Lancaster County
Board of Commissioners
Board of Commissioners
lancaster.ne.gov
STAFF MEETING AGENDA
Lancaster County Board Of Commissioners
Tuesday, August 26, 1997
10:30 a.m.
County-City Building
Fourth Floor Conference Room
AGENDA ITEM
1 10:30am PENDING LITIGATION
Mike Thew, Chief Deputy County Attorney
2 10:35am INSURANCE RENEWALS
Sue Eckley, Safety & Training Officer; Rennie Walt,
Harry Koch Company
3 11:00am STAFF SECURE FACILITY
Kit Boesch, Human Services; Dennis Banks, Attention
Center; Jim Blue, Cedars Youth Services
4 11:30am CHANGES TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET
Dave Kroeker, Budget & Fiscal Director
5 ACTION ITEMS
a. Response to Department of Health & Human
Services Re: Proposed Service Areas
b. Request for Payment of Interest on Void Tax
Certificate, KLH v. State, Docket 553,
Page 238
MINUTES
Lancaster County Board Of Commissioners
Fourth Floor Conference Room
County-City Building
Tuesday, August 26, 1997
10:30 A.m.
Commissioners Present: Linda Steinman, Chair
Kathy Campbell
Larry Hudkins
Steve Svoboda
Commissioners Absent: Darlene Tussing
Others Present: Kerry Eagan, Chief Administrative Officer
Ann Taylor, County Clerk's Office
AGENDA ITEM:
1 ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA
a. Natural Gas Purchase Contract
b. Geographic Information System (GIS) Fees
MOTION: Campbell moved and Hudkins seconded approval
of the additions to the agenda. On call
Campbell, Hudkins, Svoboda and Steinman voted
aye. Motion carried.
2 PENDING LITIGATION - Mike Thew, Chief Deputy County
Attorney; Doug Cyr, Deputy County Attorney
MOTION: Campbell moved and Svoboda seconded to
enter Executive Session at 10:35 a.m. for
the purpose of pending litigation and
personnel matters. On call Campbell,
Svoboda, Hudkins and Steinman voted aye.
Motion carried.
MOTION: Hudkins moved and Svoboda seconded to exit
Executive Session at 11:05 a.m. On call
Hudkins, Svoboda, Campbell and Steinman
voted aye. Motion carried.
3 INSURANCE RENEWALS - Sue Eckley, Workers'
Compensation & Risk Management Manager; Rennie Walt,
Harry Koch Company
Sue Eckley, Workers' Compensation & Risk Management
Manager, distributed copies of a marketing report and
Property/Casualty insurance renewal options for Lancaster
County (Exhibit A).
Rennie Walt, Harry Koch Company, stated that liability
insurance coverage encompasses three areas:
a. General Liability
b. Public Officials
c. Law Enforcement
Walt noted that the insurance marketplace is limited due
to the nature of the risk and the already competitive
premium pricing.
Walt reported that three insurance companies, Coregis,
GENESIS and St. Paul, submitted quotes on liability
coverage. He stated that based on those quotes, his
company's recommendation was that the County continue its
coverage with Coregis.
Eckley noted that if the County increased its self
insured retention rate, GENESIS's quote would become more
competitive.
Walt stated that his company reviewed this option, but
did not feel that the risk the County would incur would
justify the savings.
Eckley stated that an issue related to the exclusion of
police reports from claims files released to insurance
adjusters, due to confidentiality, still needed to be
resolved with Coregis.
Walt briefly reported on additional limits of liability
per occurance and aggregate offered by Coregis. He
stated that he did not recommend that the County raise
its self insured retention to lower the premiums, as the
County could incur increased liability if the law
enforcement immunity level were declared
unconstitutional.
In response to a question from Steinman, Eckley reported
that September 30th is the renewal date for the
plan.
The Board requested that the item be rescheduled for
further discussion at the County Board meeting scheduled
for Thursday,September 4th and that Eckley and
Walt be present. Eckley was also requested to provide
information regarding aviation insurance quotes at that
time.
4 STAFF SECURE FACILITY - Kit Boesch, Human Services
Administrator, Dennis Banks, Attention Center Director,
Jim Blue, Cedars Youth Services Executive Director
Dennis Banks, Attention Center Director, reviewed
Attention Center/Juvenile Staff-Secure Facility
population projections (Exhibit B).
Banks stated that he supports the staff-secure facility
concept as a short-term solution to overcrowding in the
Attention Center and predicted a significant reduction in
the County's liability exposure. He recommended
continued study of the long-term needs of the County to
determine the effectiveness of a staff-secure facility,
types of juveniles housed, optimum location of the
facility and whether administration should be through
privatization or Attention Center staff.
Jim Blue, Cedars Youth Services Executive Director,
distributed a memo to the Board regarding development of
a staff-secure facility for juvenile law offenders in
Lancaster County (Exhibit C).
Blue noted that, at the County Board's request, the
potential of Trabert Hall as site for location of a
juvenile staff-secure facility was evaluated. He
reported that the fourth floor of the building was
determined to be adequate for this use, at an estimated
renovation cost of $87,000.
Blue recommended that the operating budget be based on a
capacity of 10 youth, although renovation would allow for
a 15 youth capacity. He added that an average occupancy
rate of 8.5 youth is anticipated. Blue also stated that
Cedars would accept placements from other referral
sources if the facility is not fully occupied by
Lancaster County youth.
Blue reported that the proposed $126 per diem rate
includes the lease payment to the County for use of
Trabert Hall. He projected an annual savings of $155,125
for Lancaster County from placements at the Attention
Center (based on a $176 per diem rate for 8.5 youth).
Blue projected program start-up costs of approximately
$95,000 and stated that Cedars Youth Services may be able
to contribute $25,000 in funds received through a grant
from the Crime Commission towards that cost. He
requested that Kit Boesch, Human Services Administrator,
assist him in pursuing other funding sources which the
County potentially has access to.
Blue requested the County Board's authorization to
proceed with development of a juvenile staff-secure
facility at the proposed per diem rate. He noted that
Cedars Youth Services reserves the right to renegotiate
the contract after the first year of operation.
Hudkins asked Juvenile Court Judge Tom Dawson if a
juvenile staff-secure facility would be an effective
option for the court.
Judge Dawson stated that all juvenile placements in the
staff-secure facility will be based upon court order and
there is potential for more placements than currently
projected. Judge Dawson stated that he was confident
that all 10 placement slots could be filled by Lancaster
County youth and inquired what the break number would be
for additional staff if capacity were increased.
Blue responded that staff and costs will increase with
each increment of five youth beyond the proposed capacity
of 10 youth.
Judge Dawson stated that his recommendation was that the
County proceed with a staff-secure facility with capacity
for 10 youth initially and to continue to evaluate the
program, including length of stay for juveniles.
Hudkins asked if the physical layout of Trabert Hall
limited the capacity to 15 youth, or if in the process of
remodeling Trabert Hall, should the County look ahead at
expansion of the facility to provide for placement of 20
or more youth.
Blue remarked that he would not want to operate a
facility of this type, physically or operationally, for
more than 15 youth.
Steinman stated that she viewed the staff-secure facility
as an interim solution and that the entire juvenile
justice system would probably undergo review within the
next two years.
Judge Dawson reported that, although it is too soon to
evaluate the impact of the juvenile pre-trial diversion
program, juvenile court filings have substantially
increased again this year and he anticipates the trend to
continue.
MOTION: Campbell moved and Hudkins seconded to
accept the summary as proposed by Cedars
Youth Services and the recommendation of
Dennis Banks, Attention Center Director,
and to proceed with that. On call
Campbell, Hudkins, Svoboda and Steinman
voted aye. Motion carried.
Campbell asked if the Board could assist Blue in
obtaining start-up funding of the program.
Boesch reported that funds in the amount of $70,000 are
available through the Department of Public Institutions
(DPI) and Office of Juvenile Services (OJS) for mental
health assessment of youth. She stated however, that the
Board must convince those agencies that the funds will be
used for the intake, not psychological evaluation, of
youth before those funds will be made available.
Hudkins inquired whether an assessment center could be
developed in conjunction with the staff-secure facility.
Banks responded that he felt that to rush development of
an assessment center when there are so many variables and
conflicting opinions could be detrimental to the success
of the program.
Campbell suggested that, to prevent further delays, the
Board contact the Department of Public Institutions
(DPI), Office of Juvenile Services (OJS) and the Crime
Commission, and offer to front the start-up costs of the
program, if reimbursement may be sought later.
Steinman, Boesch and Banks agreed to meet with
representatives of those agencies and report back to the
Board.
5 CHANGES TO THE PROPOSED BUDGET - Dave Kroeker, Budget
& Fiscal Director
Discussion postponed, due to time constraints.
6 ACTION ITEMS
a. Response to the Department of Health & Human
Services Regarding Proposed Service Areas
Kit Boesch, Human Services Administrator,
reported that a letter had been drafted in
response to proposed administrative service area
boundaries for the Department of Health and
Human Services (Exhibit D).
Boesch stated that the letter noted assurances
given by Dennis Loose, Chief Deputy Director for
Health & Human Services, to the Board at their
August 21st meeting that these
administrative service areas would have no
effect on current regional boundaries or
contracts. She stated that the need for
continued support for established and successful
partnerships in Lancaster County and concern
regarding the potential long-range political
implications of establishing boundaries were
stressed in the letter. Evaluation of the
boundary changes to determine success was also
recommended in the letter.
MOTION: Hudkins moved and Campbell seconded to
authorize the Board to send the letter to
the Department of Health and Human
Services. On call Hudkins, Campbell,
Svoboda and Steinman voted aye. Motion
carried.
b. Request for Payment of Interest on Void Tax
Certificate, KLH v. State, Docket 553, Page 238
MOTION: Campbell moved and Hudkins seconded to
authorize Doug Cyr, Deputy County
Attorney, to send the request. On call
Campbell, Hudkins, Svoboda and Steinman
voted aye. Motion carried.
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA
a. Natural Gas Purchase Contract
Diane Staab, Deputy County Attorney, reported
that Mid Con Gas Services Corporation was the
low bidder on the Natural Gas Purchase Contract.
She stated that the their bid of $5.09 per unit
is less than last year's average of $5.51 per
unit.
Staab reported that the bid price expires on
August 27, 1997, and that each member of the
Natural Gas Purchase Consortium is being asked
to commit to the low bid price prior to that
expiration. She stated that consideration of
the item would be added as an Emergency Item on
the agenda for the 1:30 p.m. County Board
meeting.
Steinman requested that the Board be provided
information regarding the average per unit price
for 1995 for comparison.
Staab stated that she would make a request at
the Board meeting that the Board accept the low
bid and authorize the Chair to sign the
agreement with Mid Con Gas Services Corporation,
which is still undergoing revision.
b. Geographic Information System (GIS) Fees
Item postponed, due to time constraints.
7 ADJOURNMENT
Hudkins and Svoboda left. The Chair adjourned the
meeting, as a quorum no longer existed.
Kandra Hahn - Lancaster County Clerk