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2001-852-Minutes for Meeting October 15,2001 Recorded 11/14/2001MARYSUE DESCHSPENNOLLOW, COUNTY COUNTY OFFICIAL ES Ind 2001'852 COMMISSIONERS' JOURNAL 11/14/200101:21:36 PM A* Board of Commissioners 1130 N.W. Harriman St., Bend, Oregon 97701-1947 (541) 388-6570 • Fax (541) 388-4752 www.deschutes.org Tom De Wolf Dennis R. Luke Mike Daly MINUTES OF MEETING THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND DEPARTMENT HEADS MONDAY, OCTOBER 159 2001 Present were County Commissioners Tom De Wolf, Dennis R. Luke and Michael M. Daly. Also present were Mike Maier, County Administrator, Scot Langton, Assessor; Dave Peterson, Information Technologies; Clint Jacks, Extension/4-11; Chad Centola, Solid Waste; Tom Blust and Dennis Morris, Road; Dan Peddycord, Health; Pat Ross, Veterans' Services; Scott Johnson, Commission on Children & Families; Marty Wynne, Finance; and Rick Isham and Mark Amberg, Legal Counsel. Also attending were Susie Penhollow, County Clerk; Mike Dugan, District Attorney; Mike Viegas and Judy Sumners, Risk Management; Kelley Jacobs, Juvenile Justice; Dave Malkin, 9-1-1, George Read, Community Development; Kathy Herringer and Dan Despotopulos, Fairgrounds and Expo Center; Les Stiles, Sheriff; Renee Warner, Building Services; Debbie Legg, Personnel; Gary Smith, Mental Health; and Jenny Scanlon, Communications. (Not present: Steve Forte, Justice Court; Susan Mayea Ross, Commissioners' Office; and Jeff Kern, Surveyor.) The meeting began at approximately 12:00 noon. It began with the announcement of the birthdays of two of the attendees, Mike Daly and Judy Sumners. Minutes of Meeting Page 1 of 5 Pages Board of County Commissioners and Department Heads Monday, October 15, 2001 Quality Services Performed with Pride 1. Mail Handling Guidelines - Tom DeWolf. Commissioner DeWolf passed out an information sheet (copy attached) detailing how the mail should be handled, in light of recent terrorist activities and reports of anthrax being spread through the mail. He said he does not want to create any sense of panic, since it is highly unlikely that Deschutes County would be targeted; however, he does want employees to use common sense in their daily activities, including the opening of the mail. He further said there could be local individuals who might do some things to cause the County problems, such as sending baking soda through the mail just as a hoax. He explained that the Board isn't dictating what departments need to do, but suggested that at this point that all departments take appropriate precautions to protect employees. Sheriff Les Stiles stated that there is only one laboratory, located in Portland, which can analyze questionable items. Dan Peddycord explained that he thinks the lab is able to turn around results within a day or two. Sheriff Stiles said that a process is in place for whom to notify under specific circumstances. (There was then a general discussion about what constitutes a suspicious piece of mail or package and what process to follow; how anthrax is spread; other potential biological threats; OSHA guidelines in this regard; and how to deal with calls from citizens when they have a concern about a package or the County's emergency procedures.) 2. Discussion of Changes to the Agenda Request Form - Tom DeWolf. Commissioner DeWolf distributed draft copies of the revised agenda request form. He asked for departments' help in getting to a point where the description of the agenda item is clear enough for the average person to understand. He'd like to see the "who, what, where, when and why" of the item, briefly described, either on the agenda form or as a short attachment, along with the department's recommendation. The Board does not want to have to read through a huge contract to find out the necessary details. This will help everyone to save time, especially in regard to items that may seem routine to the department but could be very unfamiliar to the Commissioners. Minutes of Meeting Page 2 of 5 Pages Board of County Commissioners and Department Heads Monday, October 15, 2001 Commissioner Luke said that in some instances, he will want to see a copy of the contract itself. This will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Rick Isham passed out a list of procedures on how to handle contracts (copy attached), and explained the reasoning behind the procedures. A general discussing occurred regarding independent contractor status, waivers of insurance requirements, when Finance should be notified of a contract or of a change in a contract, and so on. 3. Overview of the New "Deschutes County Community Plan" and Executive Summary - Scott Johnson. Scott Johnson passed out copies of the new Community Plan, which in essence relates to social issues and livability in the community. He said the social and livability issues start with everyone as individuals, which is why he is asking for those in the meeting to review the Plan. There are a variety of ways that people, as individuals and as part of an organization, can help work on the community's social issues. The Legislature requires that this Plan is produced; and this is the Commission on Children and Families' third effort since 1990. He then read past excerpts from the Plan, and explained how some of the issues had been addressed since then, such as the KIDS Center, the Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and other agencies. This serves to show that perhaps ten years from now, many of the needs of the community will have been addressed. The Plan will be on the County website, and meetings are being planned to bring the issues detailed in the Plan to the attention of the community. 4. Discussion regarding the Purchase of Fleet Vehicles - Dennis Morris. Dennis Morris stated that in March the fleet manager for the County retired, so the fleet division is now his responsibility. If departments (other than the Sheriffs Office) are looking for vehicles or have any problems with vehicles at all, he should be contacted. He said the State is the hold up on the purchase of fleet vehicles; they indicated they would have the specs on new fleet vehicles within a week or two. Minutes of Meeting Page 3 of 5 Pages Board of County Commissioners and Department Heads Monday, October 15, 2001 5. Discussion regarding Winter Tires for County Vehicles - Dennis Morris. Dennis Morris reminded the group that the studded tire season starts on November 1 and goes to April. A 1993 study done by ODOT states that studded tires cause $42 million a year in road damage, with $18.2 million of that being on county roads. It's an emotional debate, but he isn't advocating one way over the other. He asked that the group think about just putting studded tires on the vehicles that are most likely to need them. He then explained the additional expenses involved with the use of studded tires. 6. Update of United Way Campaign - Jenny Scanlon. Jenny Scanlon explained that she has made visits to almost every group in every department, giving approximately 43 presentations. At this point 49 employees have donated to United Way, for a total of just over $7,000, which is about half of what was collected last year, and about one-third of the amount of the year before that one. She's hoping that the donations will pick up in the next couple of weeks. Dan Peddycord encouraged any charitable giving, which is important right now. There is a concern that there will be a drop off of donations to a lot of charities for a variety of reasons, which will affect local services. This is compounded by a legislative emergency session and possible state funding cutbacks, plus a slower economy in general. 7. Bulletin Insert - Story Ideas - Jenny Scanlon. Jenny Scanlon stated that the County is going to do an insert in the Bulletin newspaper, highlighting things that are going on within departments. She asked that everyone give it some thought and pass on any ideas to her. Other Items. 8. Department Head Survey - Mike Maier Commissioner DeWolf told the audience that a survey is being sent out to department heads and supervisory staff just below the department heads to get feedback on these individuals' satisfaction with their job, with the County, and specifically with the Board of Commissioners. Minutes of Meeting Page 4 of 5 Pages Board of County Commissioners and Department Heads Monday, October 15, 2001 Mike Maier said that it is a fairly detailed questionnaire, which is administered by an outside firm. It will be completely confidential so that those answering the questionnaire can be absolutely candid. The questionnaires are mailed directly to the outside firm and the compiled results are presented to the Board. He said that one of the questions is whether the same type of questionnaire should be done to evaluate support services, such as Personnel, Risk Management, Legal Counsel, and so on. Commissioner DeWolf said it is the Board's hope that the results of the survey will show the areas that the Board can do better, and the department heads' and supervisors' perceptions will help a lot in that regard. The Board wishes to learn its strengths and weaknesses in general, through the conclusions reached by the survey. 9. Purchase of Computer Equipment - Dave Peterson Dave Peterson asked that before departments purchase computer equipment, they should contact Information Technologies to make sure the equipment they are considering will be compatible with County systems. This can save unnecessary expenditures and time spent trying to get the equipment to work properly. Commissioner DeWolf explained also that the computer usage policy that has been discussed recently is being revised by Laurie Craghead to incorporate various suggestions, and should be ready for consideration again in the near future. Being no further items brought up at this time, the meeting concluded at approximately 1:15 p. m. Note: These minutes were compiled from audiotapes, as the Recording Secretary was not present at the meeting. Respectfully submitted, Bonnie Baker Recording Secretary Attached: Mail Handling Information Contract Guidelines Minutes of Meeting Page 5 of 5 Pages Board of County Commissioners and Department Heads Monday, October 15, 2001 SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE GUIDELINES Here is the process in the event of a suspicious package is delivered: • With any suspicious package: Call 911. Do not open it. Do not shake it. First responders must be notified (i.e. fire, police, EMS). These first responders will then evaluate the risk and will notify additional agencies that may need to be involved (i.e. HAZMAT, FBI). The FBI has jurisdiction for bioterrorism response but also recognizes the need to conduct epidemiologic investigations, define at -risk groups, and rapidly implement potentially life-saving medical and public health responses. • Law enforcement personnel should coordinate a risk assessment for those persons involved in the incident. State and local health department officials and persons with expertise in these areas also should be involved in the decision-making process. • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can also be reached at their 24-hour emergency system at 770-488-7100 for contacting of appropriate persons — law enforcement and state health officials. • The FBI will coordinate the collection of evidence and will deliver materials to an FBI laboratory for testing, after consulting with the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory in Portland at 503-229-5882 or the on-call epidemiologist at 503-731-4020. • Decisions for decontamination and initiation of antibiotic prophylaxis should be made by local and state health officials. In most circumstances, the decision to initiate prophylaxis can be delayed until the presence or absence of the organism is determined (i.e. anthrax). Taking Precautions in OneninE the Mail We do not want to create an atmosphere of fear at Deschutes County. We do want to make sure that we always have a safe atmosphere. In order to take a few simple precautions, we recommend that the person who opens the mail in each department office do so while wearing latex "hospital" gloves and a face mask (the type painters use). This person should also have a plastic bag nearby that can be sealed. If any suspicious mail arrives, do not open it. It should be placed immediately in the plastic bag. 9-1-1 should be called who will notify the Redmond Hazardous Materials team. All staff in the building should be kept away, but they cannot be allowed to leave until police, fire and/or "hazmat" can interview each person and take swabs if necessary. These precautions are currently being taken by the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. Here are a few simple ways to recognize suspicious mail: • Lopsided or bulky • Strange odor • Badly typed or written • Excessive postage or mailed from a foreign country • No return address • Addressed to Title Only, or to incorrect Title of recipient • Excessive wrapping, string or tape • Oily stains, discolorations or crystallization on wrapper BASIC COUNTY CONTRACT PRINCIPALS 1. All contracts (this includes amendments to contracts) must be in writing. 2. No work can be performed before all parties sign the contract. 3. All contracts must be reviewed by Legal Counsel. 4. All contracts must be filed with the County Clerk. 5. No contract can be signed without a budget appropriation and cash available to pay the contractor. 6. Only the Board of Commissioners can sign an agreement with a governmental entity (intergovernmental agreement) or grant agreement. No grant application may be made without Board approval. 7. Only Risk Management can waive insurance requirements. 8. Each Department is responsible for the management of its contracts. 9.Plan ahead. It may take weeks to get a contract completed. Start the renewal process for July 1 (fiscal year) contracts in April. 10. Independent contractors are not favored in the law. An independent contractor may later be deemed an employee of the County. 11. When a contract is terminated, renewed or amended, notify Finance if the contract has recurring payments. 12. Follow the contractor selection process applicable to the contract.