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 Tuesday, March 10, 1998 11:30 a.m. AGENDA ITEM 1 APPROVAL OF STAFF MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 5, 1998 2 ADDITIONS TO AGENDA 3 11:30am VETERAN SERVICES QUARTERLY REPORT - Gary Chalupa, Veteran Services Officer 4 12:00pm CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM - George Hanigan, Community Mental Health Center Director; Sue Eckley, Workers' Compensation and Risk Manager 5 12:30pm FIRE DISTRICT BUDGETS - Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer 6 ACTION ITEMS 7 CONSENT ITEMS a. Microcomputer Request from Lancaster Manor, C#98065, for $1,561.68 from Lancaster Manor's Budget for Laser Printer, Additional Paper Tray and Envelope Feeder b. Letter to Nebraska Crime Commission Withdrawing Grant Request for Staff Secure Facility 8 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT a. Juvenile Justice Consensus Building Meeting 9 PENDING a. Request from Nemaha NRD to Pay 1/3 of Fee for Request to Revise Flood Map (County Share $1,100) 10 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. RTSD - Steinman, Svoboda, Tussing h. Joint Budget Committee - Campbell, Steinman i. Public Building Commission - Campbell, Hudkins 11 SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Civil Defense Advisory Committee - Wednesday, March 11, 1998, at 7:30 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center - Operations Room #046 - Svoboda b. Master Plan Steering Committee - Thursday, March 12, 1998, at 1:00 p.m., at the County-City Building, Room #106 - Hudkins c. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board - Thursday, March 12, 1998, at 4:00 p.m., at the County-City Building, Commissioners Hearing Room - Tussing d. Visitors Promotion Committee - Monday, March 16, 1998, at 1:00 p.m., at the Chamber of Commerce - Steinman e. General Assistance Monitoring Committee - Tuesday, March 17, 1998, at 8:00 a.m., at the County-City Building, Mayor's Conference Room - Campbell, Tussing f. Government Access & Information Committee - Wednesday, March 18, 1998, at 12:00 p.m., in the County-City Building, Room #206 - Steinman 12 INVITATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS a. Operation ABLE Annual Luncheon - Friday, March 13, 1998, at 12:00 p.m., at the Cornhusker Hotel b. 1998 Nebraska Leadership Prayer Breakfast - Tuesday, March 24 1998, from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m., at the Cornhusker Hotel c. Capital Humane Society's Animal Awareness Dinner - Thursday, March 26, 1998, at 6:00 p.m., at Park Centers, 2602 Park Boulevard 13 CORRESPONDENCE TO THE COUNTY BOARD 14 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTY BOARD 15 AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNTY BOARD MEETING OF MARCH 17, 1998 16 EMERGENCY ITEMS AND OTHER BUSINESS
MINUTES Lancaster County Board Of Commissioners County-City Building Meeting Room #113 Tuesday, March 10, 1998 11:30 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 AGENDA ITEM 1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING OF MARCH 5, 1998 MOTION: Hudkins moved and Tussing seconded to approve the minutes. On call Hudkins, Tussing, Campbell, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 2 ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA a. Voice Mail Training b. County Government Presentation for Foreign Delegation c. Legislative Update MOTION: Tussing moved and Campbell seconded approval of the additions to the agenda. On call Tussing, Campbell, Hudkins, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 3 VETERAN SERVICES QUARTERLY REPORT Gary Chalupa, Veteran Services Officer Gary Chalupa, Veteran Services Officer, briefly reviewed the Veteran Services Quarterly Report and Veterans' Aid Fund Quarterly Expenditure Report. Chalupa also reported that the Veteran' Service Center plans to distribute information at this year's Lancaster County Fair. He projected a budget impact of approximately $25 for in-house printing of brochures and business cards. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA a. Voice Mail Training Board consensus to schedule the training session for March 31st at 12 p.m. b. County Government Presentation for Foreign Delegation Steinman agreed to meet with the delegation of local officials from Africa on March 20th from 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. 4 CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM George Hanigan, Community Mental Health Center Director; Denise Bulling, Crisis Center Program Supervisor; Sue Eckley, Workers' Compensation & Risk Manager Sue Eckley, Workers' Compensation & Risk Manager, reported that there have been several recent instances in which a County employee has exhibited stalking or violent behavior. She stated that lack of a consistent crisis response policy and training made effective handling of these situations difficult. Eckley suggested that the County develop a "Violence in the Workplace" policy, as the City of Lincoln has, and establish a Crisis Response Team made up of professionals within the County to serve as a resource and to provide enhanced training for County agencies (Exhibit B). In response to a question from Steinman, Denise Bulling, Crisis Center Program Supervisor, stated that the Employees Assistance Program would remain a referral option for the employee exhibiting the violent behavior. She stated that the Crisis Response Team would help the department respond to the resulting workplace issues. Campbell asked if the Crisis Response Team could be called out to assist a department when an incident occurs. Bulling stated that it could be structured that way. Board consensus to proceed with development of a "Violence in the Workplace" policy and establishment of a Crisis Response Team, with funding from the Wellness Budget. The Board requested Eckley to return in two weeks with a "Violence in the Workplace" policy draft. DISCUSSION OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS e. Ecological Advisory Committee - Tussing Mort Stelling, Ecological Advisory Committee Chair, appeared to request the Board to transfer $25,000 in "seed money", allocated for study of the Wilderness Park ecosystems, from the Keno Fund to the Lincoln Parks & Recreation Department, which serves as the coordinating agency for the study (Exhibit C). Lincoln Parks & Recreation would then issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a Consultant to coordinate the work, to organize and analyze flora and fauna inventory findings and to draft a summary report with recommendations. Stelling noted that a deadline of March 31st for responses to the RFP is suggested to permit work to begin on the botanical and zoological surveys in mid-April to coincide with emerging flora and fauna. Eagan suggested that further consultation with representatives of the Lincoln Parks & Recreation Department is needed with regards to project expectations. He also indicated that the County Board will need to be the contracting entity for hiring of the Consultant, but that administration could be through the Lincoln Parks & Recreation Department. 5 FIRE DISTRICT BUDGETS - Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer, briefly reviewed the fire districts' budget calendar (Exhibit D). Kroeker briefly summarized the provisions of LB 1120, which creates a Mutual Finance Assistance Fund, stating that he does not foresee the County's fire districts qualifying for the $10 per capita assistance provided for in Section 6 of the bill this year. He also noted that Section 17 of the bill provides that the Board may relocate the boundaries of fire districts in order to place more valuation in the highest levy districts and less in the lowest levy districts so that highest levy district does not exceed two times the average levy of all the fire protection districts for which the County allocates levy authority. Kroeker stated that the County has three levy options for the Rural Library: Include in the 30 cent levy for the County Include in the 15 cent levy for political subdivisions Include in the 5 cent levy for Interlocal Agreements Kroeker noted a section of LB 306, which states that no final levy allocation shall be changed after September 1st except by agreement between the County Board and the governing body of the political subdivision whose final levy allocation is at issue (Exhibit E). The Board scheduled a meeting with Rural Fire Districts for April 21st at 7 p.m. in the Commissioners Hearing Room to discuss the levy allocation of 15 cents to the fire districts. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA c. Legislative Update Gordon Kissel, Legislative Consultant, appeared and reported that the Governor has indicated that he will not veto a "county aid package" of ten to twelve million dollars. He noted that this package would exclude the following: LB 1108, which provides deficit funding for State operations and aid programs LB 485, which transfers the cost of maintenance and care of individuals found mentally incompetent to stand trial from the county to the state LB 1120, which changes provisions relating to fire districts Kissel also reported that the Governor has agreed to a boarding fee of $35 per day for State prisoners in correctional facilities in LB 695, provided that counties agree to share juvenile boarding costs with the State on a 50/50 basis in LB 512, with a cap on the amount spent by counties to be based on the amount they have expended between July 1, 1997 - June 30, 1998. In response to a question from Steinman, Kissel stated that the amount the State spends on facilities in Kearney and Geneva is not included in the State's split of costs in LB 512. The Board requested that representation on a Task Force, proposed in the bill to review juvenile boarding costs, be equally split between counties and the State. The Board also requested that the Task Force consider a graduated phase-out of counties' responsibility for juvenile boarding costs. 6 CONSENT ITEMS a. Microcomputer Request from Lancaster Manor, C#98065, for $1,561.68 from Lancaster Manor's Budget for Laser Printer, Additional Paper Tray and Envelope Feeder MOTION: Hudkins moved and Tussing seconded approval. On call Hudkins, Tussing, Campbell, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. b. Letter to Nebraska Crime Commission Withdrawing Grant Request for Juvenile Staff-Secure Facility Steinman reported that Kit Boesch, Human Services Administrator, is investigating the possibility of transferring use of the grant funds to development of an Assessment Center. MOTION: Hudkins moved and Campbell seconded to authorize the Chair to send a letter to the Nebraska Crime Commission either withdrawing the grant request or asking consideration of an Assessment Center, at her discretion. On call Hudkins, Campbell, Tussing, Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion carried. 7 ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER REPORT a. Juvenile Justice Consensus Building Meeting Board consensus to limit the list of meeting participants to the following: Linda Steinman, County Board Chair Kathy Campbell, County Board Juvenile Court Judge Tom Dawson Juvenile Court Judge Toni Thorson Karen Chinn, Chinn Planning, Inc. Kerry Eagan, Chief Administrative Officer Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Officer Kit Boesch, Human Services Administrator Dennis Banks, Attention Center Director Bill Janike, Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Jim Hille, Sinclair Hille & Associates Inc. The Board also requested that Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney, remain accessible by telephone to answer any legal questions that may arise in the meeting. 8 PENDING a. Request from Nemaha Natural Resource District (NRD) to Pay 1/3 of Fee for Request to Revise Flood Map for Bennet, Nebraska (County Share $1,100) 9 DISCUSSION OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Master Plan Steering Committee - Hudkins Hudkins reported briefly on pricing of surplus furniture. b. Geographic Information System Software Requirement - Steinman c. Special Board of Health - Hudkins d. Board of Health - Hudkins e. Ecological Advisory Committee - Tussing This item was moved forward in the agenda. f. Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development - Steinman g. Railroad Transportation Safety District - Steinman, Svoboda, Tussing h. Joint Budget Committee - Campbell, Steinman Campbell reported that the Joint Budget Committee is making a recommendation to the County Board and City Council that the contract with the Consortium for Planning and Advocacy be canceled, with the exception for the technical assistance. She stated that a Request for Proposal (RFP) would be developed for completion of the planning process. Eagan noted that issues still need to be resolved regarding amendment of the contract. i. Public Building Commission - Campbell, Hudkins The Board postponed Items b, c, d, f, g and i, due to time constraints. 10 SCHEDULE OF BOARD MEMBER MEETINGS a. Civil Defense Advisory Committee - Wednesday, March 11, 1998, at 7:30 p.m., at the Emergency Operations Center - Operations Room #046 - Svoboda b. Master Plan Steering Committee - Thursday, March 12, 1998, at 1 p.m., at the County-City Building, Room #106 - Hudkins c. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board - Thursday, March 12, 1998, at 4 p.m., at the County-City Building, Commissioners Hearing Room Tussing d. Visitors Promotion Committee - Monday, March 16, 1998, at 1 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce - Steinman e. General Assistance Monitoring Committee - Tuesday, March 17, 1998, at 8 a.m., at the County-City Building, Mayor's Conference Room - Campbell, Tussing f. Government Access & Information Committee - Wednesday, March 18, 1998, at 12 p.m., in the County-City Building, Room #206 Steinman 11 INVITATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS a. Operation ABLE Annual Luncheon - Friday, March 13, 1998, at 12 p.m., at the Cornhusker Hotel b. 1998 Nebraska Leadership Prayer Breakfast - Tuesday, March 24, 1998, from 6:30-8:30 a.m., at the Cornhusker Hotel c. Capital Humane Society's Animal Awareness Dinner - Thursday, March 26, 1998, at 6 p.m., at Park Centers, 2602 Park Boulevard 12 CORRESPONDENCE TO THE COUNTY BOARD 13 CORRESPONDENCE FROM THE COUNTY BOARD 14 AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNTY BOARD MEETING OF MARCH 17, 1998 15 EMERGENCY ITEMS & OTHER BUSINESS 16 ADJOURNMENT By direction of the Chair, the meeting was adjourned. ______________________ Kandra Hahn Lancaster County Clerk