REGULAR MEETING #06-11 FAIRFIELD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' OFFICE MARCH 7, 2006

Transcription

1 REGULAR MEETING REGULAR MEETING #06-11 FAIRFIELD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' OFFICE MARCH 7, 2006 A regular meeting of the Fairfield County Board of Commissioners was held on Tuesday, March 7, 2006, at 10:00 a.m. with the following members present: Judith K. Shupe, Mike Kiger and Jon Myers. Also present were Julia Hilty, Michael Orlando, Aunie Cordle, Steve Elsea, and Jackie Long. ANNOUNCEMENTS The Clerk announced that an executive session at 2:30 p.m. with County Prosecutor David Landefeld had been added to the Board s schedule. Mr. Orlando announced that Lynette Leach will be the new Fiscal Director at Job and Family Services effective March 16. He will introduce her to the Board at an upcoming meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2006 to approve the minutes as presented for Tuesday, February 28, APPROVAL OF RENAMING OF TOWNSHIP ROAD - PLEASANT VIEW PLACE SE, RUSHCREEK TOWNSHIP - FAIRFIELD COUNTY ENGINEER to approve the renaming of Pleasant View Road SE in Rushcreek Township to Pleasant View Place SE as recommended by the Fairfield County Engineer (See Resolution a) APPROVAL OF AWARD OF BID TO NATURCHEM, INC SPRAYING FOR WEED CONTROL - FAIRFIELD COUNTY ENGINEER to award a bid to NaturChem for 2006 weed control spraying as recommended by the Fairfield County Engineer (See Resolution b) APPROVAL OF DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT - BUCKEYE LAKE CHANNEL EXCAVATION IMPROVEMENTS (PART OF PROPOSED COMPASS POINT SUBDIVISION) - FAIRFIELD COUNTY REGIONAL PLANNING to approve a development agreement for the Buckeye Lake Channel Excavation, part of the proposed Compass Point Subdivision, as recommended by the Fairfield County Regional Planning Commission (See Resolution c attached) PAGE 2 - MINUTES - MARCH 7, 2006 APPROVAL OF FY2005 CHIP STATUS REPORTS - SEPTEMBER 1, MARCH

2 2, 2006 On motion of Mike Kiger and second of Judith Shupe, the Board of Commissioners voted to approve the FY2005 CHIP Status Reports for the period September 1, March 2, 2006 as prepared by Community Action (See Resolution d attached) APPROVAL OF ADDENDUM TO AGREEMENT FOR POLICE PROTECTION SERVICES - VILLAGE OF BREMEN - FAIRFIELD COUNTY SHERIFF to approve an addendum to a police protection services agreement between the Village of Bremen and the Fairfield County Sheriff (See Resolution e attached) APPROVAL OF LONG-TERM STRATEGIC PLANS - FAIRFIELD COUNTY JOB AND FAMILY SERVICES to approve long-term strategic plans for Fairfield County Job and Family Services (See Resolution f attached) DISCUSSION Mr. Orlando noted that the strategic plans were previously discussed with the Commissioners and that the resolution incorporates the long-term strategic plan for the Children s Services division as well. APPROVAL OF IV-D PROVIDER CONTRACT BETWEEN FAIRFIELD COUNTY JOB AND FAMILY SERVICES CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND JASON DOLIN, PROVIDER to approve a IV-D provider contract between Fairfield County Job and Family Services Child Support Enforcement Agency and Jason Dolin (See Resolution g attached) DISCUSSION Mr. Orlando explained that this contract is necessary to retain an attorney to handle work when the other provider reaches the $25,000 threshold. PAGE 3 - MINUTES - MARCH 7, 2006 APPROVAL OF PERSONNEL ACTIONS AND POSITION DESCRIPTIONS - FAIRFIELD COUNTY JOB AND FAMILY SERVICES

3 to approve personnel actions and position descriptions as submitted by the Ohio DAS by Fairfield County Job and Family Services (See Resolution h attached) DISCUSSION Mr. Orlando noted that personnel action resolutions must now go before the Board of Commissioners, since the Ohio Department of Administrative Services is refusing to do any work other than state work due to budget cuts. The promotions represent JFS staff members who have successfully bid on vacant positions within the agency, he added. APPROVAL OF APPROPRIATION FROM UNAPPROPRIATED FUNDS - FAIRFIELD COUNTY ENGINEER to approve an appropriation from unappropriated funds for the Fairfield County Engineer (See Resolution i attached) APPROVAL OF APPROPRIATION FROM UNAPPROPRIATED FUNDS - FAIRFIELD COUNTY ENGINEER to approve an appropriation from unappropriated funds for the Fairfield County Engineer (See Resolution j attached) APPROVAL OF ACCOUNT TO ACCOUNT TRANSFER - FAIRFIELD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS/ELECTRONIC MONITORING to approve an account to account transfer for the Fairfield County Commissioners for electronic monitoring (See Resolution k attached) DISCUSSION Commissioner Shupe explained that this transfer represents an effort by the Commissioners and judges to reduce out-of-county prisoner housing costs. PAGE 4 - MINUTES - MARCH 7, 2006 APPROVAL OF CREATION OF A NEW SPECIAL FUND - CDBG PROJECT INCOME to approve the creation of a new special fund for CDBG Project Income (See Resolution l attached)

4 APPROVAL OF APPROPRIATION FROM UNAPPROPRIATED FUNDS - FAIRFIELD COUNTY HUMAN RESOURCES - GENERAL FUND to approve an appropriation from unappropriated funds from the General Fund to Human Resources (See Resolution m attached) APPROVAL OF APPROPRIATION FROM UNAPPROPRIATED FUNDS - FAIRFIELD COUNTY JUVENILE COURT/DRUG COURT FUND to approve an appropriation from unappropriated funds for Fairfield County Juvenile Court from the Drug Court Fund (See Resolution n attached) APPROVAL OF APPROPRIATION FROM UNAPPROPRIATED FUNDS - FAIRFIELD COUNTY JUVENILE COURT/ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL FUND to approve an appropriation from unappropriated funds for Fairfield County Juvenile Court for the Alternative School Fund (See Resolution o attached) APPROVAL TO RATIFY PREVIOUSLY APPROVED VOUCHER - FAIRFIELD COUNTY SHERIFF to ratify a previously approval voucher for the Fairfield County Sheriff (See Resolution p attached) APPROVAL OF PAYMENT OF VOUCHER WITHOUT AN APPROPRIATE CARRYOVER PURCHASE ORDER - FAIRFIELD COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS to approve payment of a voucher without an appropriate carryover purchase order for the Fairfield County Board of Elections (See Resolution q attached) PAGE 5 - MINUTES - MARCH 7, 2006 APPROVAL OF ATTACHED REQUESTS FOR PAYMENT OF VOUCHERS WITHOUT APPROPRIATE CARRYOVER PURCHASE ORDERS - FAIRFIELD COUNTY JOB AND FAMILY SERVICES to approve the attached requests for payment of vouchers without appropriate carryover purchase order for Fairfield County Job and Family Services (See Resolution r attached)

5 APPROVAL OF ATTACHED REQUESTS FOR PAYMENT OF VOUCHERS WITHOUT APPROPRIATE CARRYOVER PURCHASE ORDERS - FAIRFIELD COUNTY ENGINEER S OFFICE to approve the attached requests for payment of vouchers without appropriate carryover purchase orders for the Fairfield County Engineer s Office (See Resolution s attached) APPROVAL OF ATTACHED REQUESTS FOR PAYMENT OF VOUCHERS WITHOUT APPROPRIATE CARRYOVER PURCHASE ORDERS - FAIRFIELD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OFFICE to approve the attached requests for payment of vouchers without appropriate carryover purchase orders for the Commissioners Office (See Resolution t attached) APPROVAL OF AUTHORIZATION FOR PAYMENT OF BILLS FOR MARCH 7, 2006 to approve authorization for payment of bills as presented for March 7, 2006 (See Resolution u attached) REVIEW SESSION The Board of Commissioners met at 10:15 a.m. to review correspondence and pending and future agenda items. Present at this review session were Judith Shupe, Mike Kiger, Jon Myers, Julia Hilty, David Zak and Jackie Long. PAGE 6 - MINUTES - MARCH 7, 2006 EXECUTIVE SESSION - PENDING LITIGATION to go into executive session at 10:20 a.m. regarding pending litigation. Present at this executive session were Judith Shupe, Mike Kiger, Jon Myers, Julia Hilty and Jackie Long. RETURN TO OPEN SESSION

6 to return to open session at 10:32 a.m. No official action was taken. Ms. Hilty informed the Board that she will likely be presenting legislation to the Board for next week s meeting to clean up the Rockmill Road split issue. MEETING WITH EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY The Board of Commissioners met with EMA representatives at 10:30 a.m. regarding repairs to a donated ambulance. Present at this meeting were Judith Shupe, Mike Kiger, Jon Myers, Tom Moe, Matt Keefe, Pleasant Township Trustee Fritz Highley, Pleasant Township Fire Chief Jeff Mathias, Julia Hilty and Jackie Long. Mr. Moe explained that the Pleasant Township Fire Department had offered to donate (for $1) a 1991 Ford ambulance to the EMA. The vehicle will greatly augment the EMA, Mr. Moe stated, by serving as transportation for the HazMat Team, pulling the dive team trailer and other uses. The vehicle is very clean, has about 60,000 miles and is equipped with sirens; however, it does require approximately $2,000 in transmission repairs and two quotes have been obtained. Mr. Moe indicated that a $300 trailer hitch is needed and that he has a radio that can be installed. Discussion followed regarding where the vehicle would be housed. Mr. Moe stated that it would likely have to be left outside in the EMA parking lot. Mr. Mathias suggested the unit could be housed at the old township fire station with the dive team equipment. Mr. Highley agreed that this was a solution. Mr. Moe explained that EMA has no funding for this project, as Homeland Security grants have not yet been approved by the state. The Commissioners agreed to fund the repairs and authorized that the work be done by Company Wrench. The Commissioners continued to meet with Mr. Moe regarding other pending issues. They presented him with a letter from Fairfield County Sheriff s Deputy Jeff Marvin regarding the need for new surveillance cameras at the Hall of Justice and the possibility of obtaining EMA grant funds for the project. Mr. Moe stated that this type of project, critical infrastructure protection, would qualify for Homeland Security grant funds, which is the same fund through which he has applied for emergency generators for key county buildings. The problem, however, is that the federal government has totally restructured the grant distribution process for 2006 and the large cities appear to be winning, he stated. Fairfield County has followed all the rules and used its grant funds in prior years toward recommended projects like interoperable communications, Mr. Moe stated, yet counties that used prior years funds for less critical things may get priority this year because interoperable communications is now FEMA s top priority. The amount of dollars Fairfield County will get from the Homeland Security PAGE 7 - MINUTES - MARCH 7, 2006 grant is really unknown at this point, he concluded, and suggested that a project description and estimate for the project be prepared for presentation to the Homeland Security committee. He updated the Board on the status of efforts to change state laws regarding EMA funding, being sponsored by Rep. Tim Schaffer. MEETING WITH BECKY EDWARDS The Board of Commissioners met with Family, Adult & Children First Executive Director Becky Edwards at 11:10 a.m. regarding the Youth Cluster. Present at this meeting were Judith Shupe, Mike Kiger, Jon Myers, Becky Edwards, Tony Motta, John Pekar, Michael Orlando, Orman Hall, Tessie Swain, Julia Hilty, Steve Elsea and Jackie Long. Ms. Edwards presented the Board with a written request from the Family, Adult & Children First Executive Committee for $100,000 to fund the out-of-home placement program in this calendar year. Out-of-home placements were discontinued in April, 2005, because of reduced funding levels. Juvenile Court, MR/DD and ADAMH have

7 returned to their previous funding levels of $100,000 each, she stated, but Job and Family Services has been unable to contribute. Mr. Pekar noted that, ultimately, most of the youth served by the Cluster are the responsibility of Job and Family Services. Mr. Orlando concurred, adding that the majority of the cases fall back on Job and Family Services for full funding if not addressed in the Cluster with pooled funds. Job and Family Services simply does not have the money to contribute to the pool, he stated. In response to Commissioners questions, he explained that JFS will use Board and Care funds to serve the youth and that, once that fund is depleted, the agency would either ask the County Commissioners for additional General Fund dollars or return placed youth to their homes. It really boils down to a proactive vs a reactive approach, he stated, adding that the other three entities that contribute to Cluster have no real incentive to continue to participate other than a belief in the system approach. Devastating consequences are possible without the Cluster, he concluded. Mr. Hall explained that there is no guarantee that the Cluster will save the county money every year, but there is no doubt that long-term savings are realized with the pooled approach and its success in controlling out-of-home placements. Commissioner Myers asked if the Cluster can carry unspent funds over into the next fiscal year. Ms. Edwards responded that they can and, in fact, used prior year s carryover to keep Cluster operating during the funding reductions of Commissioner Myers suggested that the Commissioners discuss the issue further, as the Board has been approached with a number of funding requests recently. Ms. Edwards agreed, adding that the Cluster could operate with quarterly allocations if the Board would wish to. The Commissioners had given the Cluster $25,000 late last year. MEETING WITH JOE SPYBEY The Board of Commissioners met with Facilities Manager Joe Spybey at 1:00 p.m. for a departmental update. Present at this meeting were Judith Shupe, Jon Myers, Mike Kiger, Joe Spybey and Jackie Long. Mr. Spybey presented the Board with the facilities department s current organizational chart and a proposed restructured chart. When the department had 23 employees, three superintendents were needed, he explained. However, with a current staffing level of 14 due to budget cuts, three supervisors are really unnecessary. The recent resignation of Housekeeping Superintendent Jason Mauger and upcoming retirement of Maintenance Supervisor Larry Rupe make the time right for a restructuring of the department. He proposed that the department be restructured to include lead people for the Grounds, Housekeeping and Maintenance areas with a small hourly rate increase for those lead individuals. With these changes, he could still afford to hire one additional worker in both groundskeeping and maintenance and still save about $20,000 in salaries. He added that the lead individuals have been endorsed by their peers. The Commissioners stated that the plan appears sensible and they would review it further and get back to Mr. Spybey. Mr. Spybey also presented the Board with a revised list of project requests. The county s riding mowers are three years old and, as repairs are becoming costly, he PAGE 8 - MINUTES - MARCH 7, 2006 recommended trading in the two existing mowers for two new ones at a total cost of around $7,000. Financing the purchase would cost $1800 more over four years, he noted, and the Board agreed this was not desirable. Funds remain in Liberty Center site improvements ($79,000) and construction funds ($45,000) which could be used for asphalt, lighting and other necessary work at the facility. He added that he is working with Patty Bratton to get a cost estimate for recycled-content replacement carpet for the large meeting room. Additionally, about $2,600 is needed to replace the carpet in the Ag Center meeting room. Upon review of the list, the Commissioners requested that Mr. Spybey further prioritize the top priorities, since most of the current list is indicated as a Number One priority, and determine what Liberty Center projects can be completed with the remaining site improvements and construction funds. Mr. Spybey asked the Board to pay his dues for the state Facilities Managers organization of $110 and the Board agreed. MEETING WITH ALICE NICOLIA The Board of Commissioners met with Board of Elections Director Alice Nicolia at 1:30

8 p.m. regarding a request for additional voting equipment. Present at this meeting were Judith Shupe, Mike Kiger, Jon Myers, Alice Nicolia, Debbie Henderly, Andrew Shriner, Julia Hilty, Mary Beth Lane, Alaina Fehy and Jackie Long. Commissioner Shupe opened the meeting by stating that, since the last meeting with the Board of Elections, the Commissioners have been gathering additional information from the Secretary of State s Office, CCAO, Diebold and other counties regarding the election process, machines, etc. She noted that, with no offense to Mr. Shriner, an IT person is not statemandated and Licking County plans to hire an IT person who will work for all the county offices, including the Board of Elections. Commissioner Myers noted that, according to the contract, the state is paying the Diebold service contract through May. Ms. Nicolia responded that this is correct; however, continuation of the Diebold contract has been quoted at $90,000 annually for full coverage starting in 2007 with a 5% annual increase. Lesser levels of service are available at lower costs, with the lowest level of service quoted at $21,000. The Board of Elections felt it was more cost effective to hire an IT person and contract with Diebold for the lowest service level, she concluded. Ms. Henderly added that the service from Diebold for the May election will be significantly less than in previous elections; for example, Diebold had provided 20 people to assist with the Logic and Accuracy (L&A) testing in November and will only provide three in May. In response to Commissioners questions about L&A, Ms. Nicolia explained the process, which she estimated takes 45 minutes to one hour for each machine. L&A for a primary election takes longer, she explained, because of the different parties. Commissioner Myers asked if the L&A testing is something Board of Elections staff can do. Ms. Henderly responded that they could if they had more staff; however, with processing voter registrations and absentee ballots, along with the general day-to-day job duties, there is not enough staff to dedicate to L&A to complete it in time for the election. Ms. Nicolia added that there is hope that polling officials could be trained to conduct L&A testing on the county s 492 machines for a small, part-time wage. Commissioner Myers asked if people could pick up speed as they gain familiarity with the L&A testing. Mr. Shriner responded that the process is fairly intensive and he did not feel speed could be gained. Ms. Nicolia added that accuracy, not speed, is critical in the testing process since this is really what ensures election accuracy. The process starts April 1 and must be completed by April 28, she stated. Mr. Shriner added that it will take most of the entire month of April with people working on L&A. Commissioner Myers questioned why testing of 492 machines at one hour each would take 15 people an entire month. Ms. Nicolia responded that there is more involved than just the hour of testing for each machine. Machines must be individually removed from storage and set up (which explains the department s need for the use of Liberty Hall during election cycles), uploading of individual memory cards, dismantling of each machine, and locking and certifying of each machine before returning it to storage. Without interruptions or delays, the process could possibly be decreased to three weeks, she PAGE 9 - MINUTES - MARCH 7, 2006 estimated. Commissioner Shupe asked if the machines are programming to be precinct or polling specific. Ms. Nicolia responded that Fairfield County has a combination of both, as there are not enough machines to make them all precinct specific. She added that testing takes longer on polling-specific machines, since individual testing for each precinct must be completed. Additional machines are critical for emergencies like power failures, she stated. While they would need a minimum of 50 additional machines as stated at the last meeting, they had originally requested 100 additional machines to address future anticipated needs and avoid a predicted price jump from $2700 to $4,000 after this year. Since then, they have learned that the $2700/machine cost is set for five years so, while the need is still there, the urgency to purchase them all this year is not as great, she explained. The additional 50 machines estimate was arrived at to meet the 1 machine/175 voters state mandate with 10 spares. She added that Mr. Shriner was able to find encoder batteries for 22 cents each as opposed to the $2.50 each quoted by Diebold. The encoder batteries must be replaced for each election to avoid failures. Commissioner Shupe observed that Fairfield County experienced minimal problems during the November presidential election with its current complement of 492 machines, so it would seem that the county could purchase a few machines for spares and be O.K. She added that much of the additional costs to Ohio counties comes from state mandates not set by the federal government. Ms.

9 Nicolia agreed that the VPAT paper trail requirement added by the state is unnecessary. Discussion followed regarding the Board of Elections request for 200 additional encoders. Mr. Shriner explained that the county was to have received three encoders per precinct from the state. He explained to the Board the function of the encoders, which are programmed for individual ballot styles, which include political parties, school district splits, etc. and are used to program each voter card at the polling place. A 100% back-up ratio for encoders is desirable, he explained, since an encoder failure at the polling place without back-up can only be addressed by a poll worker reprogramming the encoder in the field. A minimum of 100 additional encoders is needed to achieve the 100% back-up ratio, Ms. Nicolia added. Commissioner Shupe asked why the county needs more encoders now than in the last election and why the county was not given adequate equipment by the state to handle the needs of elections. Ms. Nicolia explained that a primary election requires more encoders because of the nature of the election (more ballot styles ) and that boards of elections across the state are anticipating additional federal aid to the states in recognition of the true needs. If federal funds come to the state, Fairfield County would receive its share of the dollars, she explained, which could be used for more voting machines. She added that House Bill 3will require that postcards be sent by First Class mail to every registered voter 60 days before an election. Commissioner Shupe asked if there are enough machines to get through the May primary. Mr. Shriner indicated he felt there are enough. In response to questions from Commissioner Kiger, Ms. Nicolia stated that attempts are made to keep voting precincts at 900 voters. Fairfield County currently has 93,000 registered voters in 124 precincts. Commissioner Shupe asked if the county has a clean voter registration list. Ms. Nicolia stated that they are reviewing it, but do not expect much of a reduction. Discussion returned to the equipment needs. The minimum number of additional encoders needed for the May election is 100, which would cost approximately $40,000. Ms. Nicolia added that there is a voting precinct in Walnut Township that alone requires four encoders because of eight ballot splits. Commissioner Shupe asked why the government didn t supply sufficient equipment. Ms. Henderly suggested that the state funds may have been shorted by the federal government. Commissioner Myers asked when House Bill 3 will be effective. Ms. Henderly explained the mailing requirements will become law for the November general election and will require mailings in every federal election year, with the next year in Ms. Nicolia added that the Board of Elections is researching ways to obtain the postcards more economically than the $20,000 estimate. In response to questions from the Commissioners, Mr. Shriner stated that the new encoders would need to be ordered as soon as possible. It was agreed that purchase of additional voting machines would be on hold until next year. Ms. Nicolia stated that the office really PAGE 10 - MINUTES - MARCH 7, 2006 needs additional staff, since employees cannot take vacation or even comp time because of the current workload. The office has had no staffing increases for 13 years, she added. Commissioner Shupe asked how the employees are permitted to carry over such high levels of vacation time. Ms. Nicolia explained that, upon separation, an employee could only be paid the amount permitted to be carried over by the personnel policy manual. Commissioner Myers noted that the request from the Board of Elections for four additional full-time employees is nearly a 50% increase over the current staff of nine. Ms. Nicolia stated that the staff level should have been increasing all along to keep up with the growth; since it has not, there is a critical need to increase the staff by what seems a large number. Commissioner Myers asked if part-time employees had been considered. Ms. Nicolia explained that the board members were concerned with the ability of part-time people to do the highly technical work required under the new voting system. Commissioner Shupe explained that the Clerk of Courts legal division will be participating in a job performance audit and asked if the Board of Elections would be willing to participate. Ms. Nicolia responded that she could see no reason why they wouldn t participate. The current Board of Elections is a very proactive group and has discussed amending policies and adjusting positions, she added. She asked that the Commissioners make a decision fairly quickly on funding for part-time employees to assist with L&A testing, estimated at $7.25/hour. Commissioner Myers stated he would still like to review the numbers, since he is having trouble understanding the estimate of 1,000 hours for testing. Ms. Nicolia stated that they hope to hire pollworkers to conduct L&A testing to gain confidence and act as troubleshooters on election day to eliminate

10 the need for rovers. The Commissioners stated they are not ready to make a decision today. Ms. Nicolia reminded the Board that the L&A testing needs to start in April. She encouraged the Commissioners to visit the Board of Elections and observe the L&A process. The Commissioners and Board of Elections are in this together, she concluded, and should be partners in this process that is established for the voters and candidates. MEETING WITH DAVID LANDEFELD The Board of Commissioners met with Prosecuting Attorney David Landefeld at 2:45 p.m. regarding pending litigation. Present at this meeting were Judith Shupe, Mike Kiger, Jon Myers, David Landefeld, Julia Hilty, Roy Hart and Jackie Long. EXECUTIVE SESSION On motion of Jon Myers and second of Judith Shupe, the Board of Commissioners voted to go into executive session at 2:45 p.m. regarding pending litigation. Voting aye thereon: Jon Myers and Judith Shupe (Commissioner Kiger was out of the room at the time the vote was taken.) Present at this executive session were Judith Shupe, Mike Kiger, Jon Myers, David Landefeld, Julia Hilty, Roy Hart and Jackie Long. RETURN TO OPEN SESSION to return to open session at 3:30 p.m. No official action was taken. PAGE 11 - MINUTES - MARCH 7, 2006 ADJOURNMENT With no further business to come before the Board, on motion of Mike Kiger and second of Jon Myers, the meeting was adjourned at 3:30 p.m. Mike Kiger Jon D. Myers Judith K. Shupe Jacqueline D. Long, Clerk NEXT REGULAR MEETING SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2006, AT 10:00 A.M.