IN THE COUNTY COURT OF THE STATE OF OREGON IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF GRANT

Access the court’s weekly Agenda and approved Minutes on the Commissioner’s page at www.gcoregonlive2.com.

MAY 13, 2015

Pursuant to notice made to the newspaper of general circulation throughout Grant County, the radio station, county website, and e-mail distribution list, a regular meeting of the County Court was held at the County Courthouse in Canyon City OR.

9:00 am — Call to Order. Present were Judge Scott W. Myers, Commissioners Chris B. Labhart and Boyd Britton, Secretary Mary Ferrioli, Jim Sproul, Brooks Smith, Kathy Stinnett, Howard Gieger, Kathy Smith, Hap McLeod, Marlene Greer and Gary Jacobson. A Pledge of Allegiance was given to the United States flag. The invocation was given by Commissioner Britton.

AGENDA. MSP: Myers/Britton — to accept the agenda as presented

ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Britton reported on his attendance at the School-Based Health Center grand opening last week. Today he’ll be leaving the meeting at 11:00 am to attend an ODF meeting with George Ponte about Zone 1 lands and fire protection. However, he will be back for the special work session at 1:15 pm. Tomorrow Britton plans to attend a Stock Growers meeting.

Labhart attended a Health Evidence Review Commission meeting in Wilsonville last Thursday and was in Salem Monday for AOC Veterans, Public Lands & Natural Resources and Legislative Committee meetings. Today he will attend an EMS recognition meeting in the ambulance classroom at the hospital this evening and an open house for EOU & BMCC. Thursday Labhart has a TEC Budget meeting in Baker City and will attend a Stock Growers meeting at Keerins Hall in the evening. Friday, Labhart will be at the District Track Meet at the High School and attend a Healthy Together meeting at the Canyon City Community Hall on Monday. Last Saturday he meet with some local citizens to tour roads located within the Elk 16 and Big Mosquito project areas.

Myers talked about regular site meetings he’s been having with General Contractor Joe Prinz and Architect Tim Clem about the elevator project. Cement was poured for the elevator project late yesterday and another pour will be done late today. Last Friday he was in Mt. Vernon to pick up about 30 boxes of Title 3 materials which he relocated to Suites 1 & 2 at the L-Bldg . Tomorrow he meets with Sally Bartlett, Irene Jerome and Kathy Smith to discuss how we can continue to track and submit reports for the County Title 3 program (due to the recent death of Sue Newstetter). Friday he’ll help at the District Track Meet at the High School. Employment Applications were received for the vacant Equipment Operator positions; interviews will be all day Friday, May 22.

MINUTES. MSP: Myers/Labhart — to approve the May 5 minutes

9:10 – Shannon Springer and Mary Weaver entered

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER. The court discussed how to best define the county’s need for a Human Resources Manager. The Budget Committee approved funding for a full time HR Manager position starting July 1, 2015. Myers provided background on the county’s unfilled HR position. He reported that he’s no longer willing to continue taking on this responsibility since neither he, nor Mary, are trained. The County Judge and Court Secretary have been responsible for HR since the County Clerk resigned from those duties last October. Labhart said that after attending CIS training on the “Top 10 Supervisor Mistakes” he is now even more willing to fill the HR position. Assessor Lane Burton suggested the Court Secretary position be revised to include HR responsibilities, since it is a full time position and the individual would be available when needed. Myers felt the job description could be changed to include HR responsibilities along with everything currently in the job description — but how that would work depends on who we can find.

9:25 am – Clerk Brenda Percy and DA Jim Carpenter entered

Some discussion followed about the county’s need for part-time versus full-time HR services, and the idea of contracting with Blue Mountain Hospital. (The hospital has suggested sharing an HR position). Budget considerations were discussed and a suggestion to replace the Court Secretary position early, so adequate time is available for catch-up and training. It was pointed out the county has come too far now to turn back from filling the HR position. Comment was made about a retired HR professional currently available in the community. Myers believes the county needs a strong HR professional that can do other duties, rather than a Secretary that can be sent to HR trainings.

9:30 am – News Reporter Scotta Callister and Larry Blasing entered

Britton believed that Clerk Brenda Percy had been doing a great job fulfilling HR duties. He still feels it was the way to go, if Percy could have the full support of the court. However, Britton did not know if Percy would be willing to take back those responsibilities. Myers and Labhart both said they don’t believe the court turned away from or had not supported Ms. Percy in the past. Britton didn’t think we needed a full time HR position, especially when legal assistance is just a phone call away. Labhart said he has been very concerned about the HR position. He also believes we are obligated to publicly advertise the open position, rather than appointing someone currently on staff. Myers did not have a problem with hiring an HR professional who could also act as Court Secretary, with a training period of a few months. Myers also did not have a problem temporarily contracting for HR if we can come to terms with the hospital or another entity. Although, he added, we would need to have a designated period of time devoted to the county. Concerns were expressed about combining HR duties with elected official duties, adequate compensation for performing these services, and the need to sustain this important function beyond a particular individual’s term of service.

In response to Britton’s inquiry, Public Forest Commissioner Brooks Smith explained how the Malheur NF handles HR services from a regional location. Mr. Smith pointed out that critical issues need to be dealt with right away. And, he added, financial issues are not necessarily a good reason to have remote HR services. Britton felt we could handle HR ourselves, if it is structured correctly and we pick up the phone for legal assistance.

Labhart said he was willing to approach the hospital about sharing HR on a part time basis for now. Myers suggested that HR continue in its present state with the help of CIS until the end of October. At that time Myers would like to begin a hiring and training process to fill the HR / Secretary position. Some discussion followed about melding the HR Manager job with the Court Secretary job and determining the wage placement. Labhart thought it was a good idea and asked for consensus. Britton wanted Labhart to look into the option of contracting a 75-25 split with the hospital. Treasurer Kathy Smith asked Britton for clarification as to why Labhart would ask the hospital for a 75-25 split. Britton thought it would be good to “work two fronts” in case Myers discovers the other option is not feasible. Labhart believed we should let Myers handle the situation as he just suggested. There was consensus to proceed with Myers’ recommendation.

DA Jim Carpenter was asked for his opinion. In reply,Carpenter asked how many times the county has been sued. Myers said, several, but the best HR specialist could not stop the county from being sued.

News Reporter Scotta Callister pointed out the importance of periodic training for department heads, which raises awareness of the issues. She said her newspaper has two staff in Salem dedicated to HR who will quickly go to satellite offices to deal with issues when they develop.

MT. VERNON MASTER PLAN. At the request of the City of Mt. Vernon, the court reviewed and signed a letter of support for Mt. Vernon’s 2015 Local Government Grant Program application to Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to fund a Master Plan that can be used to renovate the City Park. MSP: Britton/Labhart – to sign the letter supporting the Mt. Vernon City Park Master Plan as presented.

COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS. The court reviewed and signed an updated Interagency Collection Service Agreement with Oregon Department of Revenue which outlines the collection services and type of debt assigned by Community Corrections for collection by DOR. MSP: Labhart/Myers – to sign

Contract No. 3175 DOR Interagency Collection Service Agreement.

MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD. The court considered appointing volunteers to fill current vacancies on the Mental Health Advisory Board. Myers explained some previous confusion about the county’s role versus Community Counseling Solutions’ role in recruiting to fill vacancies. Britton suggested waiting on this decision until we can speak with CCS Director Kimberly Lindsay. However, the subject did not get addressed during Ms. Lindsay’s meeting with the court, so it will be re-scheduled for next week.

10:30 am — Kimberly Lindsay, Erin Osgood, Lindsay Maghan, Alex Lindsay (Kimberly’s son) and Jessica Wineger entered

GRANT COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT. Community Counseling Solutions Director Kimberly Lindsay introduced Jessica Wineger who’s replacing Lindsay Maghan as Health Department Manager, and her son Alex who is job shadowing today. Lindsay talked about the WIC Annual Report and the Grant County Health Department’s higher-than-average participation in the WIC program. Information was provided about the School Based Health Center grand opening and a Core Grant that was received for an anti-stigma campaign at the high school. It was also reported that a full time Mental Health Clinician to address prevention/promotion at the high school may be available for two years, if a grant is awarded. Maghan and Lindsay reported on yesterday’s SBHC open house at the high school and identified the types of services provided, as well as who may participate. Maghan talked about the grant awarded to implement the first Teen Health Fair at the high school on May 29. There was discussed about the county’s healthy rankings data and the variety of teen issues that can be addressed through the SBHC.

The 2015-2017 Strategic Plan for the Grant County Health Department was presented for adoption by the court. Erin Osgood reviewed and discussed the plan and noted that it’s a significant step toward accreditation. The document addresses domains to increase health integration and collaboration, increase access to care, improve health, improve care, reduce cost and increase cost effectiveness, expand regional efforts, promote sound health policy, strengthen our organization, and pursue excellence. The strategic planning group, public health accreditation, plan timeline, domain standards were also described. Myers identified a clerical error for correction and the signature page was signed by the court as presented.

11:00 am – Commissioner Britton left to attend a meeting at ODF

Lindsay requested signature on an Agreement with Multnomah Education Service District concerning Medicaid administrative claims processing services from July 2014 through June 2017. The agreement describes MESD’s provision of Medicaid administrative claiming processing services to Grant County, as the Local Health Authority. Lindsay answered the court’s questions about Medicaid billing versus claiming. Labhart said the Budget Committee put additional money into the Health Department. He added that the committee hoped revenue would increase with additional Medicaid Claiming, so General Fund support can decrease. Myers asked to clarify some language through legal counsel review today. MSP: Labhart/ Myers — to authorize Judge Myers to sign the Agreement with Multnomah Education Service District for Medicaid administrative claims processing services after receiving legal counsel’s blessing. Discussions followed about items in the attached By-Laws that need to be more accurate and the financial benefit available to the Health Department through this agreement.

11:15 am — Kim Hilton entered

HERMAN FINANCIAL. Herman Financial Services consultant Kim Hilton met with the court to discuss health insurance renewal rates for this year to provide coverage for 70 regular employees. She presented a MODA Health rate comparison spreadsheet showing last year’s rates and the average rate increase proposed at 6.29% for the current medical/dental/vision plan. Hilton talked about the possible impact of moving to another company and said she was comfortable bringing this no-bid proposal to the court this year. She recommended staying the course with our past history in MODA rather than switching to another company. Hilton provided information on the county’s claims, future impacts of the Affordable Care Act, and re-grouping to a new pool next year. MSP: Myers/Labhart — to accept Ms. Hilton’s recommendation to stay with MODA at these rates and take our chance next year with the competitive process.

PUBLIC COMMENT. Jim Sproul, Public Forest Commissioners Brooks Smith and Larry Blasing, and Commissioner Labhart talked about the 9-hour tour they took last Saturday to look at roads proposed for decommissioning. Labhart explained that travel analysis reports were available, except for three that will be available today. He noted that, among the group, Larry Blasing has standing. The condition of Deep Creek Road was discussed and the historic status and the access it provides. Big Creek Road was also addressed. General discussion took place about the types of Forest Service informational documents that are available to the public. Other topics were discussed associated with road access, road maintenance, and other natural resource management issues. Labhart pointed out the court needs to make a decision on Elk 16 and Big Mosquito comments by Friday, May 15. Sproul noted the objection period on the Wolf Project closes at the end of the month. He said the Forest Service is meeting with the Harney County Restoration Collaborative about the Wolf Project on May 19.

12:00 pm — Recess for lunch. The meeting reconvened at 1:15 pm with all court members, the Court Secretary, Treasurer Kathy Smith, Sheriff Glenn Palmer, JP Kathy Stinnett, Extension District Director Shanna Northway, Economic Development Coordinator Sally Bartlett, Shannon Springer (representing Planning Director Hilary McNary), Road Master Alan Hickerson, Community Corrections Director Dean Hoodenpyl, DA Jim Carpenter and office staff Cleo McCluskey and Ashley Mc Clay, Senior Programs Manager Veanne Weddle, Fair Manager Mary Weaver, Librarian Vicki Waters, Assessor Lane Burton, Airport Manager Patrick Bentz and Clerk Brenda Percy present.

SPECIAL WORK SESSION. The court held a special work session to discuss re-implementing regular management training sessions for department heads and elected officials. The county officials identified above were present to participate in the session. Myers provided background on the county’s past practice of holding mandatory management training twice a year. Burton voiced support of having CIS management classes, perhaps shared with cities / other public agencies. Labhart remarked on a national conference he recently attended where it was believed the term “accountability” was pertinent to everyone’s job. Myers brought up annual performance evaluations and suggested there may be training available to make that process more complete. Sally Bartlett felt that Department Head evaluations would and should be done differently than departmental staff evaluations. She felt there may be a software program for this process. Bartlett saw county government as being in a unique situation with the variety of department heads, etc. Jim Carpenter believed it would be interesting to hear from someone who has expertise in the area of performance evaluation. He suggested we use today to set dates (possibly March & September), to start the process of providing training on a variety of important topics. Kathy Smith suggested Tuesday and Thursday as the best day of the week, in the middle of the month. Glenn Palmer pointed out that he and Community Corrections have a different procedure with regard to discipline. Discussion took place on the benefit of having on site group training versus individual webinar training. Shannon Springer said Hilary McNary wanted to point out that training including employees as well as managers is important so everyone has access to the same information. The idea of a 3-4 hour training scheduled well in advance, held twice yearly was suggested. Myers suggested that attendees’ preferences as to dates / times be submitted by email to the County Court office. Kathy Smith asked, if the goal of training is to reduce liability, how would the court encourage compliance with mandatory trainings? In the past the consequence for missing mandatory training was loss of the annual COLA. Britton talked about the opportunity managers would have to attend the same training topic at another location – if a mandatory training date is missed. Sally Bartlett encouraged the court to do whatever is needed to communicate their training expectations to hired department heads. It was generally believed that trainings on ethics, sexual harassment, discipline, and hiring & firing are important and pertinent to all departments. Scheduling the same training topic two times per year was felt to be a good way to encourage attendance.

Myers reported on the court’s earlier discussion about filling the HR Manager position by combining the current job descriptions for HR Manager and County Court Secretary.

2:10 am — Adjourned

Respectfully Submitted,

Mary R. Ferrioli

County Court Secretary