911 Dispatch System Costs, Hiring Freeze, 911 Dispatch Center Ready for Construction

The County Board of Commissioners met last night. While there were several significant issues on the agenda, only one turned out to be controversial.

We considered a resolution that would extend the contract with the company that maintains the county emergency 911 dispatch system. As faithful readers of this blog may recall, several years ago the county approved a new emergency dispatch 911 system that was paid for with 911 millage dollars. The system went from an inefficient analog system to what was supposed to be a much better digital system. We looked at various proposals and, in the end, chose M/A Com to install and maintain the system. Over the course of that contract, many problems arose. There were significant problems with 911 dispatch calls dropped in the southwest part of Lansing, resulting in police officers having to use cell phones instead of radios and in increased staffing needed. The company technically met the qualifications of the contract, and the Board of Commissioners was very upset that M/A Com would not fix the problem without a significant purchase from the county. In the end, the county paid but also received discounted maintenance.

Fast forward to last night. The Board considered a resolution that would extend the maintenance contract with Harris (which was formerly M/A Com). The contract originally proposed by Harris called for a 7% increase in the first year and 3% increases in years two through five. The company’s argument was that they had more equipment to maintain because of the problems that we needed to fix in southwest Lansing. County staff told the company that this amount was too high, and Harris agreed to lower this to 5% then 3% for the balance (for a total of about $1.5 million over 5 years). When this came before the Board in Finance last week, the committee still thought that was too high but the company was only willing to discount this another $15,000.

When it came before the Board last night, I strenuously objected to this amount. The County has had $7-8 million dollar deficits and our tax collections have been going down. We have questioned every vendor about why we should be paying 3% or more when inflation is not at that amount and County revenues are not going up at that rate. I reminded commissioners that Harris received increases of 5.5% over the last two years as part of the current contract, and expressed opposition to the resolution before us. Several Commissioners agreed and we had a good discussion and debate about what we could do to reduce this amount.

During debate staff alerted us that the contract ends on Friday, and if we don’t extend it we would have no one to service the contract for 911 dispatch. That made many of us very mad because it seemed as if we were being backed into a corner and would have to approve this contract. I proposed a shorter renewal time so we could work out a new rate with the company, but logistically that was not possible. I then worked with Commissioner Grebner to craft language that creates a 90-day termination clause, and language that instructs staff to get a better rate from the company. If the company refuses to provide a better rate, we have instructed staff to start a bid process to ask other companies for competitive prices to maintain the system. This passed unanimously. So the county agreed to the contact for now, but will look at others who can provide this service and will change systems if Harris doesn’t come down with the rates. Even though the system now seems to be working, I am again very disappointed in this company and expect that we will revisit this again soon.

In other action, the Board took steps to close our budget gap for next year (2011 calendar year) by passing a hiring freeze. The county currently has a hiring freeze for all positions supported by the general fund. The resolution passed last night will extend that through December 2011, and will include all county positions. Department Heads will be able to request waivers to the hiring freeze when necessary from the County Services Committee. The Controller/Administrator will also have authority to exempt positions from the hiring freeze in cases where positions are funded primarily from non-general fund sources. This resolution will minimize the affect of anticipated position reductions in 2011 and years after, and will free up more county positions for employees that could be laid off. It would also provide more vacant positions to be evaluated for additional permanent position reductions.

The Board also last night passed the final resolution needed to get the new 911 dispatch started for construction by authorizing the Building Authority to contract with the Architect/Engineering (A/E) and Construction Management (CM) Firms to begin the design process for the Ingham County Consolidated 911 Dispatch Center. We also approved $500,000 from 911 Funds for preliminary costs associated with this project. As previously reported, the Ingham County Consolidated 911 Dispatch Center site has been approved to be located on County owned land just west of the CMH property on Jolly Road in Lansing. We expect the project to cost about $5.2 million ($4,000,000 for the building and $1.2 Million to equip the facility and establish a contingency fund). We have also worked out all the legacy cost agreements with Lansing and East Lansing, so it seems that we are now ready to finalize constructions costs through our PLA policy and begin construction. Yay!

Tonight the Finance Committee meets and will finalize the budget to be presented to the Board of Commissioners. I will report on in a future blog when the budget is considered by the full Board. I also have two other committees meeting next week. October is shaping up to be a busy month (and that doesn’t include the election coming up!).

Special Guest Blogger: Commissioner Bahar-Cook on Judicial and Juvenile Justice Issues

This week, I have as a special guest blogger Commissioner Rebecca Bahar-Cook. I have known her for many years and treasure her as a colleague and as a friend. She is one of the brightest people I know, especially in the areas of the judiciary and juvenile justice needs in Ingham County, and her constituents in downtown and NW Lansing are lucky to have her service. So without further ado, I give you Ingham County Commissioner Rebecca Baher-Cook!

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Hello all! My name is Rebecca Bahar-Cook and I have the pleasure of being the second guest blogger for Commissioner Schor. I too, serve on the County Commission and have the privilege of representing the 4^th District, which covers NW Lansing including our downtown.

Commissioner McGrain filled you in what is going on in the County’s Human Services Department. I’d like to let you know a little bit more about our Judiciary and some amazing programs Ingham County has developed to better handle our at-risk and adjudicated juvenile population.

When I was 15-years-old my father was shot and killed by two youth under the age of 18 – the only things they took were his watch and his wallet. As you can imagine, that was a terrible tragedy for my family.

But, my family wasn’t the only one affected by this crime – so were the families of the two young boys who committed the crime. Neither of them were first offenders and I imagine neither of them thought they had very many options open to them.

I strongly believe that the citizens of Ingham County would want to prevent such a crime from taking place here. And that is exactly the purpose of the Juvenile Justice Millage (JJM) the voters of Ingham County have twice passed. All too often children who show at-risk behavior, such as truancy, end up getting into more and more trouble as they get older. Programs funded by the JJM do more than just lock-up our youth and forget about them. We offer these kids the opportunity to change their lives by taking real responsibility for themselves and their behavior.

For example, the Ingham Academy offers adjudicated youth who have been suspended or expelled from school a chance to earn their high school diploma. If so determined by the court, students are picked up from their homes each morning, driven to the Academy, where they spend a full day in school and are then driven home. Many of these youth are also involved in the PRIDE Program that offers after-school tutoring and activities. Students at the Academy have started an urban farm with fruits and vegetable planted right outside their classrooms. Chickens have been added to our urban farm and bee keeping is next on the agenda. These children are court ordered to attend school. If they misbehave or are not ready for school in the morning they will appear before the Court immediately. The youth agree to these terms and are held responsible for their actions moving forward.

The Academy offers these students the opportunity to learn first-hand about capitalism and free market enterprises. They are also learning about nutrition and ways to prepare healthy foods. Last year they bottled salsa made out of items from the garden and I’m told selling honey is next! These kids are learning that they do have options. Those options might not always be easy, and there are repercussions if they don’t hold up their end of the bargain, but these children are productive and learning to be proud of their abilities. The Academy is also partnering with Lansing Community College to offer our graduates additional opportunities to improve their lives by improving their education.

Members of the Ingham County Bench, Court Staff and Ingham County Commissioners have all come together to examine the way we treat our youth. In addition to the Ingham Academy I encourage all readers to find out more about Project Impact (also partially funded with JJM funds). Project Impact is a partnership with Mental Health and the Courts to look at the root causes of difficult behavior, many of which include mental health issues. Teen Court, Child and Family Services and the Dispute Resolution Center of Central Michigan all received grants to service youth in our county from the millage to evaluate and offer solutions to problem behaviors that keep our children out of the court system.

There is still much work to be done, but I am so proud of what Ingham County is doing for our youth. I often wonder if my father would still be alive if his murderers, those children, had been given other options. If they had been involved in Project Impact or the Ingham Academy three families might not have suffered the pain of what happened to me in 1985.

Please feel free to contact me directly if you would like to learn more.

And, just because Andy is such a Michigan fan and Ingham County is the home of MSU . . . GO STATE!

Special Guest Blogger: Commissioner Brian McGrain on Human Services

For the next two weeks, I have decided to get the perspective of other commissioners. With the budget now in full swing, and with Human Services (like the Health Department) one of the key areas that we focus on at the county, I thought this week would be an appropriate time to hear from the chair of the county Human Services Committee. So I introduce to you this week's guest blogger - Commissioner Brian McGrain:

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Many thanks to Commissioner Schor for asking me to provide guest commentary on the actions of your Ingham County Commission this week. I am pleased to be serving in my first term on the Commission this year, and am currently seeking re-election. My District (District #3) is comprised of the north-eastern sections of Lansing and Lansing Townships (a reverse L-shaped district running approximately from the Lansing Center in the west along Michigan Avenue to Frandor and then up through Groesbeck to Eastwood Towne Center). I have lived in the Lansing area for 16 years, and have resided in my current east-side residence for over 8 years.

I am especially pleased to be chairing the Human Services Committee of the Commission this year. This Committee provides oversight to Ingham County’s social service activities, and includes activities of the Health Department, Community Mental Health, Human Services, the Mid-South Substance Abuse Commission, MSU Extension, and Veterans Affairs, among others. Annually, the Commission establishes areas of priority emphasis guiding the budget process. Among the long-term objectives supported by the Commission are: preventing and controlling disease; promoting accessible health care; and assisting in meeting basic needs. These objectives are met through support of the various departments reporting to the Human Services Committee.

The overall budget for this service area in 2011 will be over $73 million, of which over $17 million is provided by county general fund dollars. These figures represent about 40% of all county expenditures, and about 25% of the general fund overall. The large amount of financial support provided to care for our County’s residents illustrates that the intent to meet our objectives is of key importance to us. However, it is also important to note that three-quarters of the money spent on these services actually comes from other sources, such as through the state and federal government. Our high level of commitment to this arena allows us to draw down significant matching support for our community.

I must admit, going into our budget cycle for the 2011 calendar year, I was concerned that there were going to be significant cuts to what we could afford. I had heard that we would be facing anywhere from a $4 to $7 million budget shortfall. Our Controller presented us with a proposed budget in August that spelled out a predicted $6.4 million shortfall. Thankfully, our Controller also proposed a number of expenditure changes and budget reductions to help close the gap. Many of our departments were asked to tighten their belts and come up with anywhere from 5-10% in budget reductions. Our Health Department, for instance, decreased their budget by over $1 million. We are hopeful that these budget reductions (some of which also tie hand-in-hand to revenue enhancements) won’t detrimentally affect levels of service to our community. We are also exploring ways to deliver services differently and more affordably, such as by opening up our own group home for teenage boys.

The Human Services Committee on August 30 passed its portion of the 2011 budget with minimal fanfare. Our Finance Committee will meet later this month to take a look at all the budgets that have been passed (including those for Law Enforcement, Judiciary, and County Services) and to consider any changes that might need to be made. A completed budget will be before the entire Commission shortly thereafter for approval, well before January 1, 2011. If only the State were so efficient! (I suppose this is the situation to be had when one has a well-managed county staff and a leadership team made up overwhelmingly of Democrats.)

While we are rapidly closing in on a balanced budget for 2011, many of us on the Commission are already concerned about our 2012 budget. We expect another budget shortfall, but we are already taking steps to begin preparing for the difficult decisions we will face next year. As always, we encourage community residents to contact us with questions about our activities and also proposed solutions to the situations we may be encountering. While we know that we have to tighten our belt, we also pride ourselves at having been a County that has provided innovative programming to support our residents. If I may ever be of service to you, I invite you to contact me at bmcgrain@ingham.org.

Best wishes to all for the remainder of 2010 and beyond,

Brian McGrain

Dog Park, Animal Control and Zoo Events

With the budget underway, the one controversial issue on our plate right now is the upcoming dog park fees. I have talked to several people about this issue. Interestingly enough, the Lansing State Journal had an article about this. The article was fairly balanced and seems to indicate that regular users of the park like the fees for the safety and protection of their own dogs, and to ensure that dogs are licensed. The headline, though, said that people were upset about the fee (which was only mildly reflected in the article). Several people I have spoken with support the fees, but have suggested to me that the fees should be lower. One proposal I am exploring is for the fees to equal the park fees, and promotion of the north entry into the dog park. That way, people don’t have to pay Hawk Island fees as well as the Dog Park fees if they are not planning to use Hawk Island. We would have to lower the fee recommended by staff, and I am exploring the consequences of that. I am also trying to figure out who from the county told the Lansing State Journal that this is a done deal when the county hasn’t even considered this yet. I know that there is a sign, which the City is free to put up because they own the property…but the county has not yet made the decision to support this fee yet (contrary to what people think). This issue will be decided over the next few weeks.

While I have some space available, I am gonna promote some upcoming events…

Our outstanding animal control department has informed commissioners about the following pet program coming up:

Neighborhood Vaccination & Licensing Program for low income pet owners
Date: Friday Sept. 10th 11 AM-5 PM
Location: Patrol Division Bldg (Old North Precinct) 740 May Street Lansing 48906
Info: Rabies vaccinations are free for any dog getting a license that day. Cat Rabies vaccination is free. Micro-chipping for dogs and cats is ONLY $15. Cat & Dog Distemper vaccines are $5. Veterinarians are volunteering their time to help the low income pet owners of Ingham County receive vaccinations that they might not otherwise receive. For more information call 517 676-8373 This program is made possible through donations, fees, sponsorships and volunteers.

The zoo also has a series of upcoming events. Check these out:

September 12
Grandparents Day at the Zoo
9 a.m to 6 p.m.
Activities from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
General Admission Rates Apply (free for county grandparents)
In honor of the day, all grandparents residing in Ingham County will receive free admission to the Zoo. Activities begin at 11 am and include a special Grandparents' Day themed animal enrichment, activities for the whole family, live animal presentations and much more.

September 12
Eagle Owl Exhibit Grand Opening
9 a.m to 6 p.m.
General Admission Rates Apply (free for county grandparents)
Join us on Sunday, September 12 as we celebrate the grand opening of the new Eurasian Eagle Owl exhibit. The approximately 1,060-square-foot exhibit will be home to two of the Zoo's Eurasian Eagle Owls. The exhibit is located just south of the previous Eagle Owl enclosure.

September 16
Wine and Stein
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
$20 per person for members; $25 for non-members
Autumn is beautiful at the zoo and this is your chance to stroll the grounds on a cool evening, sipping some wonderful wines and beers and eating fabulous hors d'oeuvres from Lansing area restaurants! Must be 21 years of age and older to attend.

September 19, 2010
Horsepower at the Zoo
10 am to 2:30pm
Standard Parking Fee (event is outside of the Zoo)
Put the pedal to the metal and cruise on out to the Potter Park Zoo. See cool classic cars, antique autos and vintage hot rods while strolling the park grounds... all for the price of parking!

September 19, 2010
Tailgate for the Animals
1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
General Admission Rates Apply - Show your student ID and receive a 50% discount! Spartan and Wolverine fans are invited to begin the big game festivities early this year with a special day at Potter Park Zoo. Watch live enrichments as the animals of Potter Park Zoo make their prediction of who will win the big game.

If you are interested in finding out more about upcoming events at Potter Park Zoo please visit: www.potterparkzoo.org.