• Human Resources Administrator Lora Shramek: Travel Reimbursement Policy; and New Credit Card Policy

• Budget Coordinator Jeff Horne: Fiscal Year 2003 Budget Debriefing

• Communications Committee Report: Reception to Honor County Volunteers on Boards and Commissions

• Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Director Elaine Sweet: Presentation on Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Department

• Reports and Inquiries from Department Heads

• Discussion: Scheduling Date and Time of Next Meeting

Chairperson Thompson called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building as a Department Head Meeting at 1:30 p.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Mike Lehman, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Carol Thompson.

Department heads present were: Conservation Director Harry Graves, County Attorney J. Patrick White, County Engineer Mike Gardner, County Recorder Kim Painter, County Treasurer Tom Kriz, Department of Human Services Area Supervisor Cheryl Whitney, Facilities Director Mark Bulechek, General Relief Director Mary Kay Hull, Human Resources Administrator Lora Shramek, Information Services Director Jean Schultz, Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Coordinator Elaine Sweet, Planning and Zoning Administrator Rick Dvorak, Public Health Director Ralph Wilmoth, Interim SEATS Director Tom Brase, and Veterans Affairs Commission Director Leo Baier. Staff present were: Board of Supervisors Executive Assistant Mike Sullivan, Board of Supervisors Budget Coordinator Jeff Horne, Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Financial and Statistical Supervisor Debbie Guard, Sheriff’s Department Major Duane Lewis, and Auditor’s Office Recording Secretary Casie Parkins.

Human Resources Administrator Lora Shramek introduced the proposed Travel Reimbursement policy. She said that she incorporated the comments discussed during the last department head meeting into the policy. Shramek reported comments that Department of Human Services Area Supervisor Cheryl Whitney had proposed in writing. Whitney’s first question was regarding an IRS rule that States commuting miles must be deducted before claiming miles when leaving from home, alternately commuting miles reimbursement would be considered taxable. Shramek answered that the language in the policy was based on the shortest distance so she thought the policy would be acceptable. Whitney said in her experience with the State, that would not be acceptable. Shramek questioned if Whitney meant that even if it was shorter for someone to leave from his or her home, they still have to deduct commuting miles and then asked if the employee needed to leave from work only. Whitney said that in her experience she still had to allow for her commuting miles even though it was a shorter distance from her home to her destination than from work. She was told that otherwise she would have to pay taxes on the reimbursement for those miles, because the State would have to report it as taxable income.

Shramek said Whitney also commented on an IRS rule, stating meals claimed on days without overnight stays are also considered taxable. Whitney said the State had to report those meals to the IRS and she assumed the County would have a similar responsibility. Thompson thought the Auditor’s office kept track of those items. Public Health Department Director Ralph Wilmoth commented that his understanding as a former State employee was whether or not the employee was in their domicile, but he recognized that Whitney would know more about the topic. Whitney commented that the State has a different cost center for mileage and has a cutoff date in December if they are going to submit a claim with a taxable meal on it, because it shows up on the W2. She suggested checking with the IRS. Thompson commented that the State is scrutinized more than Counties, because of the larger number of employees, therefore the State has more rules from the IRS to follow.

Thompson thought that this version of the policy seemed easier to administer than the previous one. Shramek said the differences included abandoning the State’s lodging schedule, retaining the State’s meal reimbursements and also allowing exceptions approved by the department head. She said concerning lodging they adopted the language County Attorney J. Patrick White suggested, which stated choice of lodging must be approved by the department head. Shramek said she wanted to provide guidelines for departments, but also have flexibility when needed. Thompson asked if Shramek wanted to leave the policy open for comment for a few days and then send it to the Board. Shramek suggested putting it on the Board’s agenda in 2 weeks.

Planning and Zoning Administrator Rick Dvorak asked if the Travel policy applied to employees’ meals at conferences. Shramek replied that if the meal was covered under the conference then this policy does not apply. Dvorak questioned if a $5 buffet at a conference would count against the $22 total, and Shramek said yes. Dvorak hypothesized a situation where the only meal options for the day would exceed the maximum of $23 and asked if the difference would have to be paid by the employee if not included in the conference cost. Shramek said the department head could approve exceptions, especially, as Shramek noted, if there were no other options available. Dvorak asked if the policy accomplished much, because it is similar to what they are doing now. Stutsman said this is a guideline because people want to know what is appropriate for meals.

Shramek next began discussing the proposed Credit Card Policy. Shramek said that in today’s society people need credit cards, but departments should still bill items whenever possible. She said County Treasurer Tom Kriz will facilitate the issuance of credit cards for those that have the approval of the Board of Supervisors. Shramek said credit cards are for County business expenses only. She said department heads will be held accountable for their department’s expenditures, and must pay bills in full monthly, and use only for the allowable expenses listed in the policy. Charging personal items, cash advances and alcoholic beverages are not allowed under any circumstances or reimbursable under the travel policy.

Kriz asked if he needed authorization from the Board directing him to set up an account under this policy. Shramek said it was up to the Board. Thompson asked what kind of account? Kriz questioned Board approval for any credit card, because the County Treasurer facilitates the issuance of elected official credit cards and department credit cards with the approval of the Board of Supervisors. Shramek suggested sending notice because the Board wants to know which departments have credit cards. Kriz asked if the Board needed to approve all departmental requests for a credit card. Lehman clarified the question: does Kriz need formal action from the Board to set up the policy. Kriz said he just wanted to be clear and previously they had not had the Board approve every card, only made them aware. Shramek said the Board is concerned because right now they don’t know who has credit cards. Thompson asked Kriz for a list of those departments that have credit cards and suggested he do this a few times a year. She asked the Board if that would satisfy the question or if they felt it needed to be prearranged. Stutsman said if the Board was ultimately responsible for the cards, then she would be more comfortable with a pre-approval process. She commented that she didn’t think it was necessary for every department to have a credit card and this change in credit card policy was a change in County policy. White said that historically the County hasn’t used many, which changed within the last 3 or 4 years. He said that for his office they have been a godsend. Stutsman acknowledged that they were needed, for example Information Services needs them to order computers. Dvorak commented that his department gets better rates by pre-registering for travel, which is easier with a credit card then running claims through with the Auditor’s Office. Stutsman suggested then that every department have a credit card. White commented that the literal language in the policy would require formal Board action. Shramek said that formal Board approval would require an agenda item each time. Stutsman said she was comfortable with that. Shramek commented that it would not be that often.

Thompson asked Kriz how many were credit cards are already in circulation. Kriz replied most of the departments in the Administration Building, SEATS, Ambulance, Board of Supervisors, and the County Attorney all have credit cards. White commented that the Board should be able to tell who has them by where the claims are going. Harney asked how cards are handled in the County Attorney’s office. White said his office has 2, one placed only where he knows and one that Managing Secretary Danelle Essing manages. He said she uses it mostly herself for flight or hotel reservations. He said that employees don’t have their own, they must sign out the card on a one-time per trip basis. Stutsman commented that she was concerned with the publicity of improper use by a department and her not even knowing they have one. Dvorak said that for his department they require an itemized receipt for their meals so it is broken down including tip. White reiterated that all credit card bills are attached to the claims, which are in the Auditor’s Office. Lehman said the claims come to the Board office, but the Board usually just sees the summary. Stutsman said having it in a Board meeting would facilitate communication with the public as well.

Shramek asked if it was OK to have formal Board action. Harney said he had gone to look at receipts, but there were some bills that were paid that didn’t have any form of receipt. He said that wasn’t very accountable for what individuals were doing with the cards and receipts should be a requirement. Shramek commented that receipts are in the policy. Thompson said asked what grounds the Board would have to deny a credit card request. She thought the Board would just approve all of them up front. Kriz said the County Medical Examiner had requested a credit card for some employees he was sending to a conference and he had questions on whether they really needed one or not. They worked it out so that they used the Treasurer’s card to guarantee the rooms they needed. Thompson said that a list and notifications of new cards issued would satisfy her with the understanding that any misuse of cards is revoked. Stutsman asked if the list could be provided quarterly. Kriz said yes.

Budget Coordinator Jeff Horne explained to the department heads that the Fiscal Year 2003 budget public hearing was March 11, 2002. The Board will take formal action on March 14, 2003 to pass the budget. Horne said that next year he hopes to have a bound document to give out by mid-May. Horne asked for input into the budget process from department heads. Dvorak asked Horne if the presentation would be on the county web site. Horne said that it would and is in the process of being posted.

Stutsman reported that the Communications Committee has decided to have a reception to honor volunteers that serve on County boards and commissions during National County Government Week. The reception will be April 9th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Montgomery Hall. Stutsman said they will be sending out invitations to everyone the Communications Committee has listed as being appointed to a County board or commission. She suggested department heads look at this list so no one is left out. Stutsman said the Communications Committee is looking for volunteers to help that evening and the meal is free of charge to all volunteers and County people. Ideally, Stutsman said, all elected officials or department heads will be present either to serve or as a presence to say thank you to all of the volunteers. She also announced that they are looking for volunteers to help with other preparations for the banquet. Stutsman complimented Human Resources Assistant Caroline Flaherty for her invitations and the announcement for the banquet.

Thompson said the Board has decided that at each Department Head Meeting it would be good if a department takes 5 or 10 minutes to give a presentation on their department’s function and purpose. The Board has asked Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Director Elaine Sweet to give the first such presentation.

Sweet said she welcomed the opportunity to give an overview of her department, because MH/DD has been in the news lately and there has been a lot of changes in the department. The best way to talk about MH/DD services, Sweet said, would be to talk about the present and the future. She presented a handout showing the functional relationships of the department. MH/DD services is a department of the County under the umbrella of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, Sweet explained. For the year 2001 MH/DD had expenses of $8,632,050 and served 1,654 clients: 964 with mental illness; 349 with chronic mental illness; 206 with mental retardation; and 107 with developmental disabilities or brain injuries.

MH/DD services has 2 major components: a clinical component and an administrative component. The clinical component provides targeted case management and helping social work. The administrative component is the central point of coordination. Sweet said the clinical component is required to follow the Administrative Rules of Chapter 24. MH/DD contracts with the Iowa State Association of Counties in a technical assistant capacity, which last cost the County $962,532. Within that there are 19 service coordinators that do both targeted case management and social work. Those 19 individuals serve the 1,654 clients by identifying what their needs are and what services are appropriate to those needs. Service coordinators then work with the providers in determining the level of services needed. Last year service providers were funded $7,550,966. Sweet said that within Johnson County the agencies include ACAPT, Chatham Oaks, Mid-Eastern Iowa Community Mental Health Center, Employment Plus, the Evert Conner Center, Goodwill, Hillcrest, the U of I IMPACT program, Lifeskills, Mayor’s Youth, Reach for Your Potential, Successful Living, Systems Unlimited, the ARC and West Music. In addition to those agencies in Johnson County, there are 8 non-traditional or individual providers and 112 out of County providers.

As the service coordinator’s work with individuals determining the needs and working with the agencies, Sweet said, the request for funding is presented to the central point of coordination. Senate File 69 was enacted in 1996, which implemented managed mental health care across Iowa. It requires that every County appoint one person to be responsible for the Mental Health budget. That part of MH/DD, the administrative component, was funded at $118,552 last fiscal year. Within that there are 5 financial and statistical staff positions. With a total budget of $8,632,050, it takes $962,500 and $118,500 for the business at 911 N. Governor. The other $7,550,966 is used to fund services for individuals that meet the clinical eligibility criteria and other criteria. Senate File 69 also requires that every County work with stakeholders to write policies and procedures as to how the money will be spent and also a long-term plan for the future of MH/DD services. Sweet said that Johnson County just amended their Services Management Plan. This is the document that is the policy manual that identifies who is eligible for services and what services will apply. The Services Management Plan is available on Johnson County’s web site.

Sweet presented a chart showing where MH/DD’s $8.6 million comes from. The greatest amount of funding comes from State government. Last year MH/DD received property tax relief in the amount of $2,936,246, which was something new with Senate File 69. Prior to 1996 Counties were picking up the total of what is now the property tax relief. When the law was enacted the State also provided for growth within the system. Senate File 69 said Counties could spend no more then they did in `94 and capped the amount of property tax appropriations at that time. Regardless of what expenditures occur, MH/DD can’t spend anymore then $2,861,919. Senate File 69 also stated that Counties must start a new fund for Mental Health Services. It is no longer mixed in with the General Fund. All monies for Mental Health have to be pulled out into a separate account and all MH/DD services run through that separate account. All expenses are paid through that account, all revenues come in through that account and what is left at the end of the year is either added or subtracted from the fund balance.

Sweet said one of the other significant sources of revenue for MH/DD is the targeted case management program. This service is provided by the staff at MH/DD services and they are able to bill the Federal and State Government. MH/DD is billed back for approximately 18%, the remainder of which comes through as Federal and State funding. Revenues last year were $8,954,960, the greater portion coming from State government and local properties making up only $2.8 million of that $9 million total.

Sweet said the fund balance origins in the MH/DD account are similar to a savings account. The Board of Supervisors set aside the money in 1996 to start that account and each year expenses are paid out and revenues are added. With the State budget cuts, it was necessary for MH/DD services statewide to find $16 million to cut. The decision was made to take that from the Counties based on their fund balances. Sweet said a lot has been said lately about Johnson County MH/DD services loosing $568,000 because of fund balances. Two years ago Counties were advised by the State to build those fund balances to a level of 25% of a year’s expenditures. Many Counties attempted to do this. Johnson County as a targeted case management provider was accredited by the State of Iowa in 2001. At that time, when the accrediting agency came in to review MH/DD’s records, they identified a number of services that appeared to have been billed out, but with no documentation in the files to support this. They asked Johnson County MH/DD to conduct a 100% audit based on this. When MH/DD conducted the 100% audit, $46,000 that was billed to the Federal and State government that should not have been billed. At the same time, Sweets said, they identified $193,000 that should have been billed and was not. Those billing errors went back to 1998. MH/DD petitioned and was allowed to bill those services. As a result of that audit, MH/DD received $193,000 at the end of the last fiscal year that was not anticipated. Because of the timing of when the $193,000 came in, MH/DD was well aware of what was going to happen to the fund balance. At the same time the legislature was contemplating using the fund balances to cut the $16 million. As a result of the legislation and as a result of the timing of the retroactive targeted case management reimbursements, MH/DD did loose $563,000. Sweet presented a handout that puts that loss in perspective because the 16 million dollars was going to be cut statewide regardless. The handout shows where Johnson County fell within that statewide cut. Without the extra money received at the end of the fiscal year, the fund balance would have been less then 15%. As it was the balance was 17%. Only 16 Counties in Iowa had less then 15% and there were only 19 Counties in Iowa that were below Johnson County’s fund balance, so the end result was 80 counties that had higher fund balances then Johnson County.

The fund balances are something that are not going to be an issue long term, Sweet said. She said what is really an issue is that there is no doubt that their will no longer be in the MH/DD system the funding that will allow them to continue to expend as in the past for the numbers of people and services as in the past. MH/DD will be continuing to look at ways to maximize revenues, which are very limited, and reduce spending. MH/DD will continue to look at the long-term and not the short-term. Sweet commended the Board of Supervisors for their participation and support going back to the time of the accreditation through the time the legislature was talking about immediate budget cuts. Sweet said it would have been easy to make short-term decisions that would have long-term consequences for clients, but the County did not do that. They carefully planned In summary, Sweet said, any time anyone would like to visit MH/DD, they would be more than happy to share information.

Veteran Affairs Director Leo Baier reported that the Iowa Veterans Home commandant has taken early retirement and they have a new commandant. Baier said he will be attending the Veteran Affairs spring school from April 23-26, 2002 in Des Moines. Last, Baier reported that his department is on budget.

Shramek said there is a new rule regarding compensatory time. The rule states that an employer may not deny an employee the right to take their compensatory time if one, the request is timely and 2, the request will not seriously impact the business. She commented that if the County will have to pay overtime to another employee as a result of one employee taking off, that is not a reason to deny comp time use. She said that to deny comp time to an employee who has asked for it, there must be a very good reason.

Shramek discussed the Johnson County Employee Safety Committee. There are 10 employee representatives that meet monthly to discuss employee safety, share safety ideas and policies, schedule safety training for employees, discuss emergency evacuation procedures, and help prevent and investigate workers compensation claims. There is a subcommittee called the Incident Review Committee, which consists of 3-4 safety representatives who will review work related incidents involving lost work time and some near misses, by identifying causes to make recommendations to prevent future accidents. She said in some cases during the information gathering process, this team may be taking photographs or interviewing employees if necessary. Then they will issue a written report with recommendations to the department head or elected official in the department and ask for a response back to the Safety Committee. Shramek said if anyone had any safety-related concerns or questions to contact Human Resources Coordinator Jen Feldmann.

General Assistance Director Kay Hull commented that General Assistance is starting to see a heavy workload. She said at the first snow people began to come, because the majority of the people that receive help are construction people and part-time people who are unable to work. She said the budget is looking very good.

Dvorak announced that he was a new first time grandfather. He reported that Planning and Zoning will be giving a presentation to the Board of Supervisors and the public about how the North Corridor plan has been working. He said that he wasn’t sure about public reaction, but thought it would be an interesting meeting. The League of Women Voters invited Dvorak to their meeting regarding the Rocky Road to Regional Government. Dvorak said that since 1993 FEMA had been working towards flood plane enforcement planning in the Counties and in the Cities. They are now offering free classes to staff, including paying for flights to Maryland and room and board. If employees are certified it saves the taxpayers insurance rates, which is an expensive insurance policy whose standards are set by FEMA. He thought it would be a big benefit to the County to get one or 2 people certified.

Information Services Director Jean Schultz discussed the Financial Software Work Group. She said they received 14 proposals back and are in the process of going through them. Schultz also reported that there are new web pages that will be coming up shortly, including Conservation, Human Resources, and Health. In August when they started the web page counter they were getting 12,000 hits a month, now it is up to 20,000, largely due to the new tax page and County Assessor’s page.

Wilmoth announced that Monday night there will be a joint presentation sponsored by the Lone Tree Chamber of Commerce and Johnson County Department of Public Health at Pioneer Place at 7:00 p.m. The Department had wanted to get out into the County to do awareness and education and they’re starting in Lone Tree. Oxford, Shueyville or Swisher might be included later in the year. Wilmoth said their goal is to have 3 a year in the smaller communities and one large presentation at the Fair Grounds next year.

Whitney said the Department of Human Services has been through their reorganization, which was effective January 12th. They are now organized in to 8 areas within the State of Iowa. She now supervises service supervisors and is responsible for supervisors based in Benton, Linn and Johnson Counties. She said her main office continues to be in Johnson County but she spends some time in Cedar Rapids. Whitney said they are fortunate in Johnson County that they had the same supervisors and line workers as they had previously.

Kriz reminded the public that escrow taxes are due this month. They can be paid either in the Treasurer’s office by Friday the 29th or must be postmarked by Saturday the 30th of March. He commented that with interest rates as low as they are people are actually paying their taxes early, which includes large corporations with large tax bills. Kriz said the tax lookup web page has had a phenomenal response and phone calls on the tax side of their office are vanishing. He explained that to get information one can use parcel numbers, street name or house number. There are also links with the County and City Assessors web pages.

Stutsman said there are a number of personnel in the Sheriff’s Department concerned with names, and pictures of houses being accessible on the Internet. Kriz said that will have to be addressed at some time. Painter commented that documents in the Recorder’s Offices are indexed by name, so they will either not be on the web or will be by last name. She said the Recorder’s office only had mortgage data, but that would still upset people. Thompson asked if web sites had elaborate floor plans or only sketches. Kriz said there aren’t blueprints, but sketches that people could infer some information from. Stutsman said this information has always been public record, but it’s different coming to an office to ask for the information versus looking it up on the Internet. Kriz said the biggest complaint his office received was that it couldn’t be searched by name, but people were happy with the explanation given.

Kriz also mentioned that now all 99 county Treasurer’s Offices have a web site when only a year ago 35 Counties didn’t have a web site and 22 Counties didn’t even have a computer in their office. He announced that he is working on a committee with several other Counties regarding a State of Iowa Treasurer’s web site where people can access the State web site for all County web sites, that would include being able to make payments online.

Facilities Manager Mark Bulechek reported that this month the Facilities Department will hopefully have a new computerized work order system.

White commented that in 2 out of County locations he asked people to find his house on the new Treasurer’s system. He said it took them about 15 seconds to get a picture and floor plan of his house. He said having been the recipient of death threats in the past doesn’t make him feel very comfortable. White reported that the Attorney’s Office has been re-carpeted. Last, White apologized in advance for inaccessibility for another murder trial that will keep him busy for 2 or 3 weeks, but said their office is getting closer to having a voice mail system implemented.

Painter reported that she attended her first National Association of Counties conference in the Washington D.C. area. She said it was very informative and she gained exposure to national people. The main theme of the Conference was homeland security. Painter said that in Iowa the legislature is working on a new marriage bill. People who have pre-martial counseling and provide documentation would only be charged $20 for a license, instead of $50 and only wait 3 days for their license instead of 30. She said she is not happy about the proposed 30-day waiting period.

Graves said that in the Conservation Department they had been getting ready for the upcoming season. He said the spring issue of the Conservation Connection is out. Conservation web pages are being updated. He said they are working in parks getting them ready, including eliminating about 50 signs in Kent Park. At the correctional facility they are helping to get signs ready and raise prairie plants. They started the prairie burns at 14 sites throughout the County and the campground will open May 10th.

Interim SEATS Director Tom Brase introduced himself. He said the day that former SEATS Director Lisa Dewey left, their new Assistant Administrator started, so he has been busy with training. He said operations are going smoothly and the budget looks good. Brase also announced that SEATS still has Sunday service regardless of what was reported in the newspaper.

Sweet introduced the new Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Financial and Statistical Supervisor Debbie Guard.

Stutsman commended County Engineer Mike Gardner and the Secondary Roads Department for recently receiving State recognition and awards for road and construction projects. Gardner said that the State Iowa Concrete Paving Association every year has awards they give based on different criteria. Johnson County Secondary Roads won for their Sand Road project, which was judged the best poured and cement concrete pavement in 2001. They also got a special recognition award for the Dubuque Street Rec. Trail from the Iowa Concrete Paving Association. Another award was called the Iowa Quality Initiatives Award, which is put on by the Association of General Contractors and the Iowa DOT. They evaluate structures, which evaluated the new bridge up in the McBride Causeway as being the best in the State for the County system.

Stutsman commented that both Painter and White are on the ISAC Board and their pictures were in the ISAC publication. Lehman reminded the Department heads that there will not be a meeting next week, but that ISAC will be meeting next week. It was decided that the Ambulance Department would be the one to give a departmental update at the next Department Head Meeting.

The Board of Supervisors and department heads decided to schedule their next meeting on May 7, 2002 at 1:30 p.m.

Adjourned at 2:55 p.m.

Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor

By Casie Parkins, Recording Secretary