Chairperson Neuzil called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 9:01 a.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan; absent: Larry Meyers.

Key Issues

Bike Rides in Unincorporated Johnson County

Stutsman said she lives in unincorporated Johnson County on a road heavily used by bikers. She said she and her husband were traveling on 500th Street recently and encountered a huge bike race. The residents on the road had not been informed that the road was going to be used for a bike race. She said the road is public and she does not have a problem with people biking on it but became concerned when someone appeared on the road holding up a stop sign for traffic. Stutsman said it was confusing for motor vehicle traffic when all of a sudden a large group of bikers took over the road. She said she asked County Engineer Greg Parker and County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek if they knew anything about the race and neither did. Stutsman said 500th Street is a very busy road and she questioned if the Board should be doing something to alert people of these types of events. She asked if it was legal for people to stand on the side of the road directing traffic.

Stutsman said when Riverfest was in town there was an article in the paper to alert citizens which streets would be shut down for the bike ride. For safety reasons, citizens should contact the Board when they are going to have a huge bike race so that residents can be notified. Harney said he experienced the same thing last year in the Cosgrove area. Bicyclists were having a race and they took over the road. Harney said people cannot close a street without approval from Secondary Roads. He said maybe a permit process could be put into place for this as it seems to be a growing problem. Stutsman said she does not want to stop bike rides in the unincorporated area. She just feels there should be a process to notify residents of the possibility of a bike race and asked if Sheriff Deputies could be available to direct traffic. Stutsman also asked if it is legal for citizens to mark the pavement indicating bad spots for bikers to avoid. Again, Harney said there should be a permit process like there is everywhere else. Sullivan said people can have any size ride as long as traffic rules are obeyed. He said if people are stopping other vehicles then it becomes a problem. Stutsman said in this incidence people literally took over the whole road and it was confusing for drivers.

Trails Advisory Committee Chair Terry Dahms said this issue could be discussed by the Trails Advisory Committee. He said the Committee could come up with advice and suggestions on how to handle this issue. Dahms said the Committee is trying to mark popular bicycle routes and 500th Street is a popular route. He said usually one expects courtesy between motorists and bicyclists. Stutsman suggested a representative from Secondary Roads and the Sheriffs Department give input. Dahms said he would talk with Parker. Sullivan said a reporter from the Iowa City Press-Citizen is present in the audience and maybe he could write something to include in the newspaper. He said people need to know that this is an issue. Stutsman said this is easy to resolve if there was a permit process and safety guidelines.

Stutsman said she does not want to stop biking in the unincorporated areas, she wants to make it safe for everyone on the road. Dahms said this issue will be put on the Trails Advisory Committee Agenda and he will talk with Secondary Roads and the Sheriff's Department. Harney asked Parker what are the procedures for such events. County Engineer Greg Parker said for sanctioned events, such as RAGBRAI, a permit is required with the Secondary Roads Department and the Sheriff's Department is contacted if there are traffic control issues. He said the main concern for sanctioned events is obtaining a certificate of insurance holding the County harmless. The main purpose for the permit is to release the County's liability for damages or injuries inherent to this type of activity. He said the Department of Planning and Zoning is also consulted to determine if a conditional use permit is necessary.

Parker said there is not a set policy for such events. He said he would be glad to work with the Trails Advisory Committee, and it may come down to notifying leaders of various groups about the need for a permit. Harney said if an event is held there should be a process for notifying residents so they are aware of possible delays or additional traffic. Parker agreed. Dahms said the next Trails Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled in July 2009.

Policies for Name Badges

Stutsman said this issue came out of the Communication Committee and has been an ongoing issue that needs to be finally addressed. She said Facilities Manager David Kempf is ready with the equipment but the details need to be confirmed. She said there needs to be a discussion on the format and placement of the badges. Sullivan said the picture and name and department should be on the badge but it should be left up to the department head whether employees wear them and where they are displayed. He said Social Services and the Department of Health and Human Services have had concerns about names being visible to clients. He said he does not want to dictate how employees should wear the badge but he would say employees should have their badge with them at all times.

Harney said the general feeling from the Communication Committee is that nametags be displayed at all times for identification purposes. He said that maybe the last name could appear in smaller font. He said a picture should be on the badge. Stutsman said part of this discussion came from the Health and Human Services Building because there are so many people employed in that space now and it is hard for people to determine who is working in that building and who is a visitor. She said it defeats the purpose if half the people wear the badges and half do not. Stutsman said her opinion is that the County puts in place a consistent policy on whether to wear the identification badge.

Stutsman said Johnson County is the governmental entity exception that does not wear name badge. Parker said for him personally wearing a name badge is not a problem, but it may be difficult for employees working in the field. They are handling dangerous equipment and the lanyard could get caught on something. He suggested that Secondary Roads employees be required to carry the badge and produce it if required, but not be required to wear the badge so it is visible. Harney said Secondary Roads and Conservation should be the exception. He said badges should be required for inner offices and parking. Sullivan said that is why he suggested giving department heads the discretion to determine name badge policy. Harney said there should be a uniform policy or the County shouldn't require identification badges at all. He said when working in an office environment there is no danger in wearing a name badge.

Planning and Zoning Administrator Rick Dvorak said he agrees with Parker. He said Planning and Zoning staff have name plates on their desks. He said building inspectors would actually prefer wearing name badges. Dvorak said he did not think Planning and Zoning would have any problem wearing the badges. Neuzil asked if the Communication Committee put together a template to show what the badges would look like. Harney said Kempf will prepare samples to show the Board. Neuzil summarized the Board's discussion and added that he hopes all elected officials will utilize the ID badges. Sullivan said Deputies already wear badges. Harney suggested discussing this at the next Elected Officials meeting to see what preferences are. Stutsman agreed. Neuzil asked if Kempf would have a prototype by then. Dvorak clarified that badges will be required to enter the parking lot.

Township Trustee Orientation Meeting

Stutsman contacted State Representative Donovan Olson to schedule a Trustee orientation. She said numerous attempts to schedule this training have failed. Stutsman said usually orientations are held in January after Trustees are elected but there has not been one in a very long time. The County sets up the meeting and then the Extension Service actually holds the meeting. Sullivan said he would like the invitation extended to all Trustees, not just the new ones. Stutsman agreed it is a good refresher course for everybody. She asked if the Board should direct Johnson to schedule a meeting and include a representative from the County Attorney's office. Harney said a majority of the Trustees are farmers and he said it is important to be conscious of field work when scheduling the meeting time. Johnson asked how Olson would be involved in the process. Stutsman said Olson would do the training.

Elected Officials/Conservation Department and Public Health Department Liaisons

Neuzil asked if the Board was interested in being in closer communication with these boards and elected officials. He said County Attorney Janet Lyness suggested it would be better for the Board to meet with her more than once a year. Harney said he thinks the Board has good communications already with theses departments and doesn't see the need for additional meetings unless someone has something specific that needs to be addressed. Sullivan said the Board appoints citizen commissions, and he would like to add Veteran's Affairs (VA) to this discussion, and he does not want to undercut citizen commissions so he suggested that department heads forward the Supervisors their director's report before each meeting. The Board agreed that would be a good idea.

Neuzil said he sometimes feels the Board is out of the loop. He suggested the Board pay closer attention to agendas and he liked Sullivan's idea of receiving the director's reports. Stutsman said the Board goes on site visits to VA, Public Health and Conservation. Neuzil said the Board does not visit the VA and Harney said the Board receives the VA's Director's monthly report. Neuzil said the Board does one site visit per year with the Conservation Department and the Department of Public Health.

Creating Additional County Attorney Site Visits

Neuzil asked if there is interest in adding another yearly site visit to the County Attorney's Office. Harney said he does not have a problem with it either way. Stutsman agreed. Sullivan suggested making better use of the "Reports and Inquiries from the County Attorney" agenda item in every Board meeting. He said that is the perfect place to talk about issues. Neuzil said that is a good suggestion. Stutsman said human nature being what it is, if the Board schedules additional meetings with the County Attorney's Office, other elected officials will probably ask for more meetings also to discuss budget issues.

Designating Funds Received From Sales of Land on Prairie Du Ch ien Road

Neuzil said Parker wanted direction from the Board regarding this issue. He said Secondary Roads paid for the right of way for Prairie du Chien. When the property was sold the money went into the General Fund. The Board has to give direction to Budget Coordinator Rich Claiborne where those dollars should go. Neuzil said in the past the Board has tried to put monies back into the fund that used the expenditure. Harney said before there were any budget issues, it was determined that that money would be used to pay off the Health and Human Services Building and the Camp Cardinal Property, and possibly the Health Department. He asked the Board if it has any concerns about how the money is put back into a particular fund due to the current financial situation, also citing legal concerns.

Neuzil said this is similar to the Tiffin Shed. He said this was specifically a Rural Fund Secondary Roads expenditure, it was used for that and then sold, so it should go back into the Rural Fund. Neuzil said the property on Camp Cardinal Road is not necessarily a Secondary Roads issue. He said if Secondary Roads specifically purchased it, it should go back into that fund. Stutsman said she does not want it to be automatically assumed when a department sells something that the money will go back into their budget. Sullivan agreed. Stutsman said they are tax dollars and it is the Board’s discretion to decide the best use of tax dollars. She cited insurance proceeds as an example saying that insurance damages are deposited into the General Fund, not automatically back to the department. She said as long as that is clear and the Board has discretion, she does not have an issue. She said when the County sold the property on College Street, they used that money for the Housing Trust Fund.

Harney asked Parker if he has a specific use for the money. Parker said he does not. On the insurance issue, he said they filed a claim to replace the wrecked truck and they will receive about one fourth of the replacement value of the truck from the insurance company. He said a choice needs to be made on the replacement of the truck. Sullivan asked if the low reimbursement value was due to the age of the truck. Parker said he does not know how the reimbursement was calculated, but it will be about $22,000. Stutsman asked how much a new truck would cost. Parker said about $115,000. Stutsman said the truck was not budgeted. Harney asked how old the truck was. Parker said ten years old with 120,000 to 150,000 miles. He said they would have kept it in the fleet.

Sullivan suggested asking the Finance Committee make a recommendation to the Board. Stutsman said she views the Finance Committee as an advisory board to look at the big picture and make recommendations. Sullivan said the money from the Prairie du Chien Road will be coming in this fiscal year. Harney asked if it was $65,000. Sullivan said yes, for Prairie Du Chien. Sullivan said having just worked on the budget amendment they should know which departments need money this year. Stutsman said the money could go into the General Fund. Neuzil asked if the Board was ready to give direction now. Stutsman said she wanted to know how much money was in the reserve. Typically that ending year balances are used for the first three months of operation during the next fiscal year. Claiborne said Secondary Roads is already dipping into reserve funds and the last budget amendment was about $1.3 million. He said, of everyone, Parker's checkbook is suffering the worst.

Parker said Secondary Roads had $3.2 million sitting in the cash reserves account. As part of the budget amendment, there were two funding sources and one source was going to be the Capital Improvement Program to cover this year's Rock Program. He said the difference was a little over $1 million and the rest of the money was going to be pulled out of the Cash Reserve Account. He said that account is there for unforeseen expenses. He said he has been diligent about building the Cash Reserve Account up in case there was a year like the current one. He said the Cash Reserve Account cannot be used for recurring operational expenses because it will deplete itself. However, for one-time expenditures, it would be a good use.

Sullivan asked if Claiborne recommends putting the earned money into Secondary Roads. Claiborne said yes. Harney said they had discussed building up the General Fund cash reserves because of the finance issues with bonding. Harney said the Finance Committee's recommendation was to build that fund as well and they will have to decide based on what will benefit the County the most. Stutsman asked how much the County would pay on interest and asked if they would save money by putting it into lowering that. She also said she thinks the Board needs to have a serious discussion about replacing the truck and that there is no guarantee it will be replaced. Parker said he did not think it was an automatic guarantee. He said he asked Maintenance Superintendent Kevin Hackathorn to start taking quotes to have firm numbers to give the Board. Parker said he realized the issue needs to be discussed and decided by the Board. He said the downside is the loss of the truck reduces the force and ultimately results in the reduction in quality of service. Stutsman said that's a consequence of tighter budgets years.

Sullivan said if the Board takes no action, the money will automatically go into the General Basic Fund. Claiborne said if the Board wants to move the money, they will need to pass a resolution to transfer the money from the General Basic Fund to Secondary Roads. Neuzil asked if the Board has interest in putting this on a future agenda. Neuzil, Harney and Sullivan agreed. Harney said County Treasurer Tom Kriz said the County's Cash Reserves need to be fortified. Neuzil said they should invite Kriz to the strategic planning meeting to present the Board with information on the reserve fund. Johnson asked if the Board wants to have the strategic planning meeting before putting a resolution on the Board's agenda. Neuzil asked if there was time to do that. Claiborne said yes. Stutsman said the money is not going to disappear after July 1, 2009. Harney said it would be nice to have the money where it should be by the end of the month.

Parker said, using the quotes for the truck as an example, the expenditure would not come out of Fiscal Year 2009. It will take months for the truck to be built and it would come out of the FY10 budget. Neuzil said he would like the sale of the land cleared up by the end of FY09. Stutsman said the money could be put into the General Fund and then a resolution could transfer $100,000 to Secondary Road's budget. Sullivan agreed. Neuzil asked if General Fund money can be transferred to the Rural Fund. Claiborne said he will check the Code for clarification, because there are some restrictions.

Appointing Executive Assistant to Various Boards and Commissions

Stutsman and Harney left and returned at 9:43 a.m. Johnson said he will replace Mike Sullivan on all of the in-house committees except Economic Development. Stutsman suggested Johnson not be on the Communications Committee. She said Claiborne and two Supervisors are already on that committee. Neuzil agreed. Johnson said he has attended the Wellness Committee, but it is not on the list. Neuzil asked if Johnson was added to the JCCOG Housing Taskforce. Johnson said no. He said the Pandemic Committee also is not added. Stutsman said Johnson should be on the Pandemic Committee but it is not necessary for him to be on the Wellness Committee. Neuzil asked if there is a Board representative on the Wellness Committee. Johnson said no. Stutsman said that former Administrative Assistant Carol Peters was on the Wellness Committee because at that time all of the health insurance was handled by the Board Office. Sullivan said that is probably why a representative from the Auditor's Office is on the committee now and Stutsman added that is why Human Resources is also involved. Stutsman asked how often the Wellness Committee meets. Johnson said he is not certain but thinks it meets quarterly.

Johnson said it might be good to keep the line of communication open and he can attend committee meetings whenever he can. The Board agreed with that strategy. Harney said Mike Sullivan served as public information officer for the Board as well as Emergency Management particularly during the 2008 floods. He asked if Johnson should step in and fill that position. Stutsman said the Pandemic Flu Committee has designated the executive assistant from the Board Office as the public information officer. She said if Johnson doesn’t do it they need to figure out who will. Harney suggested asking Emergency Management Coordinator Dave Wilson what he would like. Stutsman agreed. Neuzil said he would like to know who is on the official response team. Stutsman said she would like to know exactly what the role is of the Public Information Officer. Sullivan said if something is really serious, the Sheriff should take the lead. Stutsman said she would like Johnson to investigate exactly what the role of the Public Information Officer is. This was a problem with the flood and at that time, Mike Sullivan wasn't present here because he was helping with flood recovery. She asked if the Board is ready to give up a staff person. Stutsman said the Sheriff doesn’t have time to write a press release during an emergency. Neuzil added that Mike Sullivan filled that role. Johnson said he will talk to Wilson about this. Stutsman added he should also consult with Public Health Director Doug Beardsley about the Pandemic Committee.

Johnson said the Human Resources Office prefers that the HIPPA compliance officer assignment stayed with the Board Office and HR will provided the resources. There is some online training that Human Resource Director Lora Shramek will guide Johnson through. Stutsman said she is concerned with Johnson taking on too many other responsibilities that may distract him from responsibilities to the Board. Neuzil said HIPPA really has become a Human Resources function and it is a burden for HR, but it does fall under the HR Director's scope of responsibility. Claiborne said from a budget standpoint there are more full time equivalents in Human Resources than in the Board Office. Harney said HR seems like the logical place for this because there are federal guideline updates that must be met and that information probably flows through the HR Department. Sullivan asked if Shramek's liaisons could pursue this with her. Neuzil said he did and he has no problem with Shramek being the HIPPA Compliance Officer. Stutsman agreed. Neuzil said he and Harney will discuss this with Shramek but for the time being, it will remain with the Human Resources Office.

Johnson asked where the Pandemic Committee will be discussed. He asked if that is an in-house committee. Stutsman said yes and that she is on the committee.

Planning and Zoning Administrator Rick Dvorak said he has invited Johnson to a couple of committees he is on, including the Sutliff Committee to assist Meyers. Dvorak said he was contacted regarding the responsibilities Mike Sullivan had assumed for the flood, in particular keeping track of all the bills which had been sent to FEMA. Dvorak said when he interacted with FEMA and Homeland Security, he was attempting to get responsibility so he could sign grant applications with the Board for 404 monies which covers the demolition of land the County would buy through the buyout. He said there are also 403 monies which are for homes destroyed by the flood. Since M. Sullivan was gone, Dvorak said he was going to try to do that, but then he found out later that if he signed on, he would also be responsible for the monies that still haven't come in from FEMA from the original flood. Dvorak said he would like to have Johnson take that responsibility, because Johnson has all the documentation and records and someone must finalize what M. Sullivan began. He said it is mainly the applications, disbursements of money, bookkeeping, and the recording of personnel time for salary reimbursement. Right now there is no one to do that. Dvorak said he would like to be involved in the demolition portion of this and work with Andy or the Board’s designee.

Neuzil asked Claiborne if M. Sullivan went over any of this paperwork with him. Claiborne said he was not involved at all with FEMA. Neuzil said he was surprised that Claiborne wasn't included on this. Harney said the work was somewhat split up between ECICOG and M. Sullivan, who handled the tallying with all the claims from department heads. Johnson said Cheri Huber, with the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, contacted him yesterday regarding something that needs finalization next week. Dvorak said that someone must be officially appointed by resolution, or at least it must be reflected in the minutes, that Johnson would be responsible for this.

Dvorak said there are also the Sutliff Bridge issues. He said someone will have to be involved with filing all the paperwork and keep a repository of all the documentation. Dvorak said the other committee he would like Johnson's participation with is the Vicious Animal Ordinance. Because of the recent editorials, they are meeting more regularly to discuss this ordinance in more depth. Stutsman said all these committees are time limited. Dvorak agreed. Sullivan said it makes sense to him for Johnson to coordinate these responsibilities. Sullivan said Johnson might consider meeting with M. Sullivan in order to be brought up-to-date with everything.

Dvorak said he doesn't think there is too much to finalize, but just enough to be able to zero out the books. In the meantime, Dvorak said the Board may want to officially appoint Johnson.

Johnson said he went to the JCCOG meeting last week because the Housing Task Force was on the agenda. He said his assumption is that he won't always go to those. The Board agreed but encouraged Johnson to go if a hot topic is on the agenda.

Elected Officials and Department Heads Reserved Parking

Neuzil asked if the last row of public parking in the Administration Building lot should be reserved for Elected Officials and Department Heads or shall the entire parking lot be open to the public. Neuzil said that Facilities Manager David Kempf said he could put signs in the National Guard Armory Building lot reserving spaces for elected officials and department heads. Stutsman said the issue is going to be with the people who have had parking spaces in the front of the Administration Building for ten and twenty years. She asked where they will go. Neuzil said to the Armory parking lot or the parking ramp. Sullivan said they must be sure the elected officials and department heads key entry cards are correctly programmed to access the gated parking lot and ramp in case the front lot is full.

Neuzil said if the parking lot gets full and an elected official gets a reserved spot, it's not necessarily a positive thing. He said he would prefer if everyone parked in the gated lot with keyed access. Stutsman and Sullivan said they agree. Neuzil said they are employees like everyone else and they will pay for use of the ramp. Harney said an exception should be made in the Administration Building Lot for people with disabilities. Neuzil agreed. Stutsman said the lot should be only for people with business in the Administration Building or with the Health and Human Services Building. University students will not be allowed to park in the lot. Neuzil said that will be difficult to monitor but someone will need to keep an eye on that.

Sullivan asked Neuzil for clarification on what he meant by reserving a row for elected officials in the gated area. Neuzil answered that the current row of spaces reserved for the Auditor's vans would be reserved for department heads and elected officials. Stutsman asked how many spaces are there now. Sullivan said he would rather have that space wide open. Stutsman disagreed and said she wants a reserved space. She said she wants to know exactly where she is going to park. Sullivan said other people won't have that. Neuzil said the justification for them getting a reserved space is because they have to run in and out for meetings.

Sullivan said he would have a problem with being assigned a reserved space if employees who have worked here 40 years don't have a reserved space. Stutsman said she doesn't have a problem with granting reserved spaces to others also. She thinks department heads and elected should have the first row and a reserved space. Sullivan said the number of spaces will be guaranteed with the 2 parking areas available, but he is not sure he would be for reserving spots. Neuzil said he is comfortable with trying to reserve a block, and if having available spots is a problem, remove the reserved parking. Stutsman said Deputy Treasurer Betty Sass who has been here 55 years should have a special reserved space. Neuzil said they could include administrative deputies in the reserved row, and he would also include Deputy Recorder Sylvia Courtney. Stutsman said she would like to request another cement sidewalk be added at the other end because there is only one set of steps and she thinks there should be a paved walkway at the other end. Neuzil asked when the parking issues would be settled. Sullivan said the projected date is July 1, 2009.

Gender Balance on Boards and Commissions

Sullivan said he did not realize that the gender balance wouldn't take effect until 2012. Neuzil asked if it goes to equal gender balance or is it to try and get more women on the committees. Sullivan said it to distribute the appointments equally between male and female. Harney said that may be impossible with committees that have only three members. Stutsman said this pertains only to boards and commissions established by the Code of Iowa. Harney said the Board should try to maintain gender balance throughout all the boards and commissions. Sullivan said the Board should be aware of the expenses related to recruiting people to serve. He said if the Board needs to appoint a women for example, the Code requires a 90-day advertising period before a person of the opposite gender can be appointed. Harney said one reason he was so adamant about this is because it was embarrassing when the Board had to de-certify some committee members because they didn't meet the gender balance requirements. He wants to avoid this situation in the future.

Sullivan said he would imagine that the legislature would be very pleased with how Johnson County has operated over the last 15 years. Now however, because some counties do not appoint women, this had to become a requirement statewide. Neuzil said there is a good old boys network in a lot of counties. Stutsman asked why there is no penalty for ignoring the gender balance requirement. Sullivan said this addresses one type of diversity, but doesn’t account for race, geographic area, disabilities or lack thereof, sexual identity or a number of other things that could be considered. Neuzil said it may prevent appointing good qualified people when the selection is restricted. Sullivan said they need to work on recruiting Black and Hispanic board members. Neuzil agreed and added that the rural population is not represented on the boards and commissions either. The Board concluded that it is difficult to appoint individuals from diverse populations if they do not apply.

Project Updates

Neuzil said the Board will begin the process the Administration Building renovation process. He said Kempf was reviewing some final punch list for the new building and that it is almost wrapped up. After the Administration Building is complete, the Board will have to decide if it wants reserves or to put the money towards an Ambulance Building. Neuzil said he knows Kempf is working on trying to get more stimulus dollars to improve the Administration Building and we have had good success so far.

Joint Emergency Communications Center Update

Harney said there are a lot of moisture problems with the dirt which should have shown up on prior tests. They had to remove some dirt, add rock, and then a mesh underneath to hold things in place. He said it appears they found a field tile underneath and they are rerouting that to go into the moat area. Harney said he is surprised with how far along they are with the cabinetry and painting, wiring, and electrical work. There is one snafu with the tower that was going to be erected on the City of Iowa City property at Highway 6 and Lower Muscatine Road. The FAA turned down that location because it is in a flight path. He said they are looking at alternative sites and he will keep the Board informed. The opening may be delayed by a couple of months but they are doing what they can to avoid that delay.

Neuzil summarized the timeline for the building is August/September 2009, and the towers by the end of the year. Then hiring the employees for dispatch would take place July of 2010. Harney said he thinks before then. Sullivan said the City only budgeted through December 2009. Neuzil said that is why the City is struggling so much because they only budgeted for half of their dispatchers where the County budgeted the whole amount. Harney said he thinks the City can come up with the money because they set aside a lot of money to replace their communications equipment that is being built into here. That is well over $1 million, Harney said. That money should be there if they need to pay dispatchers an extra month or two. Stutsman said she thought they were going to build a fire station with that money. Neuzil said it does affect the County because they had hoped to take half the years dispatch services and put it towards the new Health and Human Services Building which is now on hold because of the need to pay a full year of dispatchers, if it is July 1, 2010.

Stutsman asked if the dispatchers are in this year’s budget for the Emergency Communication Center. She asked if they levied for it. Harney said they levied for it, but the problem is until the building is opened, that money can't be spent on anything other than what it is designated for. Neuzil summarized that Johnson County has a full year of dispatchers, Iowa City with a half year of dispatchers, and the Joint Emergency Communications with a full year of dispatchers. Harney said if they are going to start paying the Iowa City dispatchers, they better darn well pay for Johnson County's also.

Sullivan asked for a time frame for employee start dates. Harney said he is not sure. Stutsman asked how many staff will be hired. Harney said he will get that information but he is not sure right now. The Board agreed they would like a tour of the Joint Emergency Communications Center and asked Johnson to arrange something with Mike Sullivan.

Recessed at 10:30 a.m. Reconvened at 10:35 a.m.

Draft Form to Gather Information From Department Heads and Elected Officials

Claiborne said the Board requested that the Finance Committee review budget amendments before they are presented to the Board, so he put together a form which he distributed to the Board members. Claiborne said the form will be distributed to Department Head and Elected Official for them to reflect on their amendment request. The purpose of question one is for them to think about their current environment and explain whether they can absorb the unforeseen costs.

The series of questions is designed elicit explanation of why and how they are at their current situation and how the economic situation has affected their budgets. Claiborne asked for feedback from the Board on the worksheet. Sullivan said this is a good tool and he wonders about the department that receives unexpected income of, for example, $10,000. That needs to be submitted as a budget amendment and this questionnaire doesn't account for that. Sullivan asked if the Board wants to apply this standard to people who have extra income. Stutsman said no. Neuzil said there are certain budget amendments that will not require the worksheet, if the item is something the Board had budgeted for and the budget amendment is for a transfer to a department for the planned expense. He added that, if a department is requesting an additional expenditure, he wants to review the request.

Neuzil said he was pleasantly surprised with this last amendment cycle that other than some computer issues and the Jail transport, there was nothing else. Stutsman said there was $2,600 from the Sheriff's Department for sick leave payout and that could have been absorbed by his budget, but she thinks this will be an excellent review for department heads. Sullivan asked who will initiate the Budget Amendment Worksheet. Claiborne said he will, because he wants documentation from all departments, even if they are not requesting an amendment. He said when he wrote the worksheet, it was mainly to gather information and have a review of what has changed since budgets were first prepared.

Claiborne asked if the Board would like the Finance Committee to review and fine tune the worksheet. Neuzil said that would be good. Harney said he feels it is the Board’s responsibility to review the requests. Claiborne said it is up to the Board whether to take the Finance Committee's advice. Neuzil said the worksheets would be helpful for all the members of the Board to have. Harney said he does not want a budget amendment to end up on a Formal meeting agenda without the Board having had a chance to review it. Stutsman agreed saying it has to go through the public hearing process. Claiborne said the Finance Committee would never hold back a request from the Board. Johnson clarified that Neuzil had simply agreed with Claiborne that the Finance Committee would just review and possibly make suggestions. Neuzil said it would be nice to have Claiborne present the budget amendment worksheet at the Department Heads meeting. He said hopefully the Department Head meeting will be attended by the other elected officials.

Internal Processes, Expectations, and Other Operational Issues of the Board of Supervisors Office

Clarifying Process of Responding to Letters From the Public

Johnson said this agenda item emerged from a discussion with Sullivan and Stutsman. They discussed a form letter that would be mailed to people who have sent a letter to the Board. Johnson presented a sample letter which he drafted. Stutsman suggested making additions to the letter indicating if the person's letter was referred to another County department such as Secondary Roads. Johnson agreed. Neuzil said this would be a nice addition to their operating procedures. Sullivan said he prefers that the letter be signed by Johnson and not all the Board members so the public has one specific contact person. Harney said he likes the form letter, but added that it should include a line stating what will be done as a response. Sullivan agreed and said the letter is a great idea. Stutsman agreed, adding that it reassures the public that each communication to the Board is given consideration. Johnson said he would like to know how to keep track of incoming letters that are circulated before he sees them. Sullivan said that Board Secretary Jo Hogarty will often route letters to appropriate departments noting on the letter where it was routed. Neuzil said Johnson will always end up with a copy because letters are eventually routed to him.

Stutsman said everyone gets emails and sometimes they are sent to each of Board member and other times to just one supervisor. Case in point, Stutsman said she followed up on a roads complaint the other day, only to find out that other supervisors had also been contacted. She said apparently County Engineer Greg Parker was supposed to send out a notice to everyone informing them that the complaint had been addressed. Stutsman said she wishes there is a better way of communicating these things, so staff time is not wasted.

Process for Agenda Development

Johnson said he is interested in input from the Board on agenda development. Specifically he wants to know who the items come to and how. He also wants to discuss the timing for finalizing the agenda. Neuzil said noon Tuesday is a good deadline. He said it is not an unreasonable request for the packets to be completed by 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays rather than Wednesdays, the day before the meeting. Stutsman agreed and said the agenda should remain tentative until Wednesday morning so that items can be added, if needed. She also said the tentative agenda must be clearly marked tentative in bold typing because invariably, what happens is that people pick up an agenda on Tuesdays and then don't realize it has changed.

Neuzil said on Tuesday mornings, the Chair and Vice-Chair review the agenda with Johnson and Hogarty before finalizing it. Then the agenda is forwarded to Deputy Auditor Casie Kadlec and County Attorney Janet Lyness. They review it and respond with any edits by noon Tuesday. Neuzil said there has to be some leeway, but Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. should be enough time for a fairly complete agenda. He said the City of Iowa City's deadline is the Friday before the Wednesday meeting.

Stutsman asked for consistency in the handouts that accompany the agenda packets. She wants to avoid duplication and waste. She said either the handouts should be sent electronically and it will be the individual supervisor's choice to print a copy, or hard copies are provided in the packet. Stutsman said it should be one or the other. Neuzil agreed and added that if a handout is available for the informal meeting one week, it does not need to be printed again when the item is on the formal agenda the following week, unless there are changes.

Sullivan said on a related issue, some people complained about the timing of electronic posting of agendas by the Auditor's Office. He suggested that the posted agendas include a disclaimer that the agenda could change. Johnson responded that he understood each agenda sent to the Auditor’s Office for posting is the final agenda. He would check on that. Neuzil explained one complaint was a delay in the posting of an agenda on the web site. Neuzil said over the last couple of years, they have improved the process a lot.

Neuzil asked that if Board members change the agenda on the shared drive that they please notify Johnson and Jo Hogarty. Stutsman said that if one supervisor wants to put a controversial item on the agenda, three Board members should agree to add it. Sullivan said he always thought if the Chair agrees to put something on the agenda, it goes on unless three members don't want it on the agenda. Stutsman said this only comes up when a single supervisor wants to promote a particular agenda item and the rest of the Board isn't interested. Neuzil said if someone wants something on the agenda, they should just tell Johnson. If it seems like it could be controversial, then they should discuss it with two other supervisors.

Future Meeting Agenda Items

Stutsman said something has just come up regarding MH/DS Director Kris Artley and the approval of waiver slots. Former MH/DD Director Elaine Sweet always brought waiver slots to the Board for approval before she sent the letter on. Stutsman said she is concerned with the Board not seeing this before it goes out. Waiver slots are different because that means the County is obligated to pay for those slots. Stutsman said she didn't know about all the requests for waiver slots and that makes her nervous because she doesn't want all the money to be encumbered to one population and have nothing left for anybody else. Stutsman said she likes it the way it used to be when the Board had final approval.

Sullivan said it might be the liaisons fault because they did discuss that and Sullivan did not bring it up further. Neuzil said they should talk to Artley to tell her approval for waiver slots is required. He asked Johnson to make sure Artley is scheduled at an informal meeting. Sullivan said this is not going to be an issue until six months from now. Johnson said Mental Health Advocate Vida Higgins payroll is going to be handled through MH/DS.

Neuzil asked for an update on the dog ordinance and on the County Fair at a June 2009 Board meeting. Sullivan said the next Joint Cities meeting will be held in September, 2009. He said the County will host this meeting and he would like to develop the agenda ahead of time. Neuzil said this meeting is at HHS and it would be great to offer tours either before or after the Joint Cities meeting.

Neuzil announced that July 17, 2009 is the next Public Leadership meeting in Iowa City. This time there will be a local foods tour. Harney asked if this is a day-long event and Johnson said the event concludes with lunch.

Johnson said joint purchasing was discussed in the past and he wonders when it can be discussed again. Neuzil said it could probably be added to a Strategic Planning meeting agenda.

Adjourned at 11:12 a.m.

______________________________________________________________________

Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor

By Nancy Tomkovicz, Recording Secretary