March 24, ROLL CALL: There were twelve (12) Legislators present and three (3) Legislators absent (Burns, Nichols, and House)

Transcription

1 St. Lawrence County Special Board Meeting Board of Legislators Monday, Board Room 5:30 p.m. Chair Turbett called the Special Board Meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. ROLL CALL: There were twelve (12) Legislators present and three (3) Legislators absent (Burns, Nichols, and House) CITIZEN PARTICIPATION: No one wished to speak. PRESENTATION OF RESOLUTIONS: RESOLUTION NO TRANSFER OF FUNDS FOR A VEHICLE FLEET FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES By Ms. Brothers, District 12 WHEREAS, included in the 2008 St. Lawrence County Budget was the intent to research a vehicle fleet program for the Public Health and Social Services Departments to generate a cost savings in mileage reimbursement, and WHEREAS, money to fund this vehicle fleet program would come from the mileage reimbursement accounts in the Public Health and Social Services Departments, and WHEREAS, the vehicle fleet program is intended to purchase five (5) vehicles for the Public Health Department and five (5) vehicles for the Social Services Department, and WHEREAS, the New York State Contract price for each vehicle ( Chevrolet Impala LS, 4dr sedan at $15,802 each and Ford Focus at $12,445 each) which includes delivery charges for a total cost of $141,235 for all ten (10) vehicles, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Legislators authorizes the purchase of the vehicles and the Treasurer is authorized to make the following modification to the 2008 Budget: INCREASE APPROPRIATIONS: 01-PH Automotive Equipment $62, DA S Automotive Equipment 79,010 $141,235 DECREASE APPROPRIATIONS: 01-PH SN-0 Skilled Nurses Mileage $40, PH HH-0 Home Health Aid Mileage 21, DA S Mileage Reimbursement 79,010 $141,235

2 Chair Turbett explained there was a replacement resolution on each of the Legislators desks and available on the table. Ms. Brothers moved to adopt Resolution No , seconded by Mr. Grow. Ms. St. Hilaire provided an explanation for the revisions to the current resolution. Mr. Morrill asked for clarification. Mr. FitzRandolph asked for the decision on the change from Impalas to Focus. Mr. Serafin clarified that one person in the car for travel in terms of the Public Health Department use and said Consumer Reports does rank it high and within five years there may be fuel shortages. He said getting from point A to point B is most important. Mr. Burns and Mr. Nichols arrived at 5:36 p.m. Ms. St. Hilaire clarified that Impalas are the same for DSS because they address space and comfort for others to be transported (children and families). Mr. Nichols will oppose and we do not need a fleet and thinks there are inherent issues. He said it costs a lot of money and effect service delivery. He said you lose some in transition and government should not be purchasing vehicles and keep doing it the same way. Ms. Perry asked for clarification on the outstanding issues. Ms. St. Hilaire addressed the service, the location of the vehicles, and many of those issues, and how they will be assigned. Mr. House arrived 5:40 p.m. Mr. St. Hilaire finished clarification that with Public Health, some might keep vehicles at home. Mr. Forsythe said are some people going to be driving these vehicles home. Mr. Grow asked about service and who s responsibility will the maintenance be handled. Ms. St. Hilaire explained how to take care of this service and said an is generated. Ms. St. Hilaire explained the service plan and warranty. Mr. House asked about five years or seventy-five thousand miles and then take them out of service. Ms. St. Hilaire said yes, and plans are to be sold for $2,000. Mr. House asked about the sale. Ms. St. Hilaire explained the intent for the vehicles. Mr. House explained the business he is in, selling vehicles and often times said they sell higher. Ms. St. Hilaire said we are being conservative. Mr. Peck said we talked about Cooperative Extension or other departments having the opportunity to obtain these vehicles. Ms. St Hilaire said case by case, absolutely. Mr. Nichols said more questions, it is reported that $26,000 will be saved each year. He said it takes away the savings if we have to send out vehicles. Mr. Nichols asked about pick up roadside. Ms. St. Hilaire said we could call a service agency. Mr. Nichols continued with misuse of the vehicles, would these vehicles have a GPS? Mr. Nichols said long discussion about computers and now wondering about vehicles coming and going and how they are managed. He said these savings that are predicted might not be accurate if anything happens. He said he hopes we decide to take a slow approach and only a few vehicles and use baby steps not the savings it was meant to be. Ms. Cobb asked about the breaking point. Ms. St. Hilaire said approximately nine thousand miles. Ms. Cobb asked how many people drive more than that in the two departments involved in this fleet, Social Services and Public Health. Mr. Serafin said roughly twenty and Mr. Davis said at least ten staff over twenty thousand miles and another five employees between five and ten thousand miles. Ms. Cobb said if we wanted to save we could have gotten cars for thirty-five people. She said the intent was to get five for each department to get the kinks out and get the return on investment. Ms. St. Hilaire said the benefit is that Social Services gets eighty percent (80%) reimbursement and Public Health gets thirty-six percent (36%) and the idea is to get the reimbursement for three years and then roll to other high use for other departments. Ms. Cobb said $130,000 that does not include for probation. Ms. St. Hilaire said that includes two years with no reimbursement. Ms. Cobb said just because we have done something in a particular way does not mean we

3 should still do it. She said part of a larger discussion of how to make county government make more efficient and which also included discussions about catastrophic insurance. She said the numbers show we will save money. She said for ten vehicles it is worth it. Ms. Cobb thanked everyone for working on it. Mr. MacKinnon said annual insurance is no cost. Ms. St. Hilaire said right. He said aside from gasoline, insurance is next most expensive. He said when we compute out cost, we assign a cost to an employee so he guesses we carefully review our collision costs and figure in after the first year. He said there would be claims to consider as an insurance factor. Ms. St. Hilaire said no additional liability as opposed to them driving their own car. She said we did not add cost for that in particular. Mr. House said one comment; the price we are getting is very good. He said at least $3,000 in comparison to what dealers pay, we are starting in the right place. Mr. FitzRandolph said looking at the Fleet Analysis for the Impala for the first three years, it cost more. Ms. St. Hilaire said keep in mind; the departments get eighty percent (80%) reimbursement on mileage too. He said then we move them to years four and five to those departments without reimbursement who exceed the 9,000 in other departments. He asked how much for the shuffle will meet that threshold of mileage. Ms. St. Hilaire explained a department like Office for the Aging where we pay straight mileage the entire time would provide a direct benefit. Mr. Forsythe said all set until Mr. MacKinnon brought up any major claim could make these numbers change. He said average $3,000 for deer. Ms. St. Hilaire said it would still be claimed and may still be paid by the County. Mr. FitzRandolph said what do we do now. Mr. Forsythe said if it was for business the private insurance could back off and say claim with the business. Mr. Morrill said over the life we still present savings. Resolution No was adopted by a roll call vote with fourteen (14) yes votes and one (1) no vote (Nichols). RESOLUTION NO AUTHORIZING THE CHAIR TO SIGN A LEASE FOR TEMPORARY SPACE IN MASSENA FOR THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT WHEREAS, the St. Lawrence County Probation Department had to vacate its offices in Massena due to structural damage, and WHEREAS, the Probation Department has secured temporary office space at 8 Leach Street in Massena for $600 per month on a month-by-month basis, and WHEREAS, this temporary space will suffice until permanent office space is secured, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Legislators hereby authorizes the Chair to sign a lease for the temporary office space in Massena, upon approval of

4 the County Attorney and authorizes the Probation Department to move into this space temporarily. Ms. Cobb moved to adopt Resolution No , seconded by Mr. Nichols and Mr. Girard, and carried unanimously by a voice vote. Services Committee: RESOLUTION NO AUTHORIZING THE ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY BOARD OF LEGISLATORS TO REQUEST THAT THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE RESTORE FUNDING FOR CERTIFIED HOME HEALTH AND LONG TERM HOME HEALTH CARE PROGRAMS WHEREAS, New York State is rebalancing its Long Term Care System from institutional to home and community-based services and downsizes its hospitals and nursing homes, and WHEREAS, given this trend more serious and complex cases are being referred to Home Health Agencies and Long Term Home Health Agencies, and WHEREAS, concomitantly the New York State Executive Budget is cutting $28 million to the Medicaid Home Health Trend Factor, $16 million (combined State & Federal) in reimbursement to strengthen rural/upstate/long Island Home Care infrastructure, $16 million in cuts to Medicaid managed Long Term Care Plans, $26 million in rate cuts for Medicaid Home Health Services, $24 million to administrative and general (A&G) expenses and has not reappropriated $50 million for strengthening the Home Health infrastructure statewide, and WHEREAS, cutting funds for services at both the institutional and community levels mimics the same process that has resulted in the criminalization of the mentally ill and the homeless mentally ill, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Legislators request, at a minimum, the New York State Legislature restore all funding for Certified Home Health and Long Term Home Health Care Programs, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Board of Legislators authorizes the Chair to sign letters expressing this opposition to Governor David Paterson, Senator Joseph Griffo, Senator Darrel Aubertine, Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava, and the Governor s Secretary for Health and Human Services. Ms. Cobb moved to adopt Resolution No , seconded by Mr. Peck and Ms. Brothers and Mr. Morrill, and carried unanimously by a voice vote.

5 RESOLUTION NO RESOLUTION URGING THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE TO OPPOSE THE PROPOSED SHIFT OF THE STATE S HISTORIC SHARE OF PUBLIC ASSISTANCE TO COUNTIES Co-Sponsored by Mr. Nichols, District 3 WHEREAS, the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators believes that the Executive Budget has broken a historic, fundamental state/local partnership by proposing to increase the County share of public assistance by two percent, while simultaneously decreasing the state share by two percent, and WHEREAS, this shift in cost sets a policy from the Governor that mandates local property taxpayers increase their taxes for public assistance, while the state saves itself $40.5 million per year, and WHEREAS, since 1938, counties of New York have equally shared in the cost of public assistance at a 50 percent state, 50 percent local split for this program, and WHEREAS, the Executive Budget proposes to break this historic state/local fiscal partnership by shifting a portion of the state s cost for the Family Assistance and the Safety Net program, and WHEREAS, the Governor s Proposed Budget includes another serious impact to counties by implementing a local share for the cost of carving out two-parent families from the Federal work participation rates, by removing the local district hold-harmless provision, and WHEREAS, these costs shifts are estimated to increase the local cost to St. Lawrence County by $76,370 in 2008 and $101,826 in 2009, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators opposes any policy or fiscal initiative like this proposed increase in the local share for public assistance and two-parent carve-out that changes the fundamental promise Governor Spitzer made to the counties of New York State about ongoing, historic state and local partnerships, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Board of Legislators authorizes the Chair to sign letters expressing this opposition to Governor David Paterson, Senator Joseph Griffo, Senator Darrel Aubertine, and Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava. Ms. Cobb moved to adopt Resolution No , seconded by Mr. Nichols and Mr. Morrill. Mr. Nichols requested his name be added as a co-sponsor. The motion carried to adopt Resolution No unanimously by a voice vote. Chair Turbett adjourned the Special Board Meeting at 6:02 p.m.