LEGISLATION
AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES
A meeting of the Chippewa County Board of
Commissioners’ Legislation and Natural Resources Committee was held on Monday,
February 2, 2004 at the Chippewa County Courthouse in Sault Ste. Marie,
Michigan. Chairman Timmer called the
meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. with a quorum present.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Richard Timmer,
Chairman, Rita Dale and Earl Kay
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHERS PRESENT: Tim Dolehanty,
County Controller, Bob Atherton, Joe Barrs, Fran Hoholik, Christine McLean, Don
McLean, Mary Piralli
Additions / Deletions to the Agenda
Chairman Timmer called for additions or deletions to
the agenda.
It was moved by Commissioner Dale, seconded by Commissioner Kay, to approve the agenda as presented. On a voice vote, the motion was CARRIED.
Public Comments
Chairman Timmer called for pubic comments.
Bob Atherton of the Hiawatha Behavioral Mental Health
Authority (HBH) read from a prepared statement supporting his employer. He also questioned the County’s financial
ability to implement a plan to provide mental health services from anyone other
than HBH.
Don McLean spoke about his experiences with HBH. He described himself as a dissatisfied
consumer and cited examples of situations where he felt HBH fell short of
providing adequate service.
Chairman Timmer stated the Board of Commissioners
referred the review of issues concerning HBH to this Committee. He asked Controller Tim Dolehanty to review
issues that have been identified over the past few months. Mr. Dolehanty
reviewed a number of concerns related to client services, fiscal matters,
public participation and representation on the HBH board. He also reviewed service delivery options
available to the County and allowable sources of County match funds.
Mr. Dolehanty reviewed a number of tasks to be
accomplished before a preferred service delivery plan
could be recommended. The tasks
included development of the plan components, identification of costs, and
development of an implementation schedule.
Commissioner Kay expressed disappointed in the way HBH
presented itself and with how several financial matters were handled. He emphasized patient care concerns and said
employees providing services should not feel threatened by the County’s
inquiries. Mr. Kay stated he was
disturbed about the number of letters generated by the HBH attorney in response
to requests for information. He said
information should be forthcoming from HBH without question.
Regarding service delivery options, Mr. Kay said the
County would have to work out details and that implementation may be expensive
in the short term. He commented that
County citizens should not have to fight for services in light of the money
involved. In particular, hotline
operators should address problems from callers, not shut them out of the
system.
Commissioner Dale stated she was worried about
Chippewa County representation on the HBH board. She added her observation that employees who provide mental
health services have always been helpful and that there was no reason why those
employees could not be retained if another service delivery option was chosen.
Chairman Timmer said he was troubled that HBH does not
address issues brought forward by the County, but instead becomes
defensive. He reminded the Committee
that the July work session was scheduled to address County concerns, but
degenerated into something less productive.
Chairman Timmer acknowledged that the frustration
level with HBH was high. He referred to
the client service issues that were brought up, stating HBH should help those
unhappy or unqualified to get the services they need from another source.
The Committee agreed to continue with current efforts
to define a preferred option for delivery of mental health services, including
creation of a detailed cost and funding plan.
Animal
Care Agreement
Controller Dolehanty presented a request from Best of
Friends Humane Society to house rescued animals at the shelter under a formal
agreement. The organization asked that
a reduced rate be considered for this purpose.
The Committee acknowledged the past assistance Best of
Friends has given to the County finding homes for shelter animals. It was agreed that housing rescued animals
is consistent with the mission and purpose of the shelter. The Committee also agreed that no additional
fee should be collected for housing the animals since animal control officers
would likely bring them to the shelter anyway.
Emergency
Care and Shelter of Pets
Controller Dolehanty presented a proposal from the
health department emergency preparedness officer concerning use of the animal shelter
in case of emergency. The proposal
included a draft memorandum of understanding for use of the shelter. The Committee agreed that the agreement was
not necessary since housing of animals is the primary purpose of the shelter,
regardless of circumstances. The
Committee further acknowledged the contract was redundant since the County
would in effect be contracting with itself.
Committee Comments
There were no additional comments from Committee members.
Chairman Timmer offered no additional comments.
Adjourn
It was moved by Commissioner Kay, seconded by Commissioner Dale, to adjourn the meeting. On a voice vote, the motion was CARRIED.
Chairman Timmer declared the meeting adjourned at 5:50
p.m.
__________________________________ __________________________________
Timothy J.
Dolehanty, AICP, Recorder Richard
Timmer, Committee Chairman