PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT ADVISORY BOARD REPORT
January 23, 2013   4 PM

    Many of the old Health Department Board members have consented to be on the new Board.  These members having experience with ongoing Health Department issues provide an easier transition to the new Board. There is also a good representation from most of those concerned with health issues in the County.

The following are members of the Board: (the * indicates old members)

 * Paul Bennes, Physician/Fort Riley Public Health Director   
   Michael Cates, KSU Public Health Program Director
   Judy Wagner, VP  Mercy
   Brad Starnes, Superintendent USD 378 Riley County
   Mary Beth Reese, Retired Social Worker USD 383
   * Derek Mosier,  KSU DVD
   *  Rick Fulton DDS
   *  Karen McCulloh, Community Representative
   *  Debbie Nuss, Community Representative
  Ginny Barnard  Riley County Extension

Ginny Barnard agreed to act as Chairman.

    There are also members who will represent users
of the department and other community representatives are currently being sought.
 
   Kristin Cottam, a young mother client of the HD
   Deanell French, a child care provider
   Sarah Eckstein,  a qualified Mental Health Professional
   Maria Garcia Baquero, Spanish interpreter

Still to be recruited:
   A family planning client
   Mother and Infant client

Cary Herl, MD continues as RCHD medical director

The Health Department attendees included:
   Susie Kufahl, Administrator/Health Officer
   Mindy Robbins, Asst. to the administrator
   Lisa Ross, WIC supervisor
   Katy Vaughn, Health Educator/Accreditation coordinator

Also on board:
   Connie Satzler, Envisage, as Consultant

Bob Boyd, new elected County Commissioner, also attended this meeting.

    After introductions, an informal discussion of the purpose of the Board commenced on the request of board member Rick Fulton.  No decisions were made but it was suggested that the
Board act as a supporter of and perhaps even carry out lobbying
for the department. There was also discussion of ways of making the Health Department more well known in the community. Susie Kufahl, Administrator felt that the Board could help with budget issues and the upcoming accreditation. 

    Katy Vaughn, Coordinator of the accreditation effort then
introduced her plans some of which have already begun such as  an opinion survey.  There are also plans for focus groups plus the gathering of objective data concerning the demographics of the County and the prioritizing of needs.

    The accreditation will end with the planning of how to address the top health concerns.

Submitted by Sue Cohen
 

Riley County Commission January 28, 2013

 Joan Srickler, observer

All Commissioners present, Lewis presiding.

An Eagle Scout proposal was presented which would create a sign to be placed in front of the Carnegie building at Courthouse Plaza documenting the building’s historical significance.   The Commissioners asked to hear more of the plans as the project is developed.

Commissioner Boyd expressed concern that it appears post offices in Riley, Leonardville and Randolph are being considered for closure.

Extension Director Jennifer Wilson encouraged interested persons to sign up for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.  The assistance is available  at the Manhattan Public Library.  Interested persons must make an appointment through her office.

Cheryl Collins, Director of the Riley County Museum, noted that this Kansas Day on January 29, we will celebrate 152 years of statehood.

Robbin Cole, director of Pawnee Mental Health, gave a brief overview of her agency and the mental health system generally.  Pawnee is one of 27 mental health centers in Kansas.  In addition to counseling and support Pawnee offers 24 hour crisis services and provides psychological evaluations prior to determining a patient’s eligibility for treatment in a State hospital. 

Funding cutbacks over the past several years have caused a drop of about 25% in the number of Pawnee’s employees.  She noted there has been an increase of 126% in the number of mentally ill persons incarcerated in jails and prisons in Kansas.  Commissioner Boyd asked Cole to pull together a report on the costs to the County resulting from the incarceration of persons with mental illness.

County Counselor Clancy Holeman spoke of concerns the Kansas Association of Counties has regarding proposed legislation being discussed at the State level.  Some efforts mentioned would freeze county tax dollars, others would result in deep cuts in tax funds available to counties.  The possible impact of exempting business equipment and machinery from the tax rolls would be particularly devastating to the counties.

The Commissioners agreed to pay for aerial photography mapping of the County to help guide property evaluations and other county needs for such information.   The Commissioners encouraged Nall to check with nearby counties to see if they would be interested in sharing the cost of such projects.  The mapping must be done on a yearly basis and completed prior to the trees leafing out in early spring.

Emergency Management Director Pat Collins described an online training program called Target Solutions developed to instruct volunteer firefighters.  The program will be used to supplement the hands-on training already provided volunteers.

 

 

 

 

Riley County Commission Jan. 24, 2013

Joan Strickler, observer

Commissioner Dave Lewis chaired the meeting with newly elected Commissioners Ron Wells and Robert Boyd also present.

The Commissioners considered a long list of action items on the agenda including out of state travel, purchase authorizations, and board appointments.

County Attorney Barry Wilkerson provided an overall update of activities in his office.  At the beginning of the previous year the attorneys were dealing with five pending murder cases.  This year only one such case is pending.  He expressed concern about problems Mercy Hospital is having in filling the vacant position of someone to perform exams in sexual assault cases.  Some 13 such victims had to be taken to Topeka for exams as well as one to Salina and one to Wichita.  This results in considerable costs in travel and witness fees as well as requirements on police officers who must travel with the victim.  Commissioners suggested checking with nearby counties and with the Riley County Health Department to see if another resource can be found.

The Commissioners discussed the various Commission board assignment responsibilities they must share.

County Clerk Rich Vargo explained the County’s Professional Appearance Policy.  It was agreed to continue the policy as in the past.

Information Technology/GIS Director Robert Nall described the overall function of his office.  His personnel provide assistance to all County agencies as well as a considerable number of other entities in the County.

County Counselor Clancy Holeman reported he has registered as a lobbyist with the State.  While many of the issues dealt with in the Legislature of concern to Riley County will be dealt with through the Kansas Association of Counties, there are some issues that affect Riley specifically.  Overall there is serious concern among local government entities that actions being proposed at the State level could result in serious loss of tax income at the local levels.

Riley County Museum Director Cheryl Collins introduced her staff who described the functions of their various assignments.  The Museum currently preserves approximately 50,000 artifacts relating to the history of the County.  She invited the Commissioners to have lunch at the historic Wolf House.  The date of February 4 was agreed upon.

Susie Kuhfahl, director of the Health Department, described the various functions and responsibilities of the Department.

Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr gave a general update on City operations.  He said the expansion of the water plant and the continuing health of the aquifer Manhattan depends upon assure that Manhattan’s water supply is doing well.  There appears to be continued growth in the demand for single family and multi-family housing.  With the transfer of land from the State to the Federal Government for the building of NBAF, more construction activity should be getting underway shortly.

 

USD 383 Board of Education

Jan. 16, 2013
Kathy Dzewaltowski

The board held a public hearing on the elementary schedule.  The people who addressed the board were district teachers and administrators, and they all spoke in favor of providing elementary teachers with more planning time and collaboration time.  The elementary principals who commented to the board said that teachers need collaboration time to become more proficient in using technology and to learn from other teachers' expertise.  Doug Messer, Director of Transportation, said that the early release days will be a challenge for busing, especially since many of the district's bus drivers have other part-time jobs or are college students, but the challenge would not be insurmountable.  The board plans to discuss the elementary schedule again during a work session in February.

USD 383 Board of Education

Jan. 9, 2013
Kathy Dzewaltowski, observer

Dean Youngers, project manager for the MHS construction project, reported that the project is complete, and he brought the final paperwork from the contractor and the architect.  The MHS project had a guaranteed maximum price, and unused funds would be returned to the district.  A savings of $61,405 would be returned, and the board approved 5-0 to accept the change in funds.

Board members discussed a resolution regarding the military student second count date.  For several years, school districts near military installations that are impacted by military students have been provided with a second student count date in February.  The second count date is set to expire at the end of the 2012-13 fiscal year.  The superintendents of Geary County Schools, Ft. Leavenworth, and USD 383 drafted a resolution to encourage legislators to continue the second military student count date.  Board members thought the proposed resolution needed to explicitly state that the second count date should be extended.  The board decided to table the resolution until its language could be tweaked to reflect the board's suggested changes.

The board held a public hearing to discuss MHS's class schedule.  A committee had met for several months to examine the schedule and had recommended three options.  MHS math teacher Ray Kujawa spoke during the public hearing and said he favored keeping the current seven hour schedule.  He said that other teachers as well as himself felt that they hadn't been given a clear reason why the schedule should be changed, and students have been achieving with the current schedule.  Doug Messer, Director of Transportation, said that changes to the MHS schedule would require adjustments and shifts to the overall transportation system.  Currently, the district does not have enough buses to transport students on the "late start" days planned for one of the schedule options, nor enough specialized buses (e.g. buses with lifts) to transport students to "zero hour."  If additional buses were purchased and drivers were hired, the district doesn't have the space to park additional buses.  Dave Colburn said that one of the reasons the board was looking at different options for the MHS class schedule was due to issues with equity between the different grade levels in terms of planning, collaboration, and professional development time.  It might be possible to rearrange the MHS schedule and save money, with the savings used to provide the elementary level with more planning and collaboration time.  The MHS schedule topic was for discussion only, and the board plans to discuss it again in two weeks.

Riley County Commission Dec. 27, 2012

Joan Strickler, observer

Commissioners Lewis and McCulloh present, Lewis presiding.

The Commissioners returned to the meeting room at 9:00 am after executive sessions regarding department head evaluations. County Counselor Clancy Holeman discussed provisions of a draft agreement to form a Metropolitan Planning Organization for cooperative transportation planning.  He said there may be a proposal to add some cash basis language to the agreement.  Commissioner McCulloh observed that means if you don’t have the money you don’t have to pay.  The figures used in the draft of the proposed agreement pertaining to payment allocations will be spelled out more precisely such as 59.9% rather than rounded out to 60%.

Preparations are being made to close out the County’s existing law library.  A major goal will be to get all the books out on time.  Law books will be offered for sale and those left will be given free to interested persons.  While the goal is to vacate the property by January 31, Holeman advises paying the rent through February to insure adequate time for the move.

Holeman said there is some concern expressed by the Kansas Association of Counties that the Legislature may make an effort to place financial responsibilities for electronic filing costs on the counties.  Also it appears there may be plans to place more responsibility for court expenses on counties for payment of court filing costs.  Possibly even county prosecutors will be charged filing fees.

A public hearing was held on 2012 budget amendments involving line item shifts.  Nothing resulted in additional tax costs to Riley County.

EMS Director Larry Couchman reported on progress regarding a transfer of EMS reserve account funds from Via Christi to the County.

 

 

Riley County Commission mtg 12-20-12

All  Commissioners present.

After routine business, Pat Collins, Director of Emergency Management, asked for approval of the plan to donate surplus equipment to the State Dept. of Forestry. It is mainly older air bottles, some not up to current standards, but which could be brought up. All of his department's new bottles are certified at high pressure. The gift would be with the condition that they be brought to certification level by the Forestry Dept. Commissioners approved the request 3-0.

Josh Kyle, RCPD, presented a request for fencing along an unwanted foot path to prevent damage to grass and exposure of vehicles to vandalism. KS Fencing, Inc. submitted the only bid for a chain link fence at a cost of $7,380.13, installed, and a decorative fence would cost $18,797.40. Funds are available in the maintenance fund. Commissioners Approved the chain link fence 2-1.  Ms. McCulloh objected to the expense and suggested maybe a sidewalk would be more practical.

Clancy Holeman, Counselor/Dir. of Admin., presented the latest draft of the Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization's agreement on transportation planning, including make-up of the policy board. Several approval stages are planned through the end of December and early January. All the governing bodies involved must approve a final version as soon as possible, according to KDOT. Proposed changes should be presented by Jan. 4. The city is expecting to approve a version on Jan 22.  The county will vote on Jan. 10, including the Fiscal Agreement, which is a separate document.

Jennifer Wilson, Extension Director, said a statewide survey process will help them with program development for next fall. There are 2 vacancies on the Fair Board. Ms. Wilson recommended Mark Fritson for District #1, and she is waiting to hear from two potential appointees for District #3. This is a very active board, and they meet 6 times per year and work extra during the fair and its lead-up. Kristin Garcia, Extension 4-H Project Director, said the program kick-off was a huge success. Fifty people came through, including many enthusiastic families. Activities included making yeast bread, creating food gift baskets, and "gifts in a jar." The next subject will be "Fiber Fun: needlework, sewing, and fashion." Ms. Wilson said they currently have 297 4-H members, of which 51 are first year. In answer to a question from Ms. McCulloh, she said maybe by next spring or summer they would work out an agreement with Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Brad Schoen, RCPD Director, said there have not been many accidents since last night's snow. Officers are responding only to accidents involving injuries or road blockage. People in minor accidents should report to RCPD within 48 hours. There will be two funerals on Saturday for fallen police officers in Topeka. RCPD has offered to send officers to help with traffic and dispatch so Topeka officers may attend the funerals and joint gatherings to follow.  The RCPD honor guard will attend the funerals, and our flag will be at half staff until after the ceremonies. The HVAC work at LEC is postponed since the crane broke down. They will continue the work the week of Jan. 7.  In February or March, they will begin their budgeting process. Director Schoen has met with the 2 newly-elected Commissioners. Plans for New Year's Eve are basically the same as last year, with minor changes. The celebration in Aggieville has usually presented no exceptional problems for RCPD. When asked about Fake Paddy's Day, he said he hopes to have conversations with Aggieville merchants and work out cooperative plans.


Submitted by Lyndal Nyberg.

County Commission Dec. 17, 1012

All commissioners present

Karen Hibbard, facilitator for the proposed Flint Hills Regional Welcome Center Project gave a presentation about the Center. It will involve Riley, Pottawatomie, Geary, Wabaunsee, and Morris Counties along with fort Riley. After studying possible locations, the proposed site is at the interchange of I-70 and Highway 177. The project could include not only gasoline and restroom facilities, but a place for displays of interesting/educational materials about the Flint Hills and the surrounding are, an information desk, gift shop, convenience store and perhaps a restaurant. The second floor design includes a terrace, meeting rooms, and offices. The hope is that people who stop, if they are on their way somewhere else, will be intrigued and perhaps stop and visit the area on their return, or even make a special trip to see what the are has to offer.

      Ann Smith from ATAbus thanked the commission for their continuing support. Ridership has been very good – over expectations by 11%. Construction of their new building will begin Jan 2.

      Pat Collins reported on the 13^th annual Riley county firefighters banquet. Around 150 people attended. Paul Bosh, who founded the banquet and his family attended. Congratulations were given to Battalion Chief Dough Messer for winning the prestigious Harold Bellman Outstand service award. He is a 20 year veteran of the department with 17 years as Asst. Fire Chief. Chris McCush from station 5 took home the Most Active Fire fighter for 2012 with over 350 hours of service. Charles Barton was rookie of the year with more than 140 hours of service in his first year.

      Barry Wilkerson, County Attorney, gave his year end report and plans for the future. One concern is the lack of mental health facilities. The same people come through the courts again and again. The community needs to know the facts so they can support an effort for these facilities, especially where funding has been cut. Wilkerson also said that courthouse space is becoming limited, for example when audio-visual displays are needed for trials. Lack of courtrooms and space is the biggest problem as well as financial support for KBI labs for DNA and other testing. The delays are way too long.

      Julie Merklin, observer

County Commission Dec. 13, 2012

BOCC Dec 13, 2012

   All Commissioners present.

The Commission appointed 14 county residents to 9 different county boards with terms beginning Jan 1, 2013.

Lyle Butler, Manhattan area chamber of commerce, thanked outgoing commissioners McCullough and Johnson for their work.  Butler said the statistics for the city are strong, and the unemployment rate is low.  The city is eighth in size in the state, but fifth in retail shopping.  Complete statistics for 2012 will be out in January

Eileen King, Treasurer, gave her monthly report.  Among the items, sales tax is $208,000 over budget estimates.  These numbers are from Nov. of 2011 through Oct 2012.  She expressed concern about proposed cuts in sales tax proposed by the governor.

Rich Vargo, county Clerk, gave a report of his department’s accomplishments and goals.  The biggest item this past year was the 2012 election which went well.

                Susan Kufahl, Health Dept. Director said that the Flu season started early this year but it is still not too late to get a shot.  They have been notified that their Early Childhood Block Grant has been recommended for funding and they hope to hear that is has been fully funded.

                The Kansas Dept of Ag. has indicated that they will send a user-friendly ongoing report for Riley County restaurant inspections that can be posted on their website.

                The first public health advisory board meeting is scheduled for Jan 23 at 4 p.m.

                There was a lengthy presentation and discussion of the long range facility plan for the county building(s).  The presentation included slides with pictures and diagrams produced by Brent Bowman.   This is just very preliminary and much discussion and analysis of space needs will occur in the future.

Julie Merklin, observer

USD 383 Board of Education

Dec. 5, 2012
Kathy Dzewaltowski, observer

Board members discussed varying options for the class schedule at MHS.  A task force had met several times with the charge to research scheduling options and to recommend three to the board.  The task force presented its three recommendations to the board, which included maintaining the current 7-hour schedule, a modified 7-hour schedule with block time, and a 6-hour schedule with an early "0 hour."  The current 7-hour schedule allows students to meet graduation requirements while having the opportunities to pursue elective courses.  The modified 7-hour schedule would have longer class periods on Wednesdays and Thursdays, which would allow for deeper discussions, more time for science labs and art projects, teacher collaboration, and student advisory time.  The 6-hour schedule with 0 hour would eliminate 0 hour on Wednesdays and replace it with student advisory time.  The 6-hour plus 0 hour schedule would allow for a reduction in staff, which would be a cost savings.  However, the availability of transportation for students to get to 0 hour was a concern.  Teachers and students who were surveyed preferred to maintain the current 7-hour schedule.  The item was for discussion only.