MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
FEBRUARY 10, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Executive Session: Evaluation and Goal Setting of Social Services Coordinator Amy Correia........... 1
Site Visit with County Recorder Kim Painter, 914 South Dubuque Street............................. 1
Chairperson Neuzil called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 9:02 a.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Larry Meyers, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan.
Motion by Sullivan, second by Stutsman, to enter into Executive Session at 9:03 a.m. for an annual evaluation of Social Services Coordinator Amy Correia under section 21.5(1.i), Code of Iowa, “to evaluate the professional competency of an individual whose appointment, hiring, performance or discharge is being considered when necessary to prevent needless and irreparable injury to that individual’s reputation and that individual requests a closed session.” Roll call: aye: Harney, Stutsman, Neuzil, Sullivan, Meyers.
Motion by Sullivan, second by Meyers, to leave Executive Session at 9:21 a.m. Roll call: aye: Harney, Stutsman, Neuzil, Sullivan, Meyers.
Recessed at 9:22 a.m.; reconvened in the office of County Recorder Kim Painter at 9:30 a.m.
County Recorder Kim Painter said she is waiving fax fees and fees to email people records. Painter said the County Attorney's Office said not to ask for an opinion about redacting information unless Painter really wanted an answer. Stutsman asked if the Recorder's Office removes any information before sending out a copy of a birth certificate that a citizen might order. Painter said that by law, they can not alter death certificates or other vital records. This question really only applies to real estate records and it is mainly to protect social security numbers. Painter said the State Attorney General says the Recorder's Office can not get in the way of the public's right to information. She also said that the Code of Iowa states that no information can be removed from a public record unless a citizen asks to have a social security number removed. R. Sullivan asked when social security numbers began to not appear on legal documents. Painter said in 2002 there began a penalty for people who put social security numbers on legal documents and now, if the staff sees one on a record dated 2002, they remove it. She said the State Code will change again this year.
Painter said the office is upgrading to the COTT System for indexing real estate documents. This will enable them to use parcel identification numbers to enter and search for records. This simplifies and expedites the records search process. Painter said the COTT System will also allow for online indexing of all records dating as far back as the County has. Finally, the COTT System will allow the Recorder's Office to send documents to local title plants, abstractors, and other businesses.
Stutsman asked if all of the names are indexed if multiple owners are listed on a document. Painter said yes, all the names are indexed. Painter said she has decided to waive fees for sending documents. The office usually collects $1,200 to $2,000 in monthly fees. Painter said she does not mind losing some money here in order to pass a savings on to the business community. Stutsman asked what the budget impact is and Painter said it is about $6,000 to $8,000 per year. Painter said this practice is good public relations.
Painter said in order to keep their overall costs low, she decided to not fill the open position in the department. This represents a savings of $36,000 plus benefits. Painter said at the end of the year she always returns any unspent money from the Recorder's Office because she thinks that is how things should operate. She said revenues are down about $43,000 from last year and they are on a downward trajectory. Painter said the County could make some money if mortgage interest rates drop below 5% because there would be increased activity in the market. The worst case scenario for the Recorder's Office is that FY09 revenues would lower by $50,000 to $100,000.
Neuzil asked if Painter had any questions about the upcoming move within the County offices. Painter said no and that she was ready for the move. Neuzil asked Painter to tell the Board about the Workforce Development Committee she serves on. Painter said it is a good experience for her and that the Workforce Development CEO Board does so much good work. Neuzil asked about State level cuts. R. Sullivan said that a few years ago, there was talk about closing the Iowa City Workforce Development Office. Painter said the County met its targets last year and got an increase in funding. She said the CEO's attend two meetings a year for the Region 10 Workforce Development.
R. Sullivan asked Painter if there was any talk about consolidating services within the Recorder's Association. He said for example, in counties where there are only 39 real estate transactions yearly. Painter said there is some talk about that. R. Sullivan asked about sharing services between counties. Painter said there is some talk about that but it is a very sensitive situation. She said she could see a situation where it is proposed that the County move to regional offices. Stutsman said if everything is done electronically, that eliminates the need for some positions.
Painter said there is continued thought about having employees work from home. She said the government has excellent programs for tracking employee productivity. Painter added that Fortune 500 companies are very successful with employees working from home. Painter said that over the upcoming years, the government will have to find more ways to promote services electronically. R. Sullivan said in some of his travels out of town, he has seen kiosks in malls which allow county residents to conduct business. Painter added that hunting licenses are sold at local vendors such as Fin and Feather simply by asking the customer to swipe their driver's license. Stutsman said this is a concern because it is eliminating jobs for people. Painter said this is a very sensitive issue now. Stutsman said she remembers a discussion focusing on consolidating small counties and the conclusion was that that would never happen. Neuzil said the same discussions are taking place with regard to school district consolidation. Painter said she is always willing to talk about restructuring government.
Adjourned at 10:00 a.m.
By Nancy Tomkovicz, Recording Secretary