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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinance 01-10-01 S ST. CROIX COUNTY NOTICE OF COMMITTEE MEETING TO: Chairman Thomas Dorsey St. Croix County Board FROM: Tom O'Connell, Chair COMMITTEE TITLE: Finance DATE: Wednesday, January 10, 2001 8:30 A.M. LOCATION: Government Center CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL ADOPTION OF AGENDA DATE OF NEXT MEETING: February 9, 2001 8:30 A.M. ACTION ON PREVIOUS MINUTES UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NEW BUSINESS: 1. Review of Vouchers 2. Joint Meeting with Health and Human Services Regarding Nursing Home Consultant 9:30 A.M. 3. Joint Meeting with Highway Committee at Hammond 1:00 F.M. 4. Economic Development Office Space 5. Disposal of HP 3000 6. Building Maintenance Report - Ralph Robole 7. Administrative Coordinator 8. Finance Director 9. County Clerk A. Sale of Punch Card Machines 10. Update on Cedar Creek Dam - Bob Heise CORRESPONDENCE: ADJOURNMENT (Agenda not necessarily presented in this order) Date: 01/04/01 COPIES TO: County Board Office News Media/Notice Board County Clerk County Board County Departments *ADDITIONS/CHANGES/CORRECTIONS 1 FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING JOINT MEETINGS WITH HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE Regular Meeting January 10, 2001 Meeting called to order by Chair O'Connell. Present: Stan Krueger, Ralph Swenson, Nancy Bieraugel, Tom Dorsey and Tom O'Connell. Staff present: Administrative Coordinator Chuck Whiting, Finance Director Rich Loney, Corporation Counsel Greg Timmerman and County Clerk Sue Nelson. Others: Supr. Speer and Supr. Raymond; Judy Wiff, media. Other committee members listed later. Motion by Dorsey, 2nd by Krueger to adopt the agenda. Carried. Next regular meeting is February 9, 8:30 a.m. Special meeting scheduled for January 19 for employee evaluations. Motion by Swenson, 2nd by Krueger to approve the December minutes. Carried. Vouchers: Dorsey reviewed the bills prior to the meeting and found no problems. Motion by Dorsey, 2nd by Bieraugel to pay the vouchers. Carried. Economic Development Office Space: Planning Director Dave Fodroczi suggested moving Economic Development to the former cafeteria room using half for E.D. and half as a conference room. Fodroczi explained the interviews and start dates for the new GIS Planner position can be flexible depending on when space becomes available for this person. O'Connell asked if Economic Development would pay for the cost of making office space in the lunchroom. There was no money budgeted for this. O'Connell asked for a firm cost estimate from Facilities Manager Ralph Robole. Whiting said a fair cost arrangement would be worked out. Committee will address this at the January 19th meeting. Disposal of HP 3000: This is the former computer system used by the County. The service company backed out on buying the HP. Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College would take it as a donation. Computer Services Director Tom Boron said we no longer use the HP for any county programs. Corporation Counsel Timmerman advised it could be given away as long as a reasonable attempt had been made to sell it. Motion by Krueger, 2nd by Swenson to donate the HP 3000 to WITC in New Richmond. Carried. 1 Building Maintenance Report: Ralph Robole stated the Jail Sergeant office space would be finished soon. Robole indicated the increase in natural gas would double the budget for the Ag. Center in Baldwin. In August the gas was $.63 a therm, in November $.83 and is projected to be $1.14 in February. The Health and Government Centers are on the interruptible rate and cost was $.48 in August and is $.56 now with no estimate given for February. Robole had sent a written report on projects Building Services has done. Swenson thanked Robole for his work on building maintenance. Cedar Creek Dam: County Conservationist Bob Heise explained the County owns a flume that acts as a spillway for water from a dam owned by Charles Nutzman in the Town of Star Prairie. Water from the flume goes into Cedar Creek. The flume is deteriorating. Some options would be to cut the end of the flume to prevent erosion or abandon and take out the flume. However, another water flow structure is needed so the pond does not become stagnant. There is a plan to do carp eradication and lower the water level which would be a good time to do repair on the flume. Heise said the Rod and Gun Club, Sportsman Alliance and the Horse Creek Watershed may help with this repair both financially and with in kind services. Timmerman said originally Gary LePak and Dan Koich from DNR had stated there could not be two owners of a dam and flume but now they are asking the County to repair the flume. Forty acres in this area was deeded to the County in 1971. Krueger asked about liability of the damaged flume. O'Connell suggested the Finance Committee view the area. Swenson said the County's property committee should address this issue and Dorsey thought the County should repair the flume when Nutzman repairs his dam and the water is down. Heise will do further follow up. Administrative Coordinator: Chuck Whiting is working with Springsted on the Capital Outlay plan. Information Services Committee is working along with Computer Services staff to upgrade the County's website. A Legislative Breakfast is scheduled for January 15, 7:00 a.m. at the Next Door Cafe in New Richmond. Finance Director: Rich Loney reported starting to close on the year 2000 budgets and will have preliminary reports in March or April. 2 County Clerk: Sue Nelson said nine punch card voting machines have been sold through Liquidation.com for $300 each. This money will be used toward the purchase of the new voting system. Joint Meeting with Health and Human Services regarding Nursing Home Consultant: Present from H&HS were Lois Burri, Chris Bethke, Leon Berenschot, Fern Johnson, Mary Louise Olson, Esther Wentz, Einar Horne, Bob Stephens, Director John Borup and Nursing Home Administrator Carolyn Krieger. O'Connell commented the H&HS minutes made reference to hiring a consultant to "preserve the Nursing Home" but this should be an open meeting for all ideas. Chair Bob Stephens introduced John Keefe and Michael Edwin from Keefe and Associates with the understanding the purpose of this presentation is informational. Mr. Keefe stated his firm has been in business 25 years and their focus is on Long Term Care issues including assisted living, adult day care, developmentally disabled and nursing homes. Regulatory aspects must be considered in their studies and proposals. They recently concluded a study for the Racine County Nursing Home and have worked with 20 other counties. These are changing times for Long Term Care and Nursing Homes. Nursing Home census is dropping everywhere. Baby boomers will be 75 in the year 2018. There is a healthier, older population, and more choices for them. Medicaid and Medicare covers less cost now. Mr. Keefe estimated $40,000 - $55,000 to complete a study for this County within a six to eight month time period. The bottom of the market has dropped out for selling a nursing home. Questions were directed to Mr. Keefe by committee members. Discussion on scope of the study and appointing a steering committee. Borup and Krieger had sent a letter to Mr. Keefe previously outlining a list of items as crucial to any plan for the nursing home. The committees added three more. The study is to include: 1. Determination of bed size given demographics, staffing shortages, and elimination of the swing bed unit at Holy Family Hospital. 2. Expected increase in Medicare funding, Medicaid funding and ITP funding the next biennium and its effect on the county levy and incentives such as more private rooms. 3. Feasibility of housing on the grounds by either remodeling of the 174 building or new construction and remodeling of the 182 building to eliminate environmental issues and create a more home-like atmosphere. 4. If housing is an option, what size and kind (CBRF and RCAC) or both and at what point would a profit be expected. 3 5. Should St. Croix County build or should an outside source be considered to build with a donation of the land. 6. Assessment of St. Croix County clients for possible placement in the new housing. 7. Potential for other revenue such as adult day care, senior meal site, and an Alzheimer's unit on the ground floor. 8. Impact on County with closure of the Nursing Home. 9. Mission statement for the Nursing Home. 10. Operating the Nursing Home like a business. Motion by Krueger, 2nd by Horne to use 10 points listed above as parameters for the Nursing Home Study, approve a Steering Committee consisting of two members from Finance Committee, two members of Health and Human Services Committee and one Supervisor at large. This Steering Committee has the authority to enter into a contract with a Nursing Home Consultant for a cost of $40,000 to $55,000 with money taken from the County's General Fund. The Steering Committee is to be appointed by the County Board Chair and Vice Chair. Carried unanimously. The Administrative Coordinator, H&HS Director and Nursing Home Administrator are to be involved with the Steering Committee. This recommendation will be referred to the County Board at the January 23, 2001 meeting. Motion by Stephens, 2nd by Wentz to close the joint meeting. Carried. Finance Committee recessed until the 1:00 p.m. meeting with the Transportation Committee. Joint meeting at the Highway Department, Hammond, 1:00 p.m. Present were: Highway Commissioner Dan Fedderly, Office Manager Tim Ramberg, Patrol Superintendent James Harer, Engineer Jeff Durkee, Specialist Kevin Brown and committee members Dick King, Art Jacobson, Gerald Larson, Charlie Grant and Jack Dowd. Chair King welcomed the Finance Committee. Fedderly presented an overview of Highway operations. Financial Operations books were distributed. Hammond is the location of the main facility with outlying sites of Hudson, Houlton (moving soon to Somerset), Star Prairie, Deer Park and Glenwood City. There is a Long Range Facilities Plan in place. In 1970 the department had 170 employees, in the year 2000 there were 75 employees. The department maintains a total of 1500 miles of county, state and town roads. In the Highway Improvement Program the key is long range planning. Every mile of county trunk highways gets improvement every five years. Fedderly said consistent funding is necessary. There is a need to correct the downward trend and level off the county 4 funding. He showed the increase in outside funding from $421,112 in 1997 to $1,861,063 in 2000. O'Connell asked about the roads for the Perch Lake project. Fedderly said this work is in the regular work schedule and will be done in time to meet the deadlines for DNR grant funds. Chair King said the department planned to do this work in December but could not get DNR permits. St. Croix County is No. 2 in the state in machinery management. Revenues over expenses from 1995-99 were $2,910,043. The rate charged by the Highway Dept. is assigned by WI DOT. The fund is self sufficient with no tax levy monies. It is actually an operations fund that covers machinery purchase, machinery operating costs, shop operations, facilities costs, building improvements and all new facilities. The Transportation Committee prioritizes a needs list and uses sound management for the machinery fund. Nine million has been spent for operation purchases other than machinery from the machinery fund in the past five years. Ramberg explained the CHEMS computer program which is used as a tool to assist in management of the operations such as payroll, fleet management, fixed assets, job costing and others. Fedderly said Ramberg was instrumental in starting this program to be used throughout the state. Krueger was excused at 2:35 p.m. Motion to adjourn by Dorsey. Meeting adjourned at 2:45 p.m. Stan Krueger, Secretary 5