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2004-955-Minutes for Meeting June 21,2004 Recorded 7/7/2004DESCH TES COUNTY OFFICIAL UBLANKENSHIP, COUNTY CLERK OS y� 1004'9ug NANCY COMMISSIONERS' JOURNAL 01/01/2004 09:58:24 AM 2004-9SS DESCHUTES COUNTY CLERK CERTIFICATE PAGE This page must be included if document is re-recorded. Do Not remove from original document. Deschutes County Board of Commissioners 1300 NW Wall St., Bend, OR 97701-1947 (541) 388-6570 - Fax (541) 388-4752 - www.deschutes.ory, MINUTES OF MEETING DEPARTMENT HEADS & BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MONDAY, JUNE 219 2004 Main Conference Room - Administration Building - 1300 NW Wall St., Bend Present were Commissioners Dennis R. Luke, Michael M. Daly and Tom De Wolf. Also present were Mike Maier, County Administrator; Susan Ross, Joe Stutler, David Givans and Anna Johnson, Commissioners' Office; Pat Ross, Veterans' Services; Mike Viegas, Risk Management; Mark Pilliod, Legal Counsel; and Darryl Nakahira, District Attorney's Office. Also in attendance were George Kolb, Road Department; Marty Wynne, Finance; Scot Langton, Assessor; Renee Warner, Building Services; Dan Despotopulos and Kathy Herringer, Fair & Expo Center; Gary Smith, Mental Health; and Dave Peterson, Information Technology. Also present were Gary Schrader and Laura Wolfe, 9-1-1; Becky (Jackson) Wanless, Parole & Probation; Debbie Legg, Personnel; Dan Peddycord, Health; Jeff Kern, Surveyor; Tom Anderson, Community Development; Jenny Scanlon, Juvenile Community Justice; and Nancy Blankenship, Clerk. Also attending were Tim Edwards, Sheriffs Office; Robin Marshall, Commission on Children & Families; Chuck Fadeley, Justice Court; and media representatives Chris Barker of the Bulletin and Matt Preusch of the Oregonian. No other citizens were present. The meeting began at 12:05 Am. 1. Introductions. The attendees introduced themselves, including Joe Stutler, the new Forestry Specialist, and Laura Wolfe, the new Director of 9-1-1. Minutes of BOCC/Department Heads Meeting Monday, June 21, 2004 Page 1 of 8 Pages 2. Update of County Building Projects. Susan Ross gave a brief overview of the various building projects now underway. She explained that the old Administration building will soon be occupied by the Commission on Children & Families, the United Way, the Family Resource Center, and the child care center. Risk Management will remain in the building. The child care center will move into the area previously used by Personnel. It will accommodate between 35 and 50 children; the age of the children could include those from age 12 weeks to pre -kindergarten. An outside play area is required, which will take up some of the area between the old Administration building and the Community Development building; and a block wall will be installed for safety purposes. It is anticipated that the program will begin no later than the first part of January. A request for proposals was advertised, and two bids - from Munchkin Manor and Tiny Tots - were returned. Interviews will take place in a week. The selection committee consists of Ms. Ross, two State employees, Angie Curtis from the Commission on Children & Families, and Tana West of the Assessor's Office. The exact fees are not known at this time; however, there should be a $50 to $75 reduction in monthly fees since the County is subsidizing the space and utilities. The priority for enrollment allows all County employees the first choice, then the State offices in the County/State building, and any remaining vacancies will be opened to the public. In regard to the Courthouse/Justice Center project, Ms. Ross stressed that there will be parking and noise issues during construction. The temporary entrance will be in the back of the building, with a temporary security station. It is hoped work on the project will begin in early July. Ms. Ross explained that the new County/State building includes state of the art audio-visual equipment, which is now being installed. The panels separating the three sections of the main conference room are highly rated to keep noise down when there is more than one meeting taking place. The sound system being installed can be used together or separately in all three sections. All three sections will provide the ability to record meetings, with the podiums in each section featuring built-in digital recorders. The built-in projector and screen are contained in the first section. Minutes of BOCC/Department Heads Meeting Monday, June 21, 2004 Page 2 of 8 Pages The new system will enable employees to "listen in" on meetings through the intranet. Eventually it may be possible to take testimony remotely as well. Commissioner Luke stated that coordinating this project has been a challenging one, and complimented Ms. Ross on her good work. 3. Update of Union Negotiations. Debbie Legg stated that the 9-1-1 Union Agreement has been mediated and a final agreement drafted, but the members still need to vote and the Board will need to adopt it. There are two years remaining in both the Sheriff s Union agreement and the AFSCME agreement. In regard to the 701 Union agreement, the employee turnout was low and it was voted down. A meeting will take place later in the week to further discuss this issue. Mike Maier added that all of the agreements feature identical health benefits. 4. Status of the Formation of Sheriffs Permanent Funding Advisory Committee. Tom DeWolf advised that twenty-two applications were received from some very qualified citizens. This will be narrowed down to eleven or thirteen by the selection group within a few days. The new committee will be provided with an overview of the operation and responsibilities of the Sheriff s Office, and some history of the financial aspects will be given by Marty Wynne of Finance. The primary issue for the committee to address is to determine how the Sheriff s Office should be funded, and the goal is to come up with recommendations within approximately six months. 5. Overview of the Department of Justice's Americans with Disabilities Act Inspection and Report. Mike Viegas said that three representatives of the DOJ took five days to inspect County facilities. Although the inspection was voluntary and was to be of an informational nature, the DOJ came up with a long list of requirements for the County to institute, with the work to be done within a three-year period. Minutes of BOCC/Department Heads Meeting Monday, June 21, 2004 Page 3 of 8 Pages A breakdown of what is needed in specific buildings has been provided to departments. Although many of the requirements will be simple to fix - i.e. installing or relocating signage, or installing additional walkway handrails - some of the items on the list will require a lot of work and will be costly to complete. Many of the requirements have to do with the restrooms, and could be issues such as some of the toilets being off 1/2 inch from the wall, probably due to the sheet rock. Anything having to do with plumbing can be very expensive to change. Mr. Viegas added that he is working on a list that details a timeline and cost to make the required changes. The Commissioners and others have been discussing whether there is any recourse - especially in regard to newer buildings - with the builder, the contractor, the inspectors or others. Commissioner Luke noted that agencies don't always agree on what is appropriate in a building; for instance, a local advocacy group for handicapped individuals, CORIL, may say that something is build properly, but the federal government may not agree. Some of the requirements can be interpreted in different ways. He added that he wants to see Risk Management involved in the planning process involving new or remodeled County buildings. Mark Pilliod stated that the County has no choice but to have the changes made; the only other way to handle it is to enter into a federal lawsuit, which is very expensive and could result in the County having to do the work anyway. Mr. Viegas noted that the City of Bend was also subject to the DOJ inspection process and had a number of violations as well. However, the County was hit hardest because of the high number of buildings it owns. 6. Department Updates. 9-1-1 Gary Schrader, Interim Director, said that a new phone system has been installed and they are working out a few problems with it. The County -wide paging system will be implemented soon and is expected to save responders a substantial amount of money. Mr. Schrader leaves his position this week. The new Director, Laura Wolfe, stated that she was the director of the Corvallis 9-1-1 district for twenty-three years, and was with Salem before then. Minutes of BOCC/Department Heads Meeting Monday, June 21, 2004 Page 4 of 8 Pages Forestry Specialist Joe Studer gave an overview of his past experience, which included thirty-five years with the U.S. Forest Service, much of which was in fire operations management. He will be working with other agencies to coordinate wildfire management in the region. Personnel Debbie Legg said her department is busy implementing changes brought on by union contracts. She reminded everyone that his or her Manley accounts must be used before August 1. Parole & Probation Becky Wanless (formerly Jackson) stated that her department is recruiting two supervisors at this time. Elaine Mikkelborg, a long-time employee, is retiring the end of June. She said that her department is glad to be going back to a 40 - hour work week. She added that on July 6 the transitional housing dorm, which is very much needed, will open. Fairgrounds & Expo Center Dan Despotopulos said that they are having a very busy summer, especially with the upcoming annual Fair and the Family Motor Coach Association convention. Information Technology Dave Peterson stated that the various moves went very smoothly, with minimal interruption of services. He added that the new I.T. space includes a training room, which will be available in August. Joe Sadony said that he is still working on contract for the City of Redmond, and next year will be involved in evaluating the City's financial systems, as they are trying to decide whether to upgrade or replace equipment. Health Department Dan Peddycord explained that if there is going to be a problem in Central Oregon with West Nile virus, it will be apparent by mid-July or August. Some of the local high lakes are experiencing problems with toxic blue-green algae, and the Forest Service has put out advisories; this situation is being monitored. He added that his department will return to a 40 -hour work week beginning in July. Minutes of BOCC/Department Heads Meeting Monday, June 21, 2004 Page 5 of 8 Pages Building Services Renee Warner said that her group will be moving the Clerk on the weekend. This is the last of the moves for now, and everything seemed to go well. She thanked everyone for their patience, especially since some of the routine work has been delayed while the moves took place. She said it would be appropriate for small work orders to be submitted at this time, and the crew will take care of them as quickly as possible. Assessor's Office Scot Langton stated that I.T. and Building Services did a good job in relocating his department. Finance/Tax Department Marty Wynne indicated that this is a busy time of the year for his department because of fiscal year-end items. Road Department George Kolb said that it is also a busy time of the year for his department, with overlays and road maintenance taking place. He added that the Road Department building remodel is not in process. District Attorney's Office Darryl Nakahira stated that they have a new attorney joining them on July 6, and they are currently seeking a Juvenile referee. Commission on Children & Families Robin Marshall explained that they would be moving into the old Administration building in late July. They recently began administering 26 grants that are effective July 1. Sheriff s Office Tim Edwards said that everyone was relieved when the Sheriff s levy passed, and they look forward to the new committee coming up with ideas for alternative, permanent funding. He added that they also finished the accreditation process, which was a major project. Legal Counsel Mark Pilliod stated that his department is reviewing a lot of the end of fiscal year work generated by departments, as well as other items such as the Knott landfill hearing and other land use issues. Minutes of BOCC/Department Heads Meeting Monday, June 21, 2004 Page 6 of 8 Pages Mental Health Department Gary Smith said that interviews for a person to take his position as Director are taking place. His department is also interviewing for a quality improvement specialist. The Crisis Resolution Center project is progressing more slowly than was hoped, but should open right after the first of the year. His department is also doing outreach for the homeless community through a grant. Juvenile Community Justice Jenny Scanlon said that Trillium is moving in; they will provide 12 beds for children ages 8 to 16 years, and will be using a modular building .for a school and offices. The children involved are mentally disturbed, but not delinquent. Communi . Development Tom Anderson explained that they are cautiously optimistic about Director George Read's recovery from his stroke. He has been visiting the department and is showing clear progress. This is a busy time of the year for the department, as building continues to be strong. The New Neighborhood in La Pine is coming together well, and it is expected that homes will be made available soon. Clerk's Office Nancy Blankenship said that the May election has been finalized, and her department is dealing with end of the year items. Shelving has been installed in the archive area of the warehouse. Justice Court Charles Fadeley indicated that he is very busy, as the volume of cases keeps increasing. Risk Management Mike Viegas reminded everyone that at this point it appears his department will remain in the old Administration building. Veterans' Services Pat Ross said that everything is going well in her department, but they are dealing with more veterans all the time. There are 15,000 veterans in the area, and she has 2,600 active files. Internal Auditor David Givans stated that one of his current projects is analyzing the self- insured health plan. He is also setting priorities for next year's work. Minutes of BOCC/Department Heads Meeting Monday, June 21, 2004 Page 7 of 8 Pages Surveyor Jeff Kern said that Deschutes County had the largest number of new subdivisions in the state for the fifth year in a row. His department is now working on the proposed transit district and city base stations. Communications Coordinator Anna Johnson explained that she is busy now with marketing the annual Fair, and with handling various Board and County projects, employee training and West Nile virus awareness. Being no further items discussed, the meeting ended at 1:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 1 r M1MIt ,►i Bonnie Baker Recording Secretary Minutes of BOCC/Department Heads Meeting Monday, June 21, 2004 Page 8 of 8 Pages