HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE AUGUST 6, 2003 - 11:30 A.M. SCOTT HEYMAN CONFERENCE ROOM
Present: M. Robertson,
Chair; N. Schuler; F. Proto; P. Penniman; M. Koplinka-Loehr (arrived at 11:31
a.m.)
Staff: S. Whicher, County Administrator; M.
Dill, Human Services Coalition; N. Zahler, Youth Services; J. Johnson, Youth
Services; M. Dolan, Social Services Commissioner; M. Banks, Social Services;
S. Dale-Hall, Day Care Council; B. DeLuca, Mental Health Commissioner
Guests: Attendance sheet on file with original minutes
Called to Order
The meeting was called to order at 11:30 a.m.
Changes to Agenda
The following items were added to the agenda:
- Resolution - Increasing Daycare and
Child Development Council Contract for Healthy Families Program to
2002 Level - Budget Adjustment - Department of Social Services
- Update on SRO (Single Room Occupancy) housing
Mr. Koplinka-Loehr arrived at this time.
Recreation Partnership
At this time introductions were made.
Ms. Robertson distributed copies of the County’s "2004
Budget at the Initial Requested Level" document. She asked Mr. Penniman to
provide an update on the 2004 budget situation, as this context is relevant
to the Recreation Partnership discussion. Mr. Penniman said 2004 is
going to be a difficult year as the County is looking at a proposed 47 percent
tax increase. The costs of capital projects and mandates have increased
dramatically. The Legislature will be looking at all programs and services
and last evening asked the County Administrator to submit a budget to the
Legislature with a 5 percent increase. Mr. Whicher said to achieve
that request, it will require a reduction of approximately $11 million.
Donald Barber, Town of Caroline Supervisor, said he spoke
to the Legislature one year ago about the concern with the shifting of programs
and funding from the State to counties. He feels it is time for the
County Legislature to tell the State that the County is no longer going to
pay for their programs. In terms of the Recreation Partnership, the
County needs to determine its policy in the Recreation Partnership without
taking the budget into consideration. The County should think about
the long-term vision for recreation in general and then determine the County's
role. The long-range vision should include parks, facilities, and programs
and how the youth interact with other municipal programs as well as the Ithaca
City School District. In addition, the County needs to consider the
impact on the economy and the quality of life in Tompkins County. Once
there is a policy in place, a plan needs to be developed. The Recreation
Partnership is willing to work with the County with establishing a plan.
He said removing the County’s funding from the Recreation Partnership will
not save taxpayers money, it only shifts the costs to the municipalities
should the partners choose to make up the County's share. He hopes
the Legislature will consider his comments and act accordingly.
Cathy Valentino, Town of Ithaca Supervisor, said the Town
understands the County's difficult position and has informally agreed not
to lobby the County. However, she offered the following suggestions:
- The Recreation Partnership has proposed a "band-aid"
solution for one year. The proposal as presented recognizes the County's
contribution of staff support and financial difficulties the County is facing.
The Town of Ithaca and other municipalities have agreed to pick up the extra
share for one year. This will give the Recreation Partnership time
to analyze programs with the hope to hold a core of programs that are important
for all of the children in the County. The Partnership pledges to work
hard at maintaining the minimum level of programs and keeping the Partnership
together.
- She hopes the County will decide on its commitment,
if the Partnership's proposal is accepted. She said if the County chooses
to withdraw, she hopes that it would defer a final decision pending what
the Recreation Partnership Board can bring forward one year from now for
the County to review.
Mike McLaughlin, Town of Newfield, spoke about the cooperation
among municipal officials in creating the Partnership. He asked the
Legislature to consider the Recreation Partnership as an insurance policy.
As an active volunteer with children, he strongly feels children with good
mentors and role models are less likely to get into trouble. He said if recreation
is an area that is cut, it could cost the County more in the future as more
children would likely be entering the court system.
Joan Spielholz, City of Ithaca representative on the Recreation
Partnership Board, said she agrees with Donald Barber's comments about the
need for vision, as well as the other comments made. She said there
was a lot of hard work that went into this process and reiterated the Recreation
Partnership is something to be proud of and the County should be a part of
it. It is a people process and involves a lot of compromising.
David Whitmore, City of Ithaca Common Council, reminded
the Committee that children come from all over the County to participate
in the programs. He feels the County should continue as a partner and
stated the following three reasons why:
1. How important are recreation programs to the
County? He said these programs are important to the City, the County
as a whole, and the Recreation Partnership and holding this Partnership together
is important. He believes it would be acceptable for the County to
reduce its funding share but does not agree with fully withdrawing as it
would be disastrous for the future of the organization.
2. How important is intermunicipal cooperation?
He feels this is the most successful example of intermunicipal cooperation
in this County. Members from all over the County have come together,
shared an interest in recreation programs, and funded such services.
3. How important are low-income kids to the County?
The recreation programs serve a number of low-income children both within
the City and in rural areas. Programs such as summer camps provide
opportunities in a situation of rising prices and privatized camps which
many families cannot afford. These programs are important to continue
but only if they remain affordable.
At this time, he read an email from a constituent asking
that these programs continue.
Carolyn Peterson, City of Ithaca Common Council, spoke
about the health issues of young people such as obesity and heart problems.
She said we should recognize that the Recreation Partnership programs are
important in promoting health and fitness.
Alan Green, Ithaca Youth Bureau, said the things that distinguish
Tompkins County and the Ithaca area from other communities in New York State
are the universities (Ithaca College and Cornell University) and the willingness
of people to invest in their children. City government and County government
both have long traditions of also supporting youth programs. Tompkins
County was one of the first counties in the State to establish a youth bureau.
Joan Spielholz commented that all kids are at risk and
can go down the wrong path.
Discussion followed by the Committee. Mr. Koplinka-Loehr
said he had come to the meeting prepared to propose the following recommendation:
"The County could vote to give formal notice of withdrawal
by October 1st to honor the terms of the Agreement but delay the actual decision
until the County's fiscal situation for 2005 is reviewed in Spring 2004.
If this approach were adopted, the Partnership Board would need a final answer
for 2005 by May 2004 to enable the Partnership Board to develop budget guidelines
for the upcoming year."
However, after hearing the comments, arguments and the
long-range vision, he is now convinced that it could do more damage at this
point and MOVED the following motion: Decrease the contribution to
the Recreation Partnership by 20 percent per year over five years, signaling
our intention to pull out after that period, and continue the staff support
at the existing level during that time.
MOTION seconded by Mrs. Schuler for discussion.
Mr. Koplinka-Loehr believes the Partnership took five years to develop and
feels it would be fiscally wise to allow five years to scale down to give
the organization time to plan, reorganize, etc. He believes the County
was being generous 3-5 years ago when it expanded the traditional role of
coordination, evaluation, and planning to actually provide direct recreation
services.
Mr. Penniman said he philosophically agrees with Mr. Koplinka-Loehr,
but feels that the turn out at this meeting by municipal officials to comment
on a $38,000 budget item is enough for him to make the commitment to continue
the funding. At the same time he would like to make it clear that the County
will be looking for help and cooperation in other areas of government.
He said municipalities are the County's partners not only in recreation but
also in maintaining roads, public safety, libraries, etc.
Mr. Proto said he supports the County maintaining its
involvement with the Recreation Partnership. He agrees with Joan Spielholz
that this program does not just extend to low-income children. He would
like the County to continue its involvement and give the Partnership time
as requested by Cathy Valentino to evaluate other options or funding streams.
Ms. Robertson feels the County should continue as a partner
and supports the following recommendation:
The County may continue at a cost lower than $38,110.
The County could ask the Partnership Board to further revise its cost-sharing
formula to lower the County's financial contribution.
Mr. Penniman MOVED to substitute the following recommendation,
seconded by Mr. Proto:
The County should continue as a member of the Partnership
under the recently revised cost-sharing formula of $38,110 in target funding
and at least $9,528 in in-kind staff support, with the difference made up
by the other partners.
Mr. Koplinka-Loehr said he cannot support the motion as
all County departments will be experiencing cuts.
A voice vote on the motion to substitute resulted as follows:
Ayes - 4 (Penniman, Proto, Robertson, Schuler); Noes - 1 (Koplinka-Loehr).
MOTION CARRIED.
A voice vote on the motion as amended resulted as follows:
Ayes - 4 (Penniman, Proto, Robertson, Schuler); Noes - 1 (Koplinka-Loehr).
MOTION CARRIED.
Ms. Robertson said this motion will be presented at the
next Legislature's meeting.
Approval of Minutes
It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Mr. Penniman,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present (Proto and Schuler
were temporarily out of the room), to approve the minutes of the July 2,
2003, meeting as submitted.
It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Mr. Penniman,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present (Proto and Schuler
were temporarily out of the room), to approve the minutes of the July 17,
2003, meeting as submitted.
Appointment - Mental Health
It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Mr. Penniman,
and unanimously adopted by voice vote by members present (Proto and Schuler
were temporarily out of the room), to approve the following appointment:
Mental Health Services Board - Substance Abuse Subcommittee
Adrienne Lampert - Consumer representative - term expires
December 31, 2005
Department of Social Services
Early Education Partnership
Sue Dale-Hall distributed information and spoke briefly
about the Day Care and Child Development Council and Early Education Partnership.
The Day Care Council has been in the community since 1967. It is considered
a medium-size human service agency with a budget of $1.2 million and 24 employees.
The mission is to promote the healthy development of children and families
in Tompkins County.
Ms. Dale-Hall referred to one of the handouts "Building a Pyramid of Services".
When communities are able to offer a pyramid of assistance that matches the
pyramid of family needs, problems are likely to be solved or alleviated at
earlier stages, when they are easier and less costly to address. The
Day Council provides prevention and early intervention programs predominantly
serving 3-8 year olds. The Council has three programs; two are direct
services to the family: Teen Pregnancy/Parenting Program and Child and Family
Development. Together the two programs serve 160-200 families per year.
The overall budget is approximately $230,000. Seventy percent of the
budget is Medicaid funded and the remainder is from County youth services
and private funding including United Way. She reported briefly on the
third program, Child Care Resource and Referral Services.
Ms. Dale-Hall spoke about the need for an adequate financial foundation for
early care education. This affects the ability to recruit more caregivers
and retain them as the wages are low. The results are inequitable access,
the type of care a parent can choose and the quality of care.. She
noted that only one in seven families who are eligible for assistance actually
receive subsidies. Ms. Banks explained that some families do not know
subsidies are available or some do not wish to apply.
Ms. Dale-Hall explained the Early Education Partnership
developed with the Chamber of Commerce and the three goals established:
(1) educate community about what support services are available for child
care, what is early care and education, and what can be done; (2) create
a community-wide fund that would be supported by multiple sectors of the
community. The hope is to have an endowment that supports the ongoing
needs of early care and education community; and (3) strengthen the system.
Child care is a system of 280 “microenterprises” in the County, with $15
million in gross receipts annually.
She commented on the amount of work done on the economic
impact of health care in the community and how child care plays a role.
The Tompkins County Area Development is including this information in their
Strategic Economic Development Plan as is the Chamber of Commerce.
Cornell University has allocated $600,000 a year for the past three years
to support its lower-income employees in paying for child care.
An update was provided on where the Early Education Partnership
is now. It has started to focus on making better use of existing resources.
Material has been developed for the business community to hand out and educate
employees. A pilot out-reach project with the Chamber to educate their
employees is about to kick off.
Resolution
It was MOVED by Mr. Koplinka-Loehr, seconded by Mrs. Schuler,
to submit the following resolution to the Legislature for approval.
Ms. Dolan commented that the donated funds are being used to restore the
service as presented to the 2002 level. A voice vote resulted as follows:
Ayes - 4 (Robertson, Schuler, Penniman, and Koplinka-Loehr); Noes - 0; Abstention
- 1 (Proto). RESOLUTION CARRIED.
RESOLUTION NO.___ - INCREASING DAYCARE & CHILD DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
CONTRACT FOR HEALTHY FAMILIES PROGRAM TO 2002 LEVEL; BUDGET ADJUSTMENT –
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
WHEREAS, as a result of actions taken by the Tompkins County
Legislature and the Tompkins County Department of Social Services during
the 2003 budget process, the value of several contracts for at-risk children
and youth was significantly reduced, and
WHEREAS, one program that was reduced in value and services
was the Healthy Families Program provided by the Day Care & Child Development
Council, and
WHEREAS, the Healthy Families Program of the Day Care &
Child Development Council serves families in Tompkins County who are pregnant
or who have an infant less than two months of age and has repeatedly demonstrated
that it is a valuable tool for the Department and the community in promoting
healthy families, stable environments and self sufficiency, and
WHEREAS, changes in the NYS budget revitalized an
option for financing preventive services for families and children which
had become moot during the existence of the previous New York State method
of financing preventive services for families and children, and
WHEREAS, this option provides the Department of
Social Services with an opportunity to utilize private, non-governmental
or tax levy funds to partially offset the local cost of such programs, and
WHEREAS, the Department has been working with various
agencies and private funders to take advantage of this opportunity to use
private dollars to maintain, create or expand services to at-risk families
and children, and
WHEREAS, an amount of such private “donated funds” has now become
available, and
WHEREAS, the United Way of Tompkins County, its Executive Director
and governing Board have demonstrated courageous community leadership in
agreeing to donate these funds as well as a matching grant of $2,000 for
the purposes of maintaining community services to at-risk children and families,
and
WHEREAS, the United Way of Tompkins County and the Tompkins
County Department of Social Services have completed the discussions required
for the United Way to donate and for DSS to accept these donated funds, and
WHEREAS, the Dispositional Alternatives Program (DAP) Program
was the first to be assisted by this funding formula, and
WHEREAS, the United Way added an additional $2,000 to the grant
that the Department received and it would now like to use those funds to
underwrite a restoration of funding for the Day Care & Child Development
Council’s Healthy Families Program of which such formula will reduce the
administrative burden for DSS and the Day Care & Child Development staff,
now therefore be it
RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Health & Human Services
Committee, That the Department of Social Services is authorized to use the
$2,000 in donated funds from the United Way to maximize donations and funding
formulas to restore the Healthy Families Program to its 2002 level of funding,
RESOLVED, further, That, effective September 1, 2003, the amount
of the Social Services’ 2003 contract with the Day Care & Child Development
Council for the Healthy Families Program be amended so that the total contract
value will be $81,884 with no additional local tax dollars required to support
this program,
RESOLVED, further, That the Finance Director is authorized make
the following adjustments to the Social Services 2003 budget:
Appropriation: 6070.54400 Purchase of Services
$10,181
Revenue: 6070.42705
Gifts & Donations $ 2,000
6070.44670 Federal
$ 4,409
6070.43670 State
$ 3,772
SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-20
Explanation: The SFY 2002-2003 budget created, (and the SFY 03-04 budget
has continued), a 65% net-of-federal funding stream for Preventive services
to children and families. The existence of this funding, after nearly
10 years of a capped appropriation, made it possible for local social service
agencies to revisit the financing of some programs. The regulations
allow that up to 17.5% of total program costs for Preventive Services families
may be comprised of private funds, if certain restrictions are met.
These private funds leverage both state and federal revenue and offset what
would otherwise be a local tax levy expense to support the program.
The Department has been talking with local foundations and funding entities
about the possibilities created by this change and the leveraging capacity
of such private dollars, which are referred to in regulation as “donated
funds.” The United Way of Tompkins County has been a partner in these
discussions from their onset and the Board of the organization has approved
the United Way as a facilitator or conduit for private dollars from time
to time. They have also agreed to provide a matching contribution in
the amount of $2000. There are currently private funds that have become
available to the United Way. The Department is prepared to execute
the agreement that is necessary for both the United Way and DSS to document
the requirements and restrictions and enable the transfer of these funds.
Family and Children’s Services, DAP, program was the first of the several
programs with which we are working with to be approved by the regional office
of the NYS Office of Children and Family Services. The Department has
received a check from the United Way that allowed us to restore the DAP contract
to slightly more than the total value of the agreement in 2002 and to maintain
this critical program in the community with no additional tax levy support.
Mental Health Department
Update on Single Room Occupancy Housing
Mr. DeLuca restated his comments made at the last Committee meeting and said
the Department is looking at reapportioning the bed capacity for those with
mental health issues. Currently there are 25 community residence beds
and 30 apartment beds. The County has no Single Occupancy Housing (SRO)
for independent living. The State will fund a 25-bed facility (Single
Room Occupancy) for mentally disabled. The plan is to reallocate 13
of the apartment beds (which are under-utilized) and three community residence
beds; the County will gain nine SRO beds under the current State budget.
The application for this request is being filed with the State, having been
approved by the Mental Health Services Board. He anticipates the total
local share will be $5,000 a year in operating costs, with no local capital
costs, and that the facility will be completed by Fall 2004.
Mr. Penniman was excused at 1:17 p.m.
Mr. Proto was excused at 1:19 p.m.
Mr. Whicher said he contacted the owner of the potential
site and said there could be complications with cleaning up the land environmentally.
A verbal offer by another individual has been made on the parcel, which the
owner wishes to honor. Mr. Whicher told the owner the County is very
interested and will continue discussions.
Mr. DeLuca briefly updated the Committee on the status
of the minor maintenance repairs for Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services (CARS).
He said a request of approximately $7,000 was made by CARS for minor maintenance.
There is money being held for CARS by Mental Health that could be used, however
the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services has a special account
for minor maintenance and Mr. DeLuca has a letter saying they will supply
the money needed for said maintenance. Mr. Rusen of CARS is aware of
this and has submitted a request.
Committee Goals
The item was deferred.
Next Meeting
Ms. Robertson said the next meeting is August 21, and
will continue discussion on housing. Rolf Pendall of City and Regional
and Planning has agreed to attend as well as LeNorman Strong, Assistant Vice
President for Student and Academic Services at Cornell.