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DRAFT

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
MINUTES

October 5, 2009

The Health and Human Services Committee of the DeKalb County Board met on Monday, October 5, 2009 @ 6:30p.m. in the Administration Building’s Conference Room East.  Vice-Chairman Paul Stoddard called the meeting to order.  Members present were Eileen Dubin and John Emerson.  Members absent were Mr. Tyson, Mr. Metzger, Sr. and Ms. LaVigne.  Ms. Donna Moulton, Mr. Gary Hanson and Mr. Chuck Rose were also present.  A quorum was not present.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES and APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

The committee could not approve the Minutes of the Agenda due to the lack of a quorum.

MENTAL HEALTH INTRODUCTION AND REPORT – MR. CHUCK ROSE

          Chuck Rose presented a brief summary of his annual report and said that the Mental Health Needs Study was completed in the Spring that the Mental Health Board held a retreat in July to discuss the study, and then the Mental Health Board presented their findings in September to the public.  They had a pretty good turnout at the public meeting and received some good feedback.

          The Mental Helath Board has placed an ad in the paper for someone to fill the Executive Director position (previously held by Liz Carney, and vacant for nearly a year).  They hope to have that position filled and the replacement working by November/December 2009.

          Mr. Rose said that many of the local agencies are suffering from economic difficulties because the State has not paid them their monies yet. Ben Gordon Center has a shortage of about $168,000 that the State owes them.  Open Door and Opportunity House have shortfalls as well.  Safe Passage also has a shortage in funding due them from the State of Illinois, and has approached the Mental Health Board to help them with the shortage until they receive the monies from the State.  Jerry Lane is the Acting Director since Pam Wiseman, the former Director, is now residing in New Mexico.  If the Mental Health Board can't help them with the shortfall, Safe Passage will be closing its doors by the end of October, 2009.

COMMUNITY SERVICES UPDATE – MS. DONNA MOULTON

             Ms. Moulton, DeKalb County Community Services Director, said that she has hired the American Recovery and Reinvestment Applications (ARRA) person who has begun work.  She said that their emergency intervention funds ($35,000) were supposed to help out 80 families and instead they have helped 180 households.  The chart that she passed out shows that DCCS ran out of emergency intervention monies in September, 2009.  The foreclosure program funds have narrow criteria that need to be met in order for applicants to receive the funds ($25,000 available).  Ms. Moulton is trying various avenues to get the word out so that she will be able to help some families with these funds.  She will be meeting with her Administrative Board to see if they can modify the use of the monies for the emergency intervention funding since there is a huge need for these funds.  She will let the committee know what happens in the near future.  She is also finishing her Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and it should be ready shortly for her to submit.

                  
CONSIDERATION OF BUDGET APPEALS – MR. GARY HANSON

Mr. Gary Hanson, DeKalb County Deputy County Administrator, brought to the committee’s attention that there are two appeals filed regarding the Health Department's budget.

          1.)      Re-evaluate the proposed Health Dept.'s fee increases.  Mr. Hanson said that Ms. Grush, the DeKalb County Public Health Director, and the Board of Health look at all of their fees every year and don't intend to charge more money than their costs.  They try not to increase every fee every year, and that it usually is about 2 or 3 years between the increases.

          2.)      Reduce the money set aside for the Renew and Replacement line item for the Health Dept.  Mr. Hanson said that funding for repairs inside and outside for the Health Department building is set aside in this line item.  They have a limited time frame in which to set aside money for the building.  The building is only 10 years old, but has had a lot of problems.  They have replaced most of the heating system and have had problems with the sprinkler system freezing in the roof. There is a limited time frame in which to set aside money for the building.   The Health Department currently has $1 million dollars in this fund; however, the bonds for the Health Department retire in 2016, thus ending the revenue stream from the levy for this fund.
         
          Since a quorum was not present, the committee could not vote on the two appeals, and so they will have to be voted upon at the next Health & Human Services meeting, scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2009 - prior to the November 4, 2009 Finance Committee Meeting.   

Vice-Chairman Paul Stoddard asked Mary Supple, DeKalb County Coordinator, to send out a notice to all committee members that it is important to attend the November meeting since the budgetary items will need to be voted on.  Mr. Hanson said that if we do not have a quorum again in November that the items will go before the Finance Committee.

ADJOURNMENT

The committee could not adjourn due to the lack of a quorum.

         
                                                Respectively submitted,

                                                _________________________________  

                                                Vice-Chairman Paul Stoddard

_____________________________ 
Mary C. Supple, Secretary