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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDSS Board Minutes 031813MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES March 18, 2013 1 THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MET ON MONDAY: March 18, 2013 at the Hillsborough Commons, Hillsborough, North Carolina. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBERS PRESENT: Pat Garavaglia, Chair; Arthrell Sanders; and Claire Millar. GUEST: None. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBER ABSENT: Mark Dorosin. STAFF PRESENT: Nancy Coston, Director; Denise Shaffer, Assistant Director; Lindsey Shewmaker, Human Services Manager; and Joyce Lee, Business Officer. I. Call to Order and Introductions DSS Chair, Pat Garavaglia, called the meeting to order at 4:09 pm. II. Board Comments None. III. Public Comments None. IV. Agenda Changes None. V. Action Items On a motion by Claire Millar the Board approved the Minutes of February 18, 2013. Arthrell Sanders seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. Pat Garavaglia asked for clarification on why people might qualify for Food and Nutrition Services and not Medicaid. Nancy Coston explained that in North Carolina, there are limited Medicaid programs for adults. Adults under 200% of the federal poverty level would likely be eligible for Food and Nutrition Services but not Medicaid. VI. Items for Discussion and/or Decision 1. Budget Review and Approval Nancy Coston presented the proposed budget. The county net increase for Social Services is $484,890. Ms. Coston noted that most of the issues discussed in this year’s budget are related to NC FAST preparation. There are issues associated with sequestration and other federal and state funding cuts but many of these impacts are currently unknown. The budget includes personnel cost increases related to the 2% raise and three time-limited positions through December 31, 2013. More funds are budgeted for temporary staff and overtime costs. Additional funds are included to increase IT capacity, including added bandwidth dedicated to Social Services to speed up performance in NC FAST. Funds are also included to make slight building changes related to health MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES March 18, 2013 2 reform, work support strategies, and NC FAST. Ms. Coston noted that the agency receives a large percentage of revenue from the federal government so the budget issues there have potential for great impact. The Juvenile Crime Prevention Council grant formerly had one staff member assigned. Due to a reduction of administrative funds, that staff member will be reassigned to Economic Services and the work will be absorbed by existing staff in other areas. Veterans Services was eliminated as its own department and included in the Economic Services section. This was largely due to increased focus on performance measures. The Veterans Services Officer will still exist as a position and have the same responsibilities, even though the line item has been moved. Funds for duplicating and other administrative functions at the Skills Development Center have been combined into Central Administration. Pat Garavaglia asked for more information about the high cost of building rent. Ms. Coston replied that the increase was written into the original lease based on a lease-to-purchase option. When the county did not take that option, the lease amount increased. It will increase every five years under the terms of the original agreement. Ms. Garavaglia asked about the number of youth served through the Volunteers for Youth contract. Ms. Coston responded that that contract is part of the Juvenile Justice program. Social Services is responsible for managing the grant but not determining funding for the various providers who receive funds through contracts. Claire Millar asked for clarification about the contract for Inter-Faith Council. Ms. Coston responded that the contract for Inter-Faith Council is for rapid rehousing of homeless families. For the first year, 80% of funding is targeted to women and children living at Project Homestart. Ms. Coston briefly discussed the three grants listed in the revenue summary. The Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Community Response Grant, and Emergency Solutions Grant are the three grants that are proposed for next year. Ms. Coston discussed the additional funding the agency plans to receive from the Miles Second Family Foundation to support work related activities for foster youth involved in the program. Ms. Coston also reviewed the narratives and performance data for the various budget divisions. In the Public Assistance division she noted that TANF EA funds were reduced because money was transferred to the Economic Services division to support individuals with service plans trying to go to work or increase income. In the Central Administration division Ms. Coston discussed the consolidation of line items from the Skills Development Center. She also noted that funds are included for building and IT improvements related to NC FAST and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. In the Child and Family division Ms. Coston discussed lost revenue and funds budgeted for on-call workers to staff child welfare after hours. The agency is submitting a proposal to pay staff $2 per hour to be on-call when the building is closed. They would be compensated normally for any work required while on-call. Funding for this will come from leaving a position unfunded for the year. The county is working to get data from other counties with similar compensation systems. In the Economic Services division Ms. Coston noted that the Employment and Training Program will be fully operational next year. Positions related to this program are being advertised and will be filled shortly. Ms. Coston also informed the Board that much of the activity in this area for next year is focused on NC FAST. Staff have attended meetings related to the changes coming with the second phase of NC FAST. Orange County will be using NC FAST for MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES March 18, 2013 3 Medicaid and Work First beginning on June 17, 2013. As part of this effort, the state will require clients to use direct deposit to receive Work First cash payments. If clients do not have a bank account, the cash payment will be added to their EBT card. This could have potential public relations ramifications. This requirement will apply to Adoption Assistance and Special Assistance payments. The Veterans position and Justice Partnership position have both been added to this division. In the Subsidy division, Ms. Coston noted that the agency has finished the Smart Start proposal and it will be dropped off this week. Sequestration will have an impact on funding for child care. Ms. Coston asked whether any Board members had questions about the budget. Ms. Coston also added that there are still concerns about whether more time-limited staff might be needed in NC FAST, primarily due to impending retirements. Staff will likely have further conversations with the county about this issue. Claire Millar moved the Board recommend the FY2013-14 Social Services budget as proposed. Arthrell Sanders seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. 2. Outside Agency Proposals Pat Garavaglia informed the Board that she and Claire Millar completed review of the proposals and made recommendations. Ms. Millar noted they were not recommending funding for Joint Orange Chatham Community Action, the Orange County Partnership for Young Children, or Child Care Services Association. They are recommending funding for DOC, YMCA Boomerang Program, Farmer Foodshare Program, and Orange Congregations in Mission. Ms. Garavaglia added that she was disappointed in some of the statements made by Child Care Services Association. There were some concerns about Inter-Faith Council (IFC) regarding refusal to accept food from PORCH. The compensation also seemed a little excessive. Only 4% of people who receive food come from outside the county, but 40% of people receiving housing assistance come from outside the county. There is no effort on the part of IFC to get resources from Durham or surrounding counties to fund this. Ms. Garavaglia noted that the score sheets are difficult to use for some of the applicants. 3. Joint Meeting Planning Nancy Coston reminded the Board that the Joint Meeting is scheduled for April 16, 2013. She suggested staff present on NC FAST and the Affordable Care Act and added that it would be nice to have some stories about successful antipoverty programs. 4. Director’s Report There are no items to cover under the Director’s Report. VII. Announcements The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 15, 2013 at the Hillsborough Commons, 113 Mayo Street, Hillsborough, North Carolina at 4:00 pm. Claire Millar moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:32 pm. Arthrell Sanders seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. Submitted by MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES March 18, 2013 4 Nancy Coston Director Pat Garavaglia Chair