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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-01-31 Commissioner MinutesTHURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2019 The Franklin County Commissioners met Thursday, January 31, 2019, with the following members present: David S. Keller, Robert L. Thomas and Robert G. Ziobrowski. Chairman Keller presided and after calling the meeting to order, a Moment of Silence, and the Pledge of Allegiance, proceeded with the business of the day. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved to adopt the agenda. There was no public comment. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved all bills presented and ordered paid. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved the minutes of the January 22, 2019 and January 24, 2019 meeting. The Board reviewed Commissioners Office matters. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved for the Chairman of the Board to execute the Notice to Proceed to William Orr and Associates for Contract 1 (guiderail work) for the 2018 Bridge Maintenance Program, effective January 31, 2019. The Board reviewed Day Reporting Center matters. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved the agreement between the County of Franklin and Keystone Health to provide mental health services for Case Assisted Re -Entry (CARE) participants at a cost not to exceed $12,500.00, for the period of January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019. The Board reviewed additional Day Reporting Center matters. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved the agreement between the County of Franklin and Keystone Health to provide mental health services for Intensive Reentry Case Management (IRCM) participants at a cost not to exceed $3,600.00, for the period of January 1, 2019 through June 30, 2019. A portion of the cost will be covered by the PCCD IRCM grant. The Board reviewed Election matters. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved for the Chairman of the Board to execute the Certification of County Maintenance of Effort for the HAVA 11 Financial Assistance to the Department of State for the reporting period of January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. To qualify for HAVA grant funds, the county must certify each year that they are maintaining an expenditure level not less than the level of expenditures maintained by the County for the 2000 fiscal year. For FY 2018, the County has expended $507,358.49 while spending $218,984.00 for the entire 2000 fiscal year. The Board reviewed Grants/CJAB matters. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved the agreement between the County of Franklin and Washington Township Police Department for the County to pay the personnel costs for Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for officers, at maximum encumbrance of $1,000.00. Cost of the training will be covered by the PCCD Mental Health Co -Responder grant. Continued on page 2 The Board reviewed additional Grants/CJAB matters. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved the amendment to the original agreement between the County of Franklin and Waynesboro Police Department (dated July 10, 2018) for the County to pay personnel costs for Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training for officers. This will increase the original encumbrance to $7,200.00, which will be covered by the PCCD Mental Health Co -Responder grant. The Board reviewed Human Services Block Grant matters. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved the revision to the FY 2017-18 Human Services Block Grant annual report of income and expenditures. A reclassification was required to remove Health Care Quality Unit (HCQU) funding and corresponding expenditures from IDD. The Board reviewed Information Technology Services matters. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved for the Chairman of the Board to execute the quote from General Code to add 5 additional Laserfiche licenses for the Children and Youth department at a cost of $4,472.50. The Board reviewed MH/IDD/EI matters. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved the FY 2018-19 contract listing for Mental Health, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Early Intervention. Contract listings are maintained for proper accounting of all contracts to include vendor name and address, type(s) of services and rate(s) charged for services. The Board reviewed Tax Assessment matters. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved the certification of the amount of County and County Library Taxes on real estate and mobile homes in the various political subdivision of the county and the name of the Tax Collectors of said political subdivisions for the year 2019. The Board reviewed additional Tax Assessment matters. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved the acceptance and authorizations of additions and exonerations to the Tax Collectors of Franklin County of the year 2017 and 2018, in order for the Tax Collectors listed to close their 2017 and 2018 County and County Library Duplicates. The Board considered resolution 2019-05 for the purpose of investing in young children and families. Individuals from the community were present who work on initiatives for young children and families and introduced themselves and thanked the Commissioners for doing the resolution today. Commissioner Thomas thanked everyone for attending the meeting today and stated that he has been on the Head Start board for 21 years. He explained his engagement and the importance of reaching out and helping families. The National Association of Counties (NACo) started an initiative a year ago that inspired the robust local program called "Hope from the Start". Dr. Brenda Harden -Jones was here last year where 300 people attended the presentation and she explained that Franklin County is making progress but it will take the whole community to make it happen. He explained that 75% of the brain develops in the first year. The birth to three time -frame builds the foundation for future learning and better health. He continued that children in toxic environments can lead to early death, health issues and risky behaviors. Also children not ready for kindergarten are behind and it's difficult to catch up. Eventually counties will deal with issues from corrections and mental health so if we don't get engaged in the beginning, the issues on the back end will never stop. Commissioner Thomas said counties are not responsible for service delivery in these Continued on page 3 areas but we are interested in it because it's critical. We will take it to the national level for change and continue to be a partner in the effort. We need the national collaboration for infants and toddlers to ensure families have support they need to give them a foundation for a strong life. He said the commissioners have his back and he is appreciative of this. Chairman Keller said to put this in context, in addition to organizations and individuals who are represented today, this is a community wide concern. In 2010, the United Way, the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce, Summit Health and Franklin County Government pulled together statistics to take a look at key indicators of health and standard of living. They compared the outcomes to other counties and honed in on a handful of key indicators to show how we are doing in regards to quality of life. One of the three areas to focus on was early childhood education and the importance of children being nurtured from birth to age three. This sets them up for success later in life and they won't be involved in criminal justice system or have health or mental issues so the need for early childhood education has always been there. There has been a lot of attention at the state and national level and great speakers to highlight the issues in Franklin County to keep supporting programs and keep the conversation going. We may not see the return for several years or decades but if something hasn't started yet, it needs to start today and we need to encourage the residents in our County. Commissioner Ziobrowski said that a politician once criticized a wealthy politician for having been "born on third base and thought he hit a triple". All of us in this room were likely born on first or second base. Some kids never have a chance to get out of the batter's box. Programs like this help them catch up. Commissioner Thomas said the "Hope from the Start" won't take long to get the results, maybe three to five years. Dr. Kline from Waynesboro School District explained that we will see results in the classroom in the next couple of years, it's not just these individual children but classrooms have slowed down and it affects the learning of the other children in the classroom. He continued that when we improve those coming into the classroom that have challenges, there is benefits for other children as well. Commissioner Thomas said the percentage of children coming into the school system that are not ready including having assessments or required EIP's there are additional costs to the school districts which drives up school taxes. Annette Searfoss from Franklin County Head Start said they are making significant progress for three and four year old children. Dr. Kline has been the most recent contributor by adding full-time classes for these age groups. She continued there is no car manual how to raise a child, they need to understand the brain science and supporting parents and grandparents. We have an opportunity to identify the youngest children and help them through the first year of life. There has been a significant increase in those who are born to substance addicted mothers. She hears there is not enough support for these mothers. It's that level of support and helping them navigate those systems. If we wait until age three, there are missed critical opportunities. On a motion by Robert L. Thomas, seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski; unanimously approved Resolution #2019- 05 and that the attached resolution would become a part of the minutes. Carrie Gray, County Administrator, said she is an early intervention mom since she was in the hospital for 30 days before her son was born. She as a mom felt like she should know what to do, but didn't. She was fortunate enough to get help from Early Intervention and Jenn when she was with what is now PennCares but she didn't anticipate the amount of support there was for her and her husband. It's fantastic to see how it would be exponentially increasing. Ms. Gray thanked everyone for staying committed to the cause and for providing the services they provide every day. Chairman Keller read the outcomes that they hope to achieve from passing this resolution. Commissioner Thomas said we are among some the first counties out of 369 to pass this resolution. This will key us into additional resources that are available and open the door for additional opportunities which he is very proud of. Continued on page 4 The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 a.m. with a motion by Robert L. Thomas; seconded by Robert G. Ziobrowski. Carrie E. Gray County Administrator/Chief Clerk FRANKLIN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS David S. Keller, Chairman Robert L. Thomas Robert G. Ziobrowski RESOLUTION #2019 - 05 "The National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers Resolution to Promote Investments in Young Children and Families from Prenatal to Three" WHEREAS, Counties routinely provide an array of programs and services to an estimated 16 million children ages birth to three in the United States; and in 2016 about 35 percent of counties had more than a quarter of all children living in poverty; and WHEREAS, The most rapid period of brain development occurs within the first years of life with the brain developing faster from birth to age three than at any later period in life building the foundation for all future learning, behavior and health; and toddlers receive what their growing brains need, they become healthy children who are confident, empathetic and ready for school and life; and programs and policies that support healthy development from birth to age three result in better social, economic and health outcomes and build a more productive workforce that strengthens our economy now and in the future; and WHEREAS, Parents are a child's most important caregivers and play the lead role in their child's healthy development; at the same time, communities and governments can effectively provide families with an array of comprehensive support at an especially critical time; and WHEREAS, Programs and policies should start early to ensure healthy beginnings at birth, support families with infants and toddlers and make high -quality child care and learning environments more accessible and affordable to all; and WHEREAS, High -quality child care is often unavailable or unaffordable for parents who need it, and many families are not connected to networks or early childhood supports that can offer guidance and confidence to navigate the earliest months and years of their children's lives; and WHEREAS, The County of Franklin and all counties take pride in our responsibility to protect and enhance the health, welfare and safety of residents in cost-effective ways especially for the 5,480 children under the age of three in our area; and WHEREAS, Research shows that when we invest in the first three years of a child's life, the returns for the community are the highest, and we can reduce the need for more expensive interventions later; and WHEREAS, Research also shows that high -quality early childhood development programs can deliver an annual return of up to 13 percent per child on upfront costs through better outcomes in education, health, employment and social behavior in the decades that follow; and economists attribute local economic growth and prosperity to high -quality early child care programs; and WHEREAS, the National Association of Counties (NACo) and other national organizations joined the National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers (NCIT), a project of the Pritzker Children's Initiative (PCI), in a groundbreaking partnership to work with communities and states across the country to focus on early childhood development for young children from birth to three, and; NOW, THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED, THAT WE, The Franklin County Commissioners, do hereby sign on to the Call to Action to prioritize and invest in prenatal -to -three efforts that promote a healthy start at birth, support for families with infants and toddlers, high -quality care and learning environments and utilization of the resources available through NACo and the NCIT to: • Be a champion for change by prioritizing and investing in high -quality infant - toddler initiatives so children, families and communities can thrive; • Designate an early childhood leader with authority to coordinate and maximize county services to optimize child and family outcomes and leverage additional resources; • Convene or draw on a diverse team of leaders, decision -makers and community stakeholders committed to early childhood investments; • Take an inventory of local programs and services for children and families; • Create a plan with measurable outcomes to implement, shift and enhance evidence -based approaches that promote a comprehensive and equitable continuum of care that begins before birth and spans into adulthood, with specific recommendations for children under three and their families; • Leverage local, state and federal investments and explore innovative funding strategies and revenue streams to support early childhood programming; and • Promote prenatal -to -three policies, best practices and cross coordination to improve child and family outcomes as well as service delivery and efficacy in government through streamlined processes. PASSED AND APPROVED ON THIS 31ST DAY OF JANUARY, 2019. (SEAL) Attest: Carrie Gray County Administrator/Chief Jerk COUNTY OF FRANKLIN BY: � _ 2 David S, keller, Chairman BY:� Robert L. Thomas, Commissioner BY: r Robert G. browski, Commissioner