mergers of cities and counties and classified levies in support thereof. Kissel stated that it was not, although a Constitutional challenge with regards to uniformity is possible. Kissel also reported that LB 1244, which permits cremation of remains of indigent persons, has been amended into LB 1354, which proposes adoption of the Mental Health Access Act. He noted that this is a Health Committee priority bill. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA a. Joint City Council/County Board Meeting to Discuss Concerns with Regards to Comprehensive Plan Review b. Update on Incident at the Attention Center for Youth c. Court Administrator d. Committee on Rural Road Improvements e. Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department Director MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded the additions to the agenda. On call Campbell, Tussing, Hudkins, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 5 REPORT ON HEALTH INSURANCE OPTIONS - Scott Blackard and Lori Nipp, Arthur Anderson Consulting; Bill Kostner, Risk Manager; Ron Todd, Personnel Director; Bill Thoreson, Benefits Specialist Scott Blackard, Arthur Anderson Consulting, briefly reviewed his analysis of Lancaster County, Nebraska Benefit Choices for 1998/99 Plan Year. Blackard stated that the County's array of choices are to: - Continue the Current Plan with Mutual of Omaha Allows employees to select from three tiers of benefits throughout the plan year. Employee dissatisfaction with pharmacy options. - Join the Nebraska Association of County Officials (NACO) Plan Plan underwritten by Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Employees would be locked into their selection of a Preferred Providers Organization (PPO) or Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) option for the entire plan year and out-of-pocket deductible expenses significantly higher. Employees may not be able to retain their choice of primary care physicians. - Self-fund the Current Plan No change of service or primary care physicians for the employees required if the current Mutual of Omaha plan is self-funded. - Market the Plan Through a Request for Proposal (RFP) County could request insured or self-funded proposals and Point of Point of Service (POS), Preferred Providers Organization (PPO) and Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans. Blackard noted that a five month claims history of the current Mutual of Omaha plan indicates that the County's claims and expenses are currently below its premium cost of $3,617,781. Based on that claim's experience, he projected that the County's medical and dental costs would increase 2% for 1998/99. Blackard recommended that the County consider self-funding of its health insurance plan if Mutual of Omaha is unwilling to negotiate a competitive premium rate based on those cost projections. Bill Kostner, Risk Manager, suggested that the County request RFP's on insured and self-insured plans to see what is available in the market and to provide incentive for Mutual of Omaha to negotiate a competitive premium rate on the current plan. Kostner also suggested that the County change their insurance plan to a calendar year schedule. Blackard suggested that the County negotiate with Mutual of Omaha to extend the current plan until December 31, 1999 or request that the RFP's include rates from September 1, 1998 through December 31, 1999 to prepare for a shift to a calendar year in 2000. Ron Todd, Personnel Director, stated that changes to the Flexible Employee Benefit Account (FEBA) plan year will need to be made to coincide with any changes to the health insurance plan year. MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded to request the Personnel Department to prepare the Request for Proposal (RFP) for quotes, as discussed, with a report back to the Board by May 1, 1998. On call Campbell, Tussing, Hudkins and Steinman voted aye. Svoboda was absent from voting. Motion carried. 6 LABOR NEGOTIATIONS - Ron Todd, Personnel Director; John Cripe, Classification & Pay Manager MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded to enter Executive Session an 9:59 a.m. for labor negotiations. On call Campbell, Tussing, Hudkins and Steinman voted aye. Svoboda was absent from voting. Motion carried. MOTION: Tussing moved and Hudkins seconded to exit Executive Session at 10:15 a.m. On call Tussing, Hudkins, Campbell and Steinman voted aye. Svoboda was absent from voting. Motion carried. 7 REGION V GRANT FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES - Jill Rubottom and Suzanne Cain, Region V Jill Rubottom, Region V, reported on a grant that Region V is applying for through the Center for Mental Health Services (Exhibit E). She noted that the grant applicant must be a governmental entity and the proposal must be a multi-system approach. Rubottom stated that Region V's grant proposal targets youth with severe emotional disturbances in the Juvenile Justice System in Lancaster County and addresses several of the recommendations stated in the Lancaster County Comprehensive Juvenile Justice System Study. Steinman requested that Rubottom attend a meeting scheduled for March 31st with Karen Chinn, Chinn Planning, Inc., and the Juvenile Court Judges to discuss expectations with regards to development of an Assessment Center. In response to a question from Steinman, Suzanne Cain, Region V, stated that grant funds can not be used to develop residential beds or pay for substance abuse treatment. Brief discussion followed on State and local matching fund requirements, with Rubottom noting that all match money must be allocated through the Region. MOTION: Campbell moved and Hudkins seconded to have the Board be a co-partner with Region V in the Child Mental Health Initiative and requested that Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, and Kit Boesch, Human Services Administrator meet with Jill Rubottom and Suzanne Cain, Region V to discuss proposals for matching fund amounts and make a recommendation to the Board on the County's match. On call Campbell, Hudkins, Tussing and Steinman voted aye. Svoboda was absent from voting. Motion carried. 8 ST. FRANCIS CHAPEL SALE CONDITIONS Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney, presented a draft of the Board's conditions for the sale of the St. Francis Chapel (Exhibit F). Brief discussion followed with the following revisions: - Eliminate the condition requiring the buyer to assume all provisions of the lease agreement with the St. Francis Chapel Foundation - Amend the public access condition to require that the Chapel be open a minimum of ten days a year for public tours or community events, which will be scheduled in consultation with the Historic Preservation Society - List buyer's recognition of the Historical Landmark designation as the first sale condition - List public access to the Chapel as the second condition. The Board requested that potential buyers be fully apprised of the severe physical limitations of the site, including ingress, egress and parking. The Board also requested Eagan to notify the St. Francis Chapel Foundation that the Board will be scheduling a public hearing on the sale and fair market value of the St. Francis Chapel at the March 10th County Board of Commissioners meeting. 9 REPORT FROM AUDITOR SELECTION COMMITTEE Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer Kathy Smith, Assistant Purchasing Agent Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, reported that, after reviewing the Requests for Proposals (RFP's) submitted by Hayes & Associates, L.P.C., KPMG Peat Marwick, LLP and the State Auditor's Office, the Auditor Selection Committee recommends selection of Hayes & Associates, L.P.C. as external auditor for Lancaster County. He stated this recommendation was based on projected hours and costs, as well as the how the fixed assets issue was addressed in the proposals. Kathy Smith, Assistant Purchasing Agent, reported that the contract length is three years, with an option to renew for an additional three years. 10 REPORT ON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY ACTIVITIES CENTER Charles Willnerd, Agricultural Society Building Committee Chairman, Rich Wiese, Citizen Charles Willnerd, Agricultural Society Building Committee Chairman, provided a brief update on progress of the Events Center project, noting the following: - Organization of a fund raising campaign - Contracted for a project market study - Development of a presentation for community groups - Continued review of potential sites Hudkins asked whether the County would be able to continue to utilize the Lancaster Building and the Youth Complex at the State Fairgrounds. Willnerd responded that the Agricultural Society is striving to comply with the Board's request that the Agricultural Society maintain complete control of its facility and that the facility be self-sufficient. He noted that its flood plain location, inadequate parking and service access, infra- structure costs and conflicting goals related to the location of other facilities on the State Fairgrounds make its continued use prohibitive. Rich Wiese, citizen, read a brief prepared statement, noting the following concerns: - Need for continuous, no cost access to the State Fairgrounds for all agricultural producers - Whether the Lancaster County Fair Board is exceeding its statutory scope of conducting a three to five day County Fair by constructing a year-round Events Center - Need for a complete County fairgrounds, not separate location of the Events Center - Determining who will be responsible for the cost of maintenance, if the Events Center is not successful - Whether a high-priced Events Center, which will need to be in operation the entire year to be successful, is needed - Scheduling of events, such as the Rodeo, which do not return a profit to the Lancaster County Fair Board Wiese also noted that the State Fair Board has expressed interest in working with the County Fair Board in locating an Events Center on the State Fairgrounds. In response, Willnerd confirmed that the Rodeo event did operate at a loss, but would not be rescheduled until a contract could be negotiated which would return a profit to the Lancaster County Fair Board. Willnerd also noted that recent statutory changes permit the year-round scheduling of events by Agricultural Societies and that it is the Agricultural Society's long-range goal to move the entire County Fairgrounds to the Events Center location. Bill Blake, attorney, appeared and requested that the Board provide an additional opportunity for concerned citizens to address the Board on the Events Center issue. 11 DISCUSSION REGARDING COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ANNUAL REVIEW Tim Stewart, Planning Director Tim Stewart, Planning Director, reported that the County Board and City Council had both expressed an interest in meeting again in a joint session to discuss issues of mutual concern with regards to the Comprehensive Plan Annual Review. The Board proposed scheduling the joint County Board/City Council meeting for Tuesday, March 10th, at 3 p.m., or immediately following the County Board of Commissioners meeting, with an alternative date of Thursday, March 12th from 12- 1:30 p.m. suggested. The Board also requested the Planning Department to prepare a list of the Comprehensive Plan Amendments, noting City or County jurisdiction. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA a. Joint City Council/County Board Meeting to Discuss Concerns with Regards to Comprehensive Plan Review Item addressed in Agenda Item 11. b. Update on Incident at the Attention Center for Youth c. Court Administrator d. Committee on Rural Road Improvements e. Lincoln/Lancaster County Health Department Director Board consensus to postpone discussion of Items c and d, and to drop Items b and e from the Agenda. 12 ACTION ITEMS a. Microcomputer Request from Sheriff, C#98012, for $3,752.67 from Microcomputer Fund for Laptop, Printer, Software MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded approval of the request, if funds are available in the Sheriff's budget. On Call Campbell, Tussing, Hudkins and Steinman voted aye. Svoboda was absent from voting. Motion carried. b. Microcomputer Request from District Court Probation, C#98056, for $45 from Microcomputer Fund for Netscape Browser c. Request for laser printer from Juvenile Court Probation MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded to drop Items b and c from the agenda. On call Campbell, Tussing, Hudkins and Steinman voted aye. Svoboda was absent from voting. Motion carried. d. Request from Nemaha Natural Resources District to Pay 1/3 of Fee for Request to Revise Flood Plan Map for Bennet, Nebraska (County Share is $1,100) Board consensus to hold Item d for further information. 13 CONSENT ITEMS a. Microcomputer Request from County Engineer, C#98053, for $1,500 from County Engineer's Budget for Pentium MOTION: Campbell moved and Tussing seconded approval. On call Campbell, Tussing, Hudkins and Steinman voted aye. Svoboda was absent from voting. Motion carried. 14 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT a. Meeting with Karen Chinn, Chinn Planning, Inc., Regarding Phase II of Juvenile Justice Comprehensive Study Eagan reported that the meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 30th and that Dennis Banks, Attention Center Director, is coordinating scheduling arrangements. The Board requested that Mark Martin, Health & Human Services Office of Juvenile Services; and Jill Rubottom, Region V be invited to the meeting. b. Letter from Michael Carpenter, Visitors Promotion Committee Director The Board requested Eagan to respond in writing to Doug Wassung, Harvester Motel, about the concerns he expressed with regards to the Chamber of Commerce and the Visitors Promotion Committee in his letter to the Board, with carbons of his response to the Board and Michael Carpenter, Visitors Promotion Committee Director. 15 DISCUSSION OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Master Plan Steering Committee - Hudkins Hudkins reported that the Steering Committee will be taking action on Tuesday, March 10th on a recommendation to price surplus systems furniture at 10%, 20% and 30% of value. The Board concurred with that recommendation. b. Geographic Information System Software Requirement - Steinman c. Special Board of Health Meeting - Hudkins d. Board of Health - Hudkins e. Ecological Advisory Committee - Steinman f. Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development - Steinman g. Railroad Transportation Safety District - Steinman, Svoboda, Tussing Board consensus to defer Items b through g, due to time constraints. 16 SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Joint Budget Committee - Friday, March 6, 1998, at 8 a.m., at the County-City Building, Mayor's Conference Room - Campbell, Steinman b. Public Building Commission - Tuesday, March 10, 1998, at 10 a.m., at the County-City Building, Room #113 - Campbell, Hudkins 17 INVITATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS a. Mayor's Interfaith Prayer Breakfast - Thursday, May 7, 1998, at 7:30 a.m., at the Ramada Plaza Hotel 18 CORRESPONDENCE TO THE COUNTY BOARD 19 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTY BOARD 20 AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNTY BOARD MEETING OF MARCH 10, 1998 21 EMERGENCY ITEMS AND OTHER BUSINESS 22 ADJOURNMENT By direction of the Chair, the meeting was adjourned. ______________________ Kandra Hahn Lancaster County Clerk