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2003-785-Minutes for Meeting April 16,2003 Recorded 4/24/2003DESCHUTES COUNTY OFFICIAL RECORDS NANCY BLANKENSHIP, COUNTY CLERK �� 2003'1E5 COMMISSIONERS' JOURNAL 04/24/2003 11:47:19 AM IIIIIIIIIiiiiiIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 2003-0 DESCHUTES COUNTY CLERK CERTIFICATE PAGE This page must be included if document is re-recorded. Do Not remove from original document. 0-T ESC,' Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1130 NW Harriman St., Bend, OR 97701-1947 (541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 388-4752 - www.deschutes.org MINUTES OF MEETING BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS & DEPARTMENT HEADS Noon, Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Present were Commissioners Dennis R. Luke, Tom De Wolf and Michael M. Daly. Also present were County Administrator Mike Maier; Dan Despotopulos and Kathy Herringer, Fair & Expo Center; Renee Warner, Building Services; Tammy Credicott, Property Management; Tom Blust, Road Department; Timm Schimke, Solid Waste Department; Scot Langton, Assessor; Mark Amberg and Rick Isham, Legal Counsel; Becky Jackson and Deborah Feffer, Parole & Probation Department; Mike Dugan, District Attorney; Debbie Legg and Sandy Humphreys, Personnel; and Dave Malkin, Director of 9-1-1. Also in attendance were Jeff Kern, Surveyor; George Read and Tom Anderson, Community Development; Scott Johnson and Debi Harr, Commission on Children & Families; Marty Wynne, Finance Department; Nancy Blankenship, Clerk; Mike Viegas, Risk Management; Pat Ross, Veterans' Services; Anna Johnson and Susan Ross, Commissioners' Office; Jenny Scanlon, Juvenile Community Justice; Gary Smith, Mental Health Department; Les Stiles, Sheriff; Dan Peddycord, Health Department; and Joe Sadony and Bob Haas, Information Technologies. No members of the media or other citizens were present. Commissioner Luke opened the meeting at 1: 00 p.m. 1. Introductions. The attendees introduced themselves at this time. Minutes of Meeting Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Commissioners & Department Heads Page 1 of 8 Pages 2. Discussion of "Help America Vote Act" Public Hearing at COCC. Nancy Blankenship gave a brief summary of the "Help America Vote Act", and invited everyone to attend a hearing scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at Central Oregon Community College, at which time representatives of the Secretary of State's Office will take testimony. This testimony will then be submitted to the federal government. The Act includes details regarding the proposed statewide centralized voter registration program; and it would also assist the three Oregon counties that still use punch cards in switching to a more appropriate system. Rick Isham asked if the problem of people not voting, which in essence results in "no" votes that cancel out the votes of those people who took the time to vote, would be addressed. Ms. Blankenship said she didn't think it would be dealt with at this time, but may be tackled in the future. 3. Update regarding Archives Facility and Public Records Retention. Susan Ross stated that the recent workshops given by a representative of the State Archivist's Office were well attended and very informative. Ms. Ross then gave a brief overview of the archiving system proposed by the State Archivist for the County's new archives facility, which includes the utilization of a retention schedule. For security and risk management purposes, one or two County designees would be handling the tracking and storage of archived boxes. Departments would be able to get a box out of storage with 24-hour turnaround. At this time a document was distributed to the attendees that detailed some of the main recommendations of the State Archivist, along with a sample combination tracking form and box label. The same information was e-mailed to department heads and staff. Nancy Blankenship added that there will be a lot of work required of departments up front to properly set up the system, but it will be a real time saver later. It will also enhance security of documents and will address the need for the timely destruction of documents that are not considered permanent. Minutes of Meeting Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Commissioners & Department Heads Page 2 of 8 Pages Ms. Ross said that once the details are worked out, the person who will be helping to set up the system will work with the various departments to assist them in reviewing their stored documents and in properly preparing the documents that should be retained. 4. Update of County Building Projects. Susan Ross then explained the progress being made on the new and remodeled County building projects. She said the warehouse/archives/Information Technologies building is the first priority since the old warehouse building still needs to be demolished. It is hoped that interim storage won't become necessary. It should be completed by January or February 2004. Access will be off Vermont Avenue, since access off Lafayette won't be possible. The old Kidnastics building is being emptied, and will soon be demolished so that work can be done on the parking lot. Ms. Ross stated that the City was helpful with obtaining the proper street vacations for the overall project. She added that it's very possible that the easement road that runs between the west side of the Parkway and the veterinarian's office on Olney may become a right -in, right -out access to the new County/State building's parking lot. This would help relieve some of the congestion that may occur on Wall Street. She then explained that the Courthouse remodel is by far the most difficult project, due to its age and the remodeling that has already been done over the years. It is expected that six new courtrooms will be required within the next twenty years, so the remodeling will be done with that in mind. An addition will be done to the front of the justice building, two courtrooms at a time, as this is the most logical and cost-effective approach to the problem. She reported that the La Pine facility is on hold until some environmental issues relating to the Midstate Electric Cooperative building are addressed. At this time, she passed around some sketches of the proposed new warehouse building and the Courthouse remodel project. Minutes of Meeting Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Commissioners & Department Heads Page 3 of 8 Pages 5. Budget Update. Commissioner Daly told the group that budget information has been gathered together, and will be analyzed over the next couple of weeks. 6. Discussion regarding Employee Privacy Notices Summary. Mike Viegas explained that HIPAA requirements apply to most County departments because of the County's self-funded health insurance program, which affects all employees. Training has been provided to those departments who deal heavily with employee files and County clients, and generate the most paperwork that relates to HIPAA. Those departments have a privacy coordinator; they report to Mr. Viegas, the privacy officer. Any departments that are too small to have a privacy coordinator would deal directly with Mr. Viegas. Mr. Viegas stated that employees and clients have specific rights in regard to accessing, inspecting, copying and amending information. Mark Amberg added that there can be heavy civil fines involved if information is improperly disclosed. Since they are already more stringent than HIPAA, workers comp cases are excluded from these requirements. Veterans' Services are covered under other Federal and State regulations. Jenny Scanlon asked if there are specific forms to utilize in this regard. Mr. Viegas replied that the County used to have one release to cover all issues, but these have now been made into separate forms. 7. Discussion regarding County Participation in Annual Senior Fair & Health Expo. Bonnie Baker reminded departments that they are invited to share a booth at the annual Senior and Health Expo that takes place at the Fairgrounds on June 11. Several departments have signed up, and others are welcome to join in sharing the booth; or they can provide appropriate literature to be displayed. There is no cost to the departments to participate in this event. Minutes of Meeting Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Commissioners & Department Heads Page 4 of 8 Pages 8. County Communications Coordinator Projects. Ms. Johnson asked the group to provide information of general interest for the next employee newsletter. 9. Update on County Training Program. Ms. Johnson said that a training schedule and matrix was recently sent out by Ken Harms for employees to review. At this time the Training Committee is previewing possible classes for the timeframe of July through September. Commissioner Luke added that it has been proposed that orientation training be conducted twice a month, on the first working day of the month and mid -month, and any newly -hired employee will not be allowed to report to his or her job until the orientation required for his or her position has been completed. Mark Amberg added that from a risk management standpoint, if a person has not received the proper orientation or training, there is a big liability to the County if this person acts improperly. It is possible that volunteers will also need to complete some portions of the orientation program. 10. Discussion of Cellular Phone Programs and Usage. Mike Maier explained that the County spends about $100,000 per year for the use of 400 or so cellular phones. He added that probably 25% of these phones are seldom used. The contract the County had with Cellular One has expired, and it is a good time to analyze how the cellular phones are utilized. Much has changed since the contract began, and there are many different plans available today that can be customized according to the user's needs. One idea that is being considered is granting a stipend of between $10 and $20 per month to those employees who need to have a County cellular phone. In this way the employees could select plans that fit their needs. Minutes of Meeting Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Commissioners & Department Heads Page 5 of 8 Pages He added that he realizes this would not fit the requirements of some employees, such as the Sheriffs deputies and others, but would likely handle the needs of most users. In this way they might also be able to retire a second, personal phone, or could get a plan that provides extra phones for family members. Many agencies have now gone to providing a stipend to reduce the voluminous amount of paperwork involved in tracking cellular phone use. Renee Warner said that this discussion is not meant to insinuate abuses of the system exist; but it is very complicated and takes a lot of staff time to handle the documentation each month. Also, it was suggested that some departments could share a cellular phone, which could be signed out for specific reasons, such as when employees need to take a work-related trip. Commissioner DeWolf suggested that those people who are high users should be handled separately; he also asked for assurances that going to a stipend program would not be a problem in regard to media requests for records. 11. Department Update. ■ Sandy Humphreys introduced a new walking program that kicks off on May 15, which is National Employee Health and Fitness Day. This would involve either time walks or the use of pedometers; and the program is geared toward beginners. There will be a four-week promotion, which leads into a larger program that highlights about forty different types of activities. ■ Scott Johnson said he has been heavily involved with tracking the legislative process in Salem, and is trying to stay informed regarding the various program cuts and proposals now being addressed by the legislature. As an aside, he added that every time someone mentions that perhaps the State could go to a four-day work week, without fail the subject gets changed very quickly. ■ Commissioner Daly said that the Association of Oregon Counties has taken no position on the State's actions at this point. Commissioner Luke commented that it probably doesn't matter to the State what the AOC thinks. Minutes of Meeting Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Commissioners & Department Heads Page 6 of 8 Pages Gary Smith explained that he unfortunately had to give sixteen people notice of a possible layoff, and given the current situation with the State there could unfortunately be more. Other departments that rely heavily on State funding have had to take similar actions. Mike Maier stated that negotiations with the 701 Union employees have concluded, with agreement being reached on a salary freeze plus a 20% allowance in health insurance. He said that negotiations with the AFSCME and Sheriffs unions are ongoing, but should be concluded soon. ■ Mike Dugan said that the Governor's budget was found to be too ambitious, and that at least an additional $1.3 billion will need to be cut. The Chief Justice and others have been meeting to determine the Courts' position. The Courts intend to go back to a five-day work week on July 1, with full staff; but at this time it is unknown if this will actually take place. It is likely that the Courts will eliminate positions by not filling vacancies as they occur. He added that they will not be processing certain types of cases, such as small claims, property -only divorces, some post -sentencing convictions, and so on. Also, indigent defense wants $172 million, which is more than last year's $150 million, and which was more than previous years. Sheriff Stiles explained that Multnomah County joined with the Oregon District Attorney's Association and others in a suit, alleging constitutional violations of Sixth Amendment rights (equal protection under the law). It is unknown how this issue will conclude. 12. Other Items. None were offered. Being no further items brought before the group, the meeting adjourned at 1: OS p. m. Minutes of Meeting Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Commissioners & Department Heads Page 7 of 8 Pages DATED this 16th Day of April 2003 for the Deschutes County Board of Commissioners. ATTEST: bntt�i Recording Secretary Minutes of Meeting Commissioners & Department Heads Dennis R. Luke, Chair Tom DeWolf, Commissioner Mi ael M. Daly, ommissioner Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Page 8 of 8 Pages