MINUTES OF THE INFORMAL MEETING OF THE JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS:
FEBRUARY 16 AND 18, 1999
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chairperson Jordahl called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 9:03 a.m. Members present were: Charles Duffy, Jonathan Jordahl, Mike Lehman, and Carol Thompson; absent: Sally Stutsman.
Jordahl: Go into the informal meeting for Tuesday the 16th of February. 2nd item on the agenda after calling ourselves to order is review of the formal minutes of February 11th. If you haven't seen those they're available on the computer on the I drive. Anyone have any comments or any changes they'd like to make about those.
Lehman: Not at this time.
Duffy: Are we going to have regular minutes too on the I-drive.
Jordahl: Printed?
Duffy: Printed.
Jordahl: We have not been have we? Have we also circulated those?
Administrative Assistant Carol Peters: Just one.
Jordahl: We will do that too.
Duffy: OK.
GENERAL ASSISTANCE DIRECTOR KAY HULL: GENERAL ASSISTANCE UPDATE
Jordahl: Well Kay you're here. I wonder if anyone else is waiting for 9:15 to arrive before they listen to you.
General Assistance Director Kay Hull: I doubt it.
Jordahl: I doubt it too. Why don't you come ahead.
Hull: Nobody listens to me Jonathan.
Reverend Bob Welsh: That's not true Kay. I listen to you.
Lehman: And he's here.
Hull: He's here.
Jordahl: We're pretty well covered. And the press is here.
Hull: Did you get the paperwork Jonathan that was sent over for this.
Jordahl: General Assistance update and proposal. Yes.
Hull: Great. OK. As you know we were looking at different things in General Assistance. One of which was a 4 month assistance to see whether or not we needed to change our guidelines any. Along with that came a little change with the JTPA referrals. What's happening is JTPA is real busy with the welfare reform, with the FIP program. So they really don't have time or staff to see our people. Unless the people are going to benefit from one of the training programs that they have. So what's going to happen is we'll still refer them, it's just that someone within the workforce is going to be seeing them and then if needed JTPA will be referred. So it's just a minor change. As far as the 4 month rent assistance, it's real hard for me to judge yet. As you can see so far this Fiscal Year we've had 7 requests. That doesn't mean we've helped those 7 but we've had 7 people request assistance. I'd like to extend that so I have a better feel as to what we're looking at in the Fiscal Year. And you all know that we were talking to the funeral directors as far as raising the amount that the County is paying. We haven't' raised this amount for over 12 years. The funeral directors, I kept hearing that they were feeling that they needed a raise but they were never coming to me so I've met with the 2 largest funeral homes in the County and we've looked at other counties and what those counties were paying within the State of Iowa. We've come to the consensus and they were very cooperative in as much as if we could raise it $500 a funeral, we would then be paying $1,500 per funeral for our county people. We still would be less than 15 counties in the state of Iowa. But the funeral directors feel comfortable, agree to the $1,500 amount. So what I would like to recommend today to this Board and you have to approve it or disapprove it is that we in Johnson County pay $1,500 per funeral for people eligible under this program.
Jordahl: According to the memorandum that should fit within the existing and proposed budgets.
Hull: It should fit. Now I'm not sure what's happening with our clientele for next year as yet. We have not seen the increase from the FIP program. I'm hearing there's some changes within the Mental Health Program for State cases. So we may see some different things coming through. But at this point looking at the budget we should be OK for both this year and the proposed budget.
Jordahl: What would you mean when you say we have not seen the increase from the FIP program.
Hull: We had expected some people who were going off of the FIP program to come to the County and request help. We've seen some of them but not near what I had expected.
Jordahl: So people are going off FIP it's because they're going on jobs rather than running out of 60 months. I mean nobody is running out yet. There may come a time in 3 or 4 years when we start seeing...
Hull: And keep in mind our guidelines are really really low. So people who have part time jobs would be over our guidelines. OK. So it's not saying they're doing really really good but they're existing.
Jordahl: So you're saying there's kind of a gap there between general assistance and what FIP will do.
Hull: Our guidelines are the FIP grant. So lets say that we have someone come in and apply for General Assistance. Those people would have to be under the FIP amount. So if they go off and get a part time job they're probably going to meet that FIP amount but that doesn't mean that they're going to eligible for GA.
Thompson: If they didn't meet the FIP amount would they be eligible for GA forever.
Hull: No.
Thompson: Because they never can go back on public assistance after they've had their 5 years.
Hull: That's right. At least no I say that with the rules that we have Carol. At this point no they could have a one time exception. That's not saying if we saw a lot of them come and they absolutely didn't have anything that we might not look at the guidelines but at this point...
Jordahl: You say they can have a one time exception to your rules.
Hull: Right.
Jordahl: Meaning that if they get...
Hull: Meaning that if they don't understand what the worker has said and didn't get the paperwork in on time or got a job and lost a job within the month, those types of things. We can help them once the way our guidelines are written now.
Jordahl: We're going to have to stay on top of this. I'm sure that the Social Welfare Board is very interested in the process of this. I haven't attended those meetings lately but I'm sure that we'll try to be responsive to the situation as it develops.
Hull: Yes and I think we have to stay on top of it. Or we're going to find people...
Thompson: At least it's good that it appears to be a gradual thing and not a big...
Hull: I think the hard to place household will be maybe the ones that will be the ones that we really need to be concerned about.
Jordahl: Of course then to we seem to be in a fairly strong economy.
Hull: Well I hear that Jonathan, but the people I'm seeing have been laid off. Kinney's has already closed in the mall. Seiferts has already closed in the new mall. So we're seeing some real changes already.
Jordahl: Oh good. Nice grey day, some good news.
Hull: Isn't that funny.
Jordahl: Thanks Kay.
Lehman: Do some of these correspond to each other? The rent assistance along with the...
Hull: General Assistance.
Lehman: Yes. I mean you see a little bit of...
Hull: Rent assistance is a line item within the General Assistance budget.
Lehman: I mean are you seeing some of the same people apply for more than one program I guess is what I'm asking.
Hull: Yes and I think we're going to continue to see that Mike. Because if they can't pay their rent they sure can't pay for their medicine. They can't pay to go to the hospital.
Lehman: But they possibly have to see more than one department to get everything taken care of but there is enough referral in the department so...
Hull: They don't get General Assistance unless they've applied for all of the other programs they might be eligible for first. So there's many programs. There's the FIP program, the Title 19 program, the Food Stamp program, the Veterans Affairs program, that you people administer. There's also now the Mental Health program and many of these people that we see once are then referred on to our case manager and it's paid them out of a different budget.
Lehman: You said you got 7 requests for additional months assistance. Just from the last couple of years do you know if that's about running par or is this...
Hull: This year has been real different. If you noticed our budget I think we've only used 48% of our budget so far. It's been real different. What we've seen is many years prior it was the winter months we'd see people. This year it's like they've gotten jobs at the mall and we're just now beginning to see them so it's kind of a different year. But I would say that's probably a good number.
Lehman: OK. I thought it was interesting listening to the budget proposal from the VA. They said they're allowed 3 and they wondered what they are going to do for the 4th and people said we'll find something. So people know where to turn after their limitations are up.
Hull: Yes. I think people in this community really look at our programs. Our emergency programs, rent and the Veterans Affairs as a winter program to tide them over. You know that's not saying we still don't have people out on the street.
Jordahl: Other questions.
Thompson: Could I ask you another and this is off the topic. How does it affect your operation to have the Income Maintenance people move to the Eastdale place.
Hull: I don't think it's going to change it Carol. Again I think the reason for that is that we always have them go to Income Maintenance first before we would ever do anything so hopefully when they call into the office they'll be told that and we're trying to get that set up so we don't have that kind of thing happening so they come to us and then we have to send them there. So they would go there. Very few of them would come back. Some of them... Food stamp people. I don't see it changing too much.
Thompson: Thank you.
Hull: You bet.
Jordahl: OK. Well. Got any questions from members of the public?
Board of Social Welfare Member Bob Welsh: Just to say that the Board of Social Welfare did review that and we'd join in recommending that you make that shift in the guidelines.
Jordahl: OK.
Welsh: Increase that funeral from 1,000 to 1,500.
Jordahl: So will we see an item on the agenda for Thursday Carol or a formal action to change these guidelines.
Hull: Jonathan I will not be here on Thursday. My mother is having surgery so... OK. Thank you.
Jordahl: We wish her the best. Thank you.
Thompson: That was a good report.
Jordahl: Yes. It's nice to see. Yes I think for all of us it is. OK. We're way ahead of schedule. What do you say Casie? Business from the County Auditor. Grant application for GIS. Not up yet huh?
Recording Secretary Casie Parkins: They're not up here yet. They were told 9:30.
Jordahl: Well, we have Lisa here. Lets see what Lisa might want to do. 9:45.
Seats Director Lisa Dewey: We could do this. Good morning.
Jordahl: Well it's good that you were here early.
Dewey: I try.
Jordahl: Memorandum of understanding between East Central Iowa Council of Governments and Johnson County regarding transfer of vehicles.
Dewey: Right. This is actually just something that had already been discussed but the ECICOG, we have 13 vehicles that are being transferred from ECICOG to Iowa City and Coralville. 2 to Coralville and 11 to the city of Iowa City. The purchase of those vehicles by the cities... Normally what happens is 20% of the purchase price, I'm sorry, 80% of the purchase price usually goes to ECICOG and 20% to the entity. However in this case, because it's a transfer they're allowing us the full amount rather than just a portion of it. But it was also with the agreement that that money would go to capital or capital expenditures for SEATS, and that's what this memorandum of understanding is. It's just making clarification that that money is to go to transit capital or transit capital improvements, and so on Thursday we'd like approval of the memorandum of understanding from ECICOG.
Jordahl: This is something that was hammered out in the meetings of the ECICOG Board of Directors where I was present and representing the County. We had a couple, 3 meetings, special meetings, long discussions, votes and stuff and basically had to argue our way into this situation. But there was agreement on the Board of Directors that because the money that was represented here was entirely the county's match to the federal money and the ECICOG policy actually stems from the formula of federal funding, that it was not appropriate for them to take 80% of our local match when we sold the vehicles. Because the entities that were buying them would in essence be providing local match on their part to buy these things, to sort of counter for their federal eligibility that they could have used to purchase them in the first place, if anybody wanted to hear that. And so basically this is something that if we've got further questions about, I would be happy to try to answer them. Lisa may be able to help with that too. But we've chewed this up and digested it and this is just a piece of paper saying that's what it is.
Dewey: Exactly. It's just the written part of what had already been discussed and...
Lehman: I think that money had already been included in the upcoming budget then for SEATS?
Dewey: We have targeted that for the upgrade of our scheduling system if that's approved.
Lehman: OK.
Duffy: Can I ask a question.
Dewey: Sure.
Jordahl: Yes.
Duffy: When is our next SEATS Advisory Committee meeting?
Dewey: Advisory council meeting?
Duffy: ...and then the subcommittee, how many dates (inaudible).
Dewey: The subcommittees, the chairmen of the subcommittees are supposed to be notifying when those meetings are. I did get a list done. You should have gotten it last week, if you did not I'll make sure you get it this morning, of which committees you're on Charlie. And then I know Mike...
Duffy: I'm on 3 of them, County mainly.
Dewey: Mike O'Donnell was setting up the one for the packages. The no show...
Duffy: I think I'm on this committee.
Dewey: I'm sorry?
Duffy: I think that's one of them maybe. The subcommittee.
Dewey: Right, you're on that one. I think you're also on the Riders' Guide which I'm setting up for next Tuesday or Wednesday.
Duffy: The reason why we have a lot of dates there already... We have to commit to...
Dewey: How about if I get back with you after the Board meeting this morning and kind of go through what the dates were, see what we've got and stuff?
Duffy: OK. You can try me if not I'll call you...
Dewey: I don't know what Mike's set up for the (inaudible) package. OK?
Duffy: OK. Thank-you.
Dewey: Any other questions?
Jordahl: I don't think so.
Dewey: Thank-you very much.
Jordahl: I appreciate you bringing this by and I guess we'll take action on Thursday to authorize the Chair to sign this. Go see us Bob. Go ahead.
Welsh: This memorandum was sent for... You were concerned about the transfer of these vehicles itself. Did you, in a sense, lose that? Or is this the compromise or what?
Jordahl: Perhaps you're talking about in maybe early stages of the discussion where it was a question of what number of vehicles would be transferred and would those be proportional to the need of the cities for transport or our need for vehicles to maintain the SEATS service. And it's... My recollection of the conclusion that we did prevail in getting the numbers assessed as the numbers needed for Johnson County to maintain this rural service rather than according to Iowa City of Coralville needs and we just transferred the balance of the vehicles.
Dewey: Right. ECICOG was stating that the rural service doesn't require all of the vehicles we have, all 19, and we're doing a lot more of the City ADA. And so they are the rural entity rather than the urban and JCCOG is the urban, but the cities purchase their own vehicles. And so that was why the decision be ECICOG was made as to either the cities can buy them or we're going to sell them to someone else. That is in essence what ECICOG said and the City said well we still need to do this service so they agreed to purchase them. And the concern I think was what happens if the City decides to do something differently and in my discussions with the cities that doesn't look like that's ever going to happen. They don't really want to take over their transit surface so I think we're OK. We've talked about other service to use those vehicles after hours, after we're done. They may use them for deviated fixed rep or we may start looking at possibly doing some service together with them.
Jordahl: I understand that there's, from speaking with members of the City Council, that there's some motion toward cooperation that they're really glad to see in that vein that you're talking about. I'm not familiar with the details of that because I haven't been to the meetings about this, not being on the SEATS Advisory Committee. But I think to respond to Reverend Welsh's question, it does sound like discussions have gone along, since I was part of them, toward the ideal involving a transfer of more buses than I had originally envisioned would be transferred, but it does also sound like that's part of a new spirit of cooperation that we have with the cities that we're working toward a much more integrated approach to this. I hope that that allays some of the concerns about the number of vehicles being transferred. I'm no longer the Board's representative to East Central Council of Governments and so forth for the last couple of months. I haven't been to those meetings and it may be that details of this have taken shape since I was last at an ECICOG meeting. It kind of sounds like it has. I don't mean to gloss over this.
Welsh: No, no. I'm just asking a question.
Jordahl: The concern that I had raised earlier was gee, should we be transferring this many buses? And it sounds like, hey we are transferring that many buses. So I think the answer to your question is probably different that the answer I originally gave. The conclusion when I was last part of the talks was that we would base the decision on the number of vehicles necessary to run the SEATS service including the concept of the SEATS service being one that is integrated with the cities and that therefore the rural services, in sort of an integrated or intercollated system, that is larger than what would be needed for solely a rural service but is nevertheless is the service that we provide. Apparently...
Dewey: Right. And we're not dividing the service out. It's not like these 6 vehicles will only be rural or these 13 will only do city. It's still going to operate the same way it does now, and the cities both have agreed to that, to allow us to use it as an integrated package. So we'll have the same amount of service available. It's not reducing any of the service that we have. The thing it may do for the cities, is after our service is done in the evening, is to allow them to use the small vehicles to do some deviated fixed route which opens up more doors for some of the disabled and elderly users. And so that's what we're (inaudible).
Jordahl: So I guess it kind of goes back, I think, to the answer I've tried to give in responding along with Lisa that it looks like we've got experience...
Welsh: I know you've had some real reservations about the whole transfer. I gather what you're saying to me as you got out of the loop at that point and this is evidently what's been worked out.
Jordahl: Yes. I prevailed in terms of us getting all of the moneys out of ECICOG, getting 80% of it and keeping that in Johnson County. But at the point of how many vehicles are being transferred, it sounds like what we're actually doing is we're getting 80% of a much larger figure than I had anticipated because there are more buses being transferred so SEATS is actually getting more money. That seems to be part of it, if you want to take a positive look at this. I just hope that the spirit of cooperation continues and we get a good solid base for the future because we've got a tight contract.
Dewey: Yes we do.
Jordahl: Alright.
Dewey: Thank-you.
Jordahl: Thank-you. Anybody else have any other questions for Lisa? I don't mean this to be a 2 way conversation.
Lehman: No.
Jordahl: OK. Thank-you. Alright. We have a number of smiling faces in the audience, well not smiling, let's see. What are we talking about here? Is this all about GIS? We don't have Joe Vandenberg here yet. We've got request for purchase of doors. I think... We're talking about this grant application for the GIS software at 9:30. Carol, I wonder, I don't see that Jean Schultz or Rick Dvorak are here.
Peters: I can give them a call.
Jordahl: I'd appreciate it if you'd give them a call. Also Fred along with Jean to address the GIS question. Let's see.
Jordahl: I'm going to skip down, if we can, to item 4B, under business from the County Auditor. Discussion action needed regarding request from a Johnson County resident regarding purchase by a fraternal organization for its building remodeling project of 2 of the county's courthouse vault doors retained following the courthouse remodeling/reconstruction project, and coincidentally enough we have the Auditor here. Tom you're on.
County Auditor Tom Slockett: I was just going to go real quick with that. Actually, so you're talking about the courthouse doors at this point?
Jordahl: Yes, I skipped over GIS for a minute.
Slockett: Actually there's been a change but I thought it might be worth noting why, for the Board to consider maybe at a later point in time, or right now. But the group that was interested in them went out and took a look at them, and they were so rusted and deteriorated since the last time they looked at them that they're no longer interested in it. So I think that should be interesting to the Board. That they are not protected and that maybe we should have them evaluated to see if they could be restored and protected if we're planning on using them. Or maybe we should make disposition of them if they're just going to sit out there and deteriorate.
Jordahl: Yes, yes.
Slockett: But that... The people that were interested are no longer interested in them. I just found that out about 10 minutes ago.
Jordahl: OK. Well still time left.
Thompson: What are they, outdoors or what?
Slockett: They're in the County barn. They're sitting... Pat Langenberg was going to come talk about it, maybe he could word. I guess we thought it was going to be after the mapping thing so he might've been waiting too.
Jordahl: I was looking for things to do before the mapping thing.
Slockett: When I saw that he wasn't here actually, I was ducking back out to go tell Pat that he didn't have to show up. But they are propped up, leaning...
Jordahl: Well we can take a 5 minute break here if you want to get Pat. Maybe he can describe the situation of the doors or give some ideas.
Slockett: I couldn't find him, that's why I was.
Jordahl: Did we try calling? Carol, I know you're busy walking around and finding here...
Slockett: I walked around the building and went in his office and the light was off.
Jordahl: Does he have a pager maybe? Looking for Pat Langenberg, do we know how to page him?
Peters: Sure, want him paged?
Jordahl: I guess.
Thompson: It's really a moot issue though isn't it? With (inaudible) ...
Jordahl: Yes well I don't want him falling off a ladder or something.
Duffy: As long as he can he'll come up.
Peters: Pardon?
Duffy: I'm going to holler as long as I can.
Jordahl: Open the door first would you?
Slockett: Do you want me to just go over and look in his office again instead?
Jordahl: What?
Slockett: I'd be happy to just go look in his office again. OK Carol said she'd take care of it.
Jordahl: It'd be nice to have him here.
Duffy: Yes.
Jordahl: I was kind of hoping, did Jean Schultz get here yet? I was kind of hoping that Jean would be here for discussion of the GIS, Jean and Fred. Joan Vandenberg I'm looking for.
Thompson: Joan's not here yet.