MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
JANUARY 7, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Discussion: Fiscal Year 2010 Department Budgets
General Basic Block Grants (20)
Juvenile Crime Prevention (54)
Chairperson Neuzil called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 1:00 p.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Larry Meyers, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan.
Social Services Coordinator Amy Correia said the spreadsheet presented shows the joint funding process with United Way and JCCOG. The sheet shows the requests for the different entities, the percent increase (if any) from FY09 allocation, and recommendations. In the first section there is only one recommended increase of $1,500 for Big Brothers Big Sisters. She noted that Big Brothers Big Sisters continues to have a waiting list for matches. In general they recruit volunteers well, but additional staff time is needed to find and support matches. The increase will help support four additional matches. Correia said that Four Oaks received $37,000 in FY09 and only requested $25,000 for FY10. Budget Coordinator Richard Claiborne said there was an increase in the request made by MECCA. Correia explained that she separated the sections out and MECCA has not requested an increase in the prevention section. Stutsman asked why the amount requested decreased for Four Oaks. Correia said they requested less. She noted that the Four Oaks Block Grant is different then other funding allocations in that all services provided are on a fee-for-service basis. She added that Four Oaks has earmarked the extra $37,000 to provide tuition assistance for the after school child care programs. The tuition is to be used for children who need structured after school activities but whose parents do not qualify for other funding.
Correia said the next section deals with basic human needs for food, shelter, safety, and crisis intervention. She proposed an increase of $2,500 for the Food Bank allocation. The Food Bank has seen an increase in households utilizing the program. It is difficult to determine if the increase is due to the flood or to economic factors.
Correia said the Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP) is in jeopardy of losing some significant state funding but is actively working to recover those dollars. She noted she is proposing a small increase to the budget. The Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP) gets a small allocation of $15,000 bringing the total to $16,324. RVAP provides services specific to the University of Iowa population as well as services available countywide to non-student populations. RVAP is trying to extend services to include people with disabilities and Spanish speakers. Correia noted a slight increase in the allocation for Shelter House due to increases in service utilization. She proposed a decrease in the funding for Uptown Bill’s. She noted that the previous funding of $10,000 was a one-time deal. Harney asked if the State is cutting DVIP funds. Correia said the State Victim's Assistance Fund is depleted. She added that the statewide coalition, including DVIP, is actively working with the Legislature to restore funding, but is anticipating a potential loss of State funds.
Correia said that in the Health Services section of the Block Grant she recommends an increase of $1,700 for Elder Services and similar increases for the Free Medical Clinic and MECCA’s Treatment Program. Based on usage from last year she proposes lowering the funding for the Social Services Flex Account by $500. The flex account helped support leveraged dollars for the North Liberty Summer Youth and Learning Project.
Correia said that the Aging Specialist is leaving that position and taking another one within Public Health, because there is no secure funding for the position past FY09. There are unexpended funds in this program that will return to the General Fund. The initiative will continue, but without a paid staff position. There are non-staff related efforts like the Livable Community website, up and running, and additional special projects to support it. The recommendation is to keep $5,000 dollars to support the Livable Communities website and other initiatives. R. Sullivan said the cost of maintaining a website is at least a couple of thousand dollars. Neuzil said the amount could be decreased to $5,000 and the rest could be put towards things like the County Fair. Stutsman asked how much is left over.
Correia said the County's allocation of $50,000 will go back into the General Fund. Neuzil asked if the Livable Communities budget line should be included in Elder Services. R. Sullivan said it should stay Livable Communities. Neuzil asked if Livable Communities should continue to appear under the Health Services category. Correia said she thinks of it as an "other" category item, because it does not involve just health matters. Stutsman said the Aging Specialist position was advertised as grant-funded and therefore not secure. Correia said the specialist is not leaving Public Health, because she was hired as a Disease Prevention Specialist. Neuzil said it would be nice to see the money go back into the General Fund. He said Correia has done what the Board has requested by not only holding the line on expenditures but saving $20,000. Stutsman asked what the total request is for FY10. Correia said the total for General Basic Block Grants is $1,147,455. Neuzil said Line 28 would now show $5,000 and the name would change to Livable Communities.
Correia said Neuzil, Meyers, and she attended a site visit at the Shelter House. It was at the site visit that Neuzil asked if the Shelter would come in with a request for assistance with their capital campaign. She talked with Claiborne and Executive Assistant Mike Sullivan about the possibility of a multiyear commitment similar to other commitments the Board has taken for infrastructure projects. Stutsman said she wants to correct the line that says the Board supported bricks and mortar expenses of new facilities. She noted that the County has not supported these initiatives in the past and it has happened only when there has been a request for matching funds from the Vision Iowa Grant. Historically the Board has not been involved because the money is better used in operating endeavors. Stutsman said that traditionally operating funds are harder to get than capital funds. She cautioned the Board that if they start funding these types of capital projects they are going to open the door to anybody who does a fundraiser in Johnson County. Stutsman said that the Board can justify projects done for North Liberty, Coralville, and the Englert Theater because of the matching funds requested by the Vision Iowa Grant. Neuzil said of capital campaigns, the Board supported Iowa City Area Development and the Johnson County Historical Society. He agreed that the Board has not done anything in terms of actual bricks and mortar, unless it has been to help with Vision Iowa funding, and doing so will open a new commitment. R. Sullivan asked if the request is on the spreadsheet. Correia said it is included in the overall budget at $5,000.
Neuzil asked if there is news from other communities about their capital campaigns. Correia said she has not talked directly to the communities. She noted that if the County invests $25,000, there are naming rights for certain portions of the building. Stutsman asked if the Shelter House is approaching any other governmental entities for funding assistance. Correia said she has not asked this specific question. R. Sullivan said the chair of the Shelter House campaign is Iowa City Council Representative Connie Champion and that the City of Iowa City might consider something with her being in that role. Neuzil said the Board is not making any decisions. He noted that it might be more appropriate for the Shelter House to approach the County when they are at the right stage. Correia said they are looking to have everything built in FY10. Stutsman asked how much bigger the Shelter House would be. Neuzil said Correia already increased the funds in that budget section. Correia said that the Shelter feels confident with what they have for operating. They are providing a lot of services for many people but the current space is not adequate to accommodate all the needs. Neuzil said, given the small space, it is amazing the Shelter has anything in the house and hopes there can be some efficiencies created with more space. This is something the Board needs to consider and the item will be placed on the tally sheet. Correia asked if the Shelter House people need to provide additional information, or put together a presentation. Neuzil said he will have better answers after the Board goes through the tally sheet. If the request survives the first round, then it would be appropriate to have them prepare something.
Claiborne said that he is still working on the budget for the Joint Emergency Communication Center. He noted the capital campaign of $20,000 for the Historical Society is already paid. Neuzil said he thinks the Board committed to paying $100,000. Claiborne said no, the commitment was $5,000 a year for four years and it is fully paid. Neuzil said he thought the request was for $100,000. Stutsman said there is a new request made by the Historical Society. Claiborne said the usual Historical Society Block Grant is $48,300 and they request a slight increase right above $50,000. Claiborne added that since the Historical Society has received their capital campaign funds in one year versus five years they can collect interest. R. Sullivan said they should wait to discuss this matter. Claiborne said he just wanted to note that the voucher was for $20,000, not $5,000, so all the money was paid in one year. Neuzil said he thought it was $100,000. Neuzil said the Board needs to double check this. He said the Board needs to get a better feel for the three categories and decide what percentage to allocate to each. The Family and Child Wellbeing category represents about half of the budget at over $400,000.
R. Sullivan said one thing he would like to see for future budgets is the Senior Citizens Center item moving under Correia's care. There are services for seniors that are included in the Social Services Block Grants. Harney said the Senior Center would fall under the Livable Communities category. R. Sullivan said it would not change how the Board would budget, because it is still a line item. Correia said they could create a Seniors Category and put Elder Services under there.
Stutsman asked if there is a concern about shortage of funds from state and federal entities. Correia said it depends on the program and what percentage of their funding comes from grants. She said DVIP and Neighborhood Centers are expecting funding shortages. Correia added that the Neighborhood Center had trouble with the State childcare reimbursement system. Stutsman asked if Correia gets a sense that these agencies will be asking the County for more dollars in the future. Correia said some agencies asked for slight increases. R. Sullivan said he assumes Correia transmitted the same message the Board gave department heads to keep budgets relatively tight.
Neuzil said that the funding for Red Cross continues, but he thought the Board phased it out. Stutsman said she thought they phased it out a long time ago. She said the line item should be zeroed out. R. Sullivan said the Board closed the funding when Red Cross closed their local office. Stutsman said the County still taxes for it. R. Sullivan asked if there is corresponding revenue. Claiborne said the only revenue is from Substance Abuse reimbursement.
Stutsman asked what the Joint Disaster Services is. Neuzil responded that the Joint Disaster Services is the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee. Harney said the $500 for Red Cross was still allocated because they still provided some services, even though the office moved to Cedar Rapids. M. Sullivan said none of the service approvals come through the County. Neuzil said the line item should be removed.
Neuzil said the next budget item is Hazardous Materials, but Emergency Management Coordinator Dave Wilson could not attend the meeting and therefore the Board will return to discussing Block Grant 20 at a later time. Neuzil said the funding for the Senior Center will be kept the same. In the future the Senior Citizens Board will communicate with Correia for any requests. Stutsman clarified that shifting the item into a new budget line does not mean an increase in funds. Stutsman said it is confusing talking about Joint Disaster Services when the Board could call it Emergency Management Services. R. Sullivan said renaming lines can be a pain, and it would be easier to add notes for clarification. Stutsman asked why it is so difficult to change line item names. R. Sullivan said when a name is changed they have to keep the old one for three years.
Neuzil asked about the $10,000 for MECCA. Stutsman said it is a yearly grant. Neuzil said the item on Line 44 is in its last year. Line 45 is the North Liberty pool which is zeroed out. East Central Council of Governments was moved over to Central Services and therefore is zeroed out in Block Grant 20. Stutsman asked if there should still be money in Iowa Tourism. Neuzil said it is under Central Services now, but not seeing it there, he questioned where Iowa Tourism is in the budget. M. Sullivan said it was removed quite some time ago. R. Sullivan said the County was not a member of Iowa Tourism and the budget line was removed a long time ago. Neuzil said line item 49 is ICAD and Stutsman said the next line item is ICAD also. Neuzil said ICAD is in the middle of their capital campaign which goes through FY11, so that line item stays as is. Neuzil asked what the request was this year for line item 52. Stutsman said they are requesting a 5% increase on their base funding bringing it to $50,715, along with a capital campaign support of $20,000 annually for five years. Neuzil said it is as he thought, a $100,000 contribution, so $20,000 needs to be added. Harney and Stutsman said that is a new request this year. Neuzil said he is positive the Board committed to that in 2008 and the Board paid the first installment this year. Meyers said that is what he thought also.
Claiborne said he vividly remembers reviewing the payment schedule and they have fully paid their commitment of $5,000 over four years. He said he does not remember $100,000. Neuzil said he remembers the figure was $100,000 and asked Recording Secretary Nancy Tomkovicz to check the minutes to verify whether the Board committed $100,000 over a five year period for the Historical Society. Stutsman said she thought the capital campaign was just getting started publicly and asked how the Board could have committed the money if there was no campaign. Neuzil said the campaign had begun last year. Stutsman quoted a letter from Johnson County Historical Society Representative Shaner Magelhaes: "As a result of your [the Board's] additional $20,000 in funding as well as support of other Friends of JCHC member campaign donors, we [Johnson County Historical Society] have been able to pursue initiatives such as new museum exhibits, increased programming, web development, and things. Along with the capital campaign support of $20,000 annually for five years our [Johnson County Historical Society] base funding from the County remains vital to our sustainability." Stutsman said maybe the Board did commit to that. Claiborne said he would check on that. R. Sullivan said the Board will need to budget for the additional $20,000. Tomkovicz said the board minutes from January 4, 2008 read as follows: "R. Sullivan said that Johnson County Historical Society Representative Shaner Magelhaes had requested $20,000 per year for five years in addition to what the Board has granted in the past." Neuzil said the resolution discussed how some of that money would be reinvested in Johnson County. Harney and Stutsman asked if the Board ever approved the $20,000 annually.
Neuzil said the Englert project is phased out and paid off. He asked if there is a request from the Johnson County Fairgrounds. Claiborne said the Fairgrounds submitted a letter saying they are happy with the current funding levels. Neuzil said the $20,000 is already in the budget and pointed to the line item on the PowerPoint. Neuzil said the Board will add $20,000 to Line 53 and take out $20,000 from Line 57. Meyers asked about the Coralville Theater and Iowa City Sand Lake Project. Neuzil said those projects need to be added to the budget. Stutsman said she would like a rundown of all the commitments made by the Board, because the list is getting large. R. Sullivan said the Board needs to have a mechanism to ensure that, so if something is approved it actually shows up for the next year.
Neuzil said the Board needs to make sure Sand Lake Recreation area and the Coralville Center of Performing Arts projects are included in the budget as they are part of the Vision Iowa Grant. Stutsman said the Board has not heard anything from these entities. R. Sullivan said they should budget for it at least the first year. Claiborne asked why the Board should budget anything without a request from the entities. He said these organizations need to get on the County’s budget schedule. Neuzil said when they make the request for grants they need a commitment from the County, but the Board needs to double-check if the programs have been approved by Vision Iowa before the County cuts checks. R. Sullivan said they need someone who answers to the Board to oversee the process. Neuzil said that the line items without anything under them fall under the supervision of the Finance Department whether it is Claiborne or the Auditor's Office. R. Sullivan disagreed and said that the Board needs to know at all times what it is committing to. Claiborne said he needs to be involved. Neuzil said under Strategic Planning the Board will discuss line items that have no oversight and a buffer system like they just did for Social Services. He added that the discussion needs to be extended to the Economic Development Committee, which Claiborne will be a part of. Stutsman said the Board discussed having an Economic Development pot of money to draw from as needed.
R. Sullivan said that last year there was confusion whether the County was still funding the Englert Theater project, and noted that it would be nice if it was clear when funding was dispensed or suspended. M. Sullivan said that accounting is being done by the Auditor's Office. Stutsman asked who gives the Auditor's Office authorization to write checks. M. Sullivan said that is how Block Grants are paid, and that the Board office does not receive copies of any of the claims or checks. He said the Auditor’s Office has a pay-off schedule from which they pay and he does not see any claims, money, or checks.
Correia said the Social Services Block Grants are automatic payments. M. Sullivan said those are different. Correia said that after the budget is approved she sends letters to the agencies stating their awards and a memo to the Auditor's Office with the payment schedule. From that point she receives monthly reports of what has been paid. Stutsman said the County should have the same system for all Block Grants. Harney said in looking at the Historical Society's request, the Board has obviously approved that one because it says that beginning in Fiscal Year 2009 through Fiscal Year 2013, $20,000 is allocated yearly. He explained that the Auditor's Office automatically sends out the check each year until the funding expires. It is the Board's responsibility to have that money in the budget until it expires. R. Sullivan said that for the non-highlighted budget items he would like to see M. Sullivan, Claiborne, or a combination of both, handle the Block Grant like Correia has done. There needs to be oversight for the remainder of the budget. Claiborne said he gives a payment schedule to Account Clerk Mydge Krob in the Auditor's Office and she handles the payments. R. Sullivan said with the publication of the budget, the Board gives authority to the Auditor's Office to write checks, but the Board office still must still track the payments so it knows what has been paid and when.
R. Sullivan said he is concerned about items like Sand Lake Recreation area and the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts that do not show up in the budget. Claiborne said he needs to be able to rely on someone else to help him. He said he is doing the work of about 10 people and does need a little help. Neuzil said that is what the Economic Development Committee will provide. R. Sullivan said this reminds him of a previous discussion with the East Iowa Tourism Association; there must be a way to commit to paying something and get it paid. He said he is unsure of who is best suited for the job, but someone should undertake it. Meyers said the Johnson County Local Food Alliance is another item that is not reflected in the budget and it should be. Stutsman said they should discuss these budgeting tracking concerns in a Key Issues meeting.
Neuzil said he thinks the money for Food Alliance came from the Rural Economic Development line item. The Board has just been putting $5,000 into the fund but the money, which is extra money the Economic Development Committee has to commit to projects that are off budget, has been going to the Food Alliance. Harney said the Board started that a couple of years ago with $5,000 and didn't know if more funds would be needed. Neuzil said the Board will discuss that at the meeting on January 12, 2009. Stutsman said the Board would also discuss the budget for Mental Health/Disability Services on January 12, 2009. She said she is not going to sit in on that discussion, so she is requesting that the Board puts the item first or last on the agenda. Neuzil said they will have it first on the agenda.
Neuzil left at 2:05 p.m.
Correia said there are two grants that have gone through Block Grant 54 for many years and FY09 is the last year. She noted the money was coming from the State for Criminal Juvenile Justice Planning (CJJP) and from the five year demonstration project. These grants will no longer be in the budget. She noted that there are a couple of grants that are just beginning to come through. Correia said that one new grant is the Youth Homes Reimbursements. She noted that the cost of the program is offset by the revenues, and if no grant will be received in the future, the program will end. Correia said there is $13,000 allocated for the Detention Alternative Program. She explained that the program is funded through DCAT and the County receives 100% reimbursement from the State.
Neuzil returned at 2:08 p.m.
Stutsman asked if the $13,000 for the Detention Alternative Program represents a new commitment for the County. Correia said the $13,000 represents grant funding. She explained that the grant used to go through CJJP for Detention Alternative Program, but it has been transferred to DCAT through the Chief Juvenile Court Officer for the Detention Alternative Program. Correia proposed allocating $200,000 for a competitive grant. She noted that through a competitive grant the County would be able to easily track the dollars through the Auditor's Office and internally through Social Services. The Policy Board will provide oversight for the dollars and they will report quarterly. She reiterated that the money is not a new budget item but instead she is proposing a different way of allocating it.
Correia said the next budget item is the Scholarship and Activity Fund, which encompasses County dollars. She said that the proposed amount has been the same for many years. The funds have been used to help support purchasing of supplies for summer youth programming like discounted swim passes that were distributed to youth through United Action for Youth, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Four Oaks. The money also helps support the scholarship and activity fund for homeless and low income youth to participate in activities like baseball, music lessons, and sport camps. R. Sullivan asked if there is an income line to match. Correia said the funds do not come into the County.
Correia said the Dysfunctional Family Therapy line item is a 100% grant funded expense. She explained that the contract is with the County, which subcontracts with Four Oaks for services, and then bills the State for reimbursement. As long as they continue to have the contract, they will provide the services, but if the contract goes away they will not have the program.
Correia said the Consortium for Youth Employment is a mixture of County dollars and outside funding sources. Of the total, $20,000 is from the County General Fund. Correia said she is requesting a total of $224,500 from the General Fund as opposed to $228,494 for last year.
Correia said $12,500 is for Rural Social Services to provide services for rural Johnson County residents. Beginning in FY08 and continuing into FY09 it has supported programming for youth and families at Breckenridge Mobile Home Park. Correia noted that the families at Breckenridge have been identified as an underserved, vulnerable population. The people are far from the city limits and have no public transportation. The kids are bussed to Helen Lemme Elementary School. She noted that there was a need to provide some services to engage the families in the community and within the school community and provide additional pro-social programs for kids. The County has worked with Neighborhood Centers, Lemme Elementary, and Iowa State University Extension to provide after school programs in spring and fall two days per week for eight weeks for all elementary students who live at Breckenridge. She said the program is supported financially through the Rural Block Grant, community partnerships, State, and DCAT funding. Correia said that the Neighborhood Centers received DCAT funding and provided 20 kids from Breckenridge with tuition scholarships for Neighborhood Centers Summer Program in the summer of 2008. The school also applied for a Department of Education grant to enhance after school programs. Correia said there is no increase in funding, just a request to maintain the funding. She added that funds will be requested from the Iowa City Community School District Foundation. Neuzil confirmed that the figure stays at $12,500.
Meyers asked if the Library Block Grants are based on population. Stutsman said the funds are based on the rural residents’ usage. Harney said that the funds are for Breckenridge and asked why the $12,500 is listed under Regency. Stutsman said it would be better to call the line item Rural Community Services. Harney said it does not have anything to do with the Regency Trailer Court.
Stutsman said she is assuming there are no other increases. Neuzil said the libraries should submit their request. In terms of Landfill costs, R. Sullivan said that the increased expenses were due to the flood debris. He asked if lowering the funding to $12,500 will cover everyone. M. Sullivan said Deputy Auditor Dana Aschenbrenner pays the Landfill fees. He added that Aschenbrenner looks at trends before deciding on a figure and that he is comfortable with the current level of $12,500. M. Sullivan said the Landfill bill was extremely high because of the flooding. Harney asked if the Board had to add additional money to cover flood expenses. M. Sullivan said the Board had to amend the budget. He added that during the flood the commercial haulers were not waived for landfill tipping fees as city haulers were. He said that FEMA reimbursed 90% of all expenses the County incurred for commercial hauling of flood debris.
Neuzil asked who enters the numbers for budget lines five and six. M. Sullivan said JCCOG sends their rural assessments in. Stutsman said the numbers are not updated. Claiborne said he usually receives the numbers after the budget. Neuzil asked if Claiborne could follow up on all the library line items to make sure they submit requests and follow the contract. Neuzil asked for an explanation of line item 14. Claiborne said that is money set aside to help Secondary Roads in road repair. The Board set aside $500,000 with $100,000 going towards trail development and $400,000 for capital improvements on roads. M. Sullivan said the $100,000 was to leverage grants. R. Sullivan said there are a couple gravel roads the County wishes to chip seal and a few dirt roads to upgrade to gravel. Claiborne said the amount budgeted for FY08-FY09 has not been expended yet. Neuzil said there is $1,000,000 in the fund and asked how much goes to trails. Claiborne said $200,000 would go to trails and $800,000 to roads, and it is up to the Board if they would like to change the allocations. Neuzil asked for clarification. Neuzil said that out of $500,000 the Board committed $400,000 for gravel and dirt roads and $100,000 to trails. Claiborne said the only restriction in the Capital Improvement line is that the money cannot be transferred out to Secondary Roads, and the voucher should come out of Department 23.
Neuzil said Department 20 and 23 will be on the agenda for January 12, 2009. Claiborne requested to have Department 20 and 23 budget discussions moved to a later meeting. Neuzil said on January 12, 2009 they will discuss MH/DS and Emergency Management. Neuzil said that January 21, 2009, would be more decision-making with the tally sheet requests. He said they have four budget meetings scheduled on January 12, 21, 26, and 28 of 2009.
The meeting adjourned at 2:33 p.m.
______________________________________________________________________
Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor
By:
On the _______ day of _____________________, 2009
By Nancy Tomkovicz, Recording Secretary
Sent to the Board of Supervisors on July 8, 2009 at 11;30 a.m..