MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
JUNE 12, 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Mental Health/Disability Services Director Kris Artley: Provider Agency Rates......................... 1
Reports and Inquiries from Executive Assistant Mike Sullivan................................................... 3
Conservation Director Harry Graves: Setting Date for Proposed Conservation Board Bond Election 3
Reports and Inquiries from the Board of Supervisors................................................................. 4
Chairperson Sullivan called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 8:21 p.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Larry Meyers, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan.
Mental Health/Disability Services Director Kris Artley said that she needs the Board to approve provider agency rates for FY09. The first program she presented was Hillcrest Family Services. Artley said Mental Health/Disability Services is supportive of Hillcrest Family Services request for rates, as they have been an active provider in the first cost report process, however they all link the providers which has been utilizing a different fiscal year than the County’s, so they will be requesting them in the future to submit their statistical information to Eide Bailly based on the County’s fiscal year so it will be easier to figure out. Artley said that for the Supportive Community Living (SCL) service, due to the information presented to Eide Bailly, extending into the County’s fiscal year, they only utilize a 2.3% inflationary adjustment on the FY07 actual rate, which brought the rate up to $60.05 per hour, while requesting $62.06 per hour, which is a 19% increase over what the Board approved last year for the current year. She said if they look at it in comparison with the adjusted cost rate for FY07 it is a 3.34% increase, which they thought was quite reasonable. Artley said the Residential Care Facility (RCF) rate in FY07 was an actual $115.49 with a whole adjustment bringing it up to $118.58, and for FY09 they would like $129.69. In comparison to the current fiscal year, FY08, it is a 2.11% increase, a reasonable rate.
Artley next discussed the provider agency rate with Mayor’s Youth. Artley said that the majority of services that Mayor’s Youth provides are intended for children, and the majority of them come under waiver services. They normally do not pay for the services through MH/DS since MH/DS technically serves the adult population. However, Artley said, they are beginning to see that there is a trend towards transitioning, and they will have some older behaviorally challenged children coming into their systems. She said by turning 18 they become a legal adult so they will be turned over to the County. Artley said they are asking them to continue to approve their rates for two reasons. She said one, because of the turning 18 situation, and also because if they help them establish waiver rates in the County and get them approved, then other counties seeking those services will accept those rates because they negotiated them in Johnson County. Artley said SCL and vocational rehab services are generally historically negotiated by the respective host county even though they are under waiver.
Artley explained that MYEP’s fiscal year runs from 10/1 through 9/30, and they will be very willing to adjust. Artley said for the SCL rates they are requesting $18.49 which is less than the FY07 rate with the COLA adjustment. She said they are trying to do internal efficiencies and they recognize the fact that they can produce a better product for less money. Artley said MH/DS supports them in that endeavor. Artley said that for vocational rehab the COLA adjusted FY07 actual rate was $21.79 and they are only requesting $15.62. She said all the other waiver rates have established maximums and MYEP is requesting below those maximums. Artley said it would include single respite which is a maximum of $17.83 and they are only requesting $16.20. Artley said they have a respite camp, which is a unique thing for children during the summer. She said those items are less than what the established maximum items are. The maximums are established by the State under Chapter 79 of the Iowa Administrative Code. Artley said for SCL, which is one of the services they are concerned about with the potential of having clients there, the FY07 actual cost of $24.16 plus the COLA adjustment would come up to $24.72. Artley said their rate request for FY09 is $29.50, and that is still .64% lower than the approved rate for FY08. She said they are going down in cost which is good.
Artley said supported employment is another issue that could potentially be engaged in if a child reaches the age of maturity. Artley said the FY07 actual cost was $23.35 plus a COLA adjustment of $23.87. They are requesting an FY09 rate of $28.25 which is 16.99% more than the approved rate for 2008. She said they are heading in the right direction. Artley said transportation is an awkward one because the FY07 actual cost of $4.87 plus a COLA adjustment would be $4.98 a trip. She said they too are concerned about significant increases in gasoline prices and what is on the horizon. Artley said they had been approved last year at over $14.00, so they are requesting a proposed rate of $10.05 a trip, which is double what the adjusted FY07 plus COLA rate was, yet it is still a 42% reduction from the FY08 approved rate.
Artley said Lifeskills is also a participant in the CRIS reporting process. Lifeskills has been the Johnson County preferred provider for quite some time. She said the SCL rate is an hourly rate which was decreased in FY06 from the approved rate of FY05, and since that time the rate has been frozen for three fiscal years. Artley said they are asking to retain the same rate of $54.20 per hour. Artley said SCL is a service provided out in the community, therefore high gasoline prices are severely impacting this particular service.
Artley said respite care is capped by established waiver rates, and the maximum is $17.83 per hour and it is not to exceed $294 per day. Artley said that while they are willing to accept the waiver maximum, she said she can tell they have been taking a hit of approximately $3.39 per every hour of the service provided. She said that if they determine that somewhere down the road that they would like to send a letter or a request to exception to the State policy, Artley thinks the County will be fully supportive of offering their endorsement to that.
Artley said that there were poor utilization rates of clubhouse due to the rough winter, but they are going to find creative ways to increase the utilization rate and they have discussed some ways at the table. Artley said they are requesting $32.80 for a half day. That is equivalent to the FY07 actual rate plus a COLA adjustment and then a 3.33% increase for FY09. She said they are keenly aware of the necessity of making conservative efforts to spread their services as the County has been at the table through the whole Services Management Plan, and they understand what they are dealing with. The Board agreed to put the provider agency rates on a future formal agenda for approval.
Executive Assistant Mike Sullivan reported that the National Guard has evacuated the Armory and relocated due to the flood, so that will more than likely expedite the closure of the Administration Building. He said that most likely the Administration Building will stay open through June 13, 2008. He said that as of today, it is likely that the Administration Building will be non-accessible by June 14 or June 15, 2008. M. Sullivan said the building will be monitored throughout the night, and if anything changes it will be posted on the County website and media releases will go out. M. Sullivan said flash flooding is not going down and as the rain continues the water will continue to rise and climb into the area. R. Sullivan thanked M. Sullivan for all his work and all his hours he is putting in as the Public Information Officer at the Emergency Operations Center.
Conservation Director Harry Graves said the ballot language for the bond issue has been approved, is in the hands of the Chairman, and has been reviewed by bond counsel. Graves requested that the Board approve the language at the next formal meeting. Stutsman asked if they would have ballot wording. Graves said they would, and that the wording is substantially the same as January 2008. R. Sullivan said they have draft wording. Graves said Bond Counsel Bob Jostens has to have a request from R. Sullivan to prepare the language exactly as they want it to appear in the motion. Neuzil said the Board would like to review it before they vote on it. Graves said that Mr. Josten needs a go ahead from R. Sullivan to then draft the motion, which is just a formality. Stutsman asked if they need to put it on next week's agenda for a motion. R. Sullivan said he needs to put it on next week's agenda to set the date. Graves said it would be the approval of the ballot language, since that is the one missing component. R. Sullivan asked if they needed two things on next week's agenda. He said it would be setting the date and approving the language. Stutsman said that it didn't sound like they were going to get the language until later. M. Sullivan that he has seen things come from Josten’s office and oftentimes, when he gets the language done, he will not only have the language, but will have draft minutes, and a draft motion approving that language.
Graves said that in the information he forwarded M. Sullivan he said Josten now has the ballot language as of June 12, 2008 and he will, upon request, draft a motion and everything to be done in one resolution. Neuzil requested that the Board have the information by Wednesday June 18, 2008, if the intent is for the Board to vote on it at the June 19, 2008 meeting. Neuzil said the issue is the question of what is going to be on the ballot, and how much authority and where the direction of the funding goes, and if the wording is extremely generic or not. R. Sullivan said the Board is interested in getting that moved forward by the week of June 16, 2008, and he said he will contact Mr. Josten and get the language. R. Sullivan continued that assuming that the Board is comfortable with the language they have, they will look at the next week for setting the date and approving the language. Stutsman asked if the Board has any say in the language and if they can revise it. M. Sullivan said that it depends on how the Board wants to revise it. He suggested that R. Sullivan should contact Josten, and Josten can then tell the Board what he has ready for next week. Graves said that if R. Sullivan has any questions as to what needs to happen and where the leeway is, they can ask Josten at that time. R. Sullivan responded that he will work with Chappell and County Attorney Janet Lyness to figure out what needs to be done.
Neuzil said they are all keeping in touch with M. Sullivan, the County’s Public Information Office, about the flooding situation, and that everyone needs to have common sense at the moment. He thanked M. Sullivan, and said R. Sullivan is communicating with Emergency Management staff twice daily. He noted that everyone on the Board is monitoring the activities as well, being on-call for any emergency situations. Neuzil said that as of June 12, 2008, they saw a County that is well prepared for a situation such as the present. He said the County elected officials and department heads, are working together. He said that they have been inside some of the emergency response meetings, and that it is amazing to see the kind of cooperation and teamwork that is taking place at every level of government. Neuzil said that is why they have government, because of the trying times. He said it has been a success and there will be more sleepless days until the water crests. Meyers said that everyone has been working together, the City and County, Fire Departments, Sheriff's Department, all across the County. R. Sullivan reminded folks to stay away from flood waters.
Adjourned at 8:41 p.m.
Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor
By John Deeth, Recording Secretary