Sorry for this blog being late again. As you can imagine, things are very busy right now...but I am still committed to getting out the information about the Board of Commissioners!
We had a full Board of Commissioners meeting this week. We first took up the resolution creating a road advisory board for the Ingham County Department of Transportation and Roads. Commissioner Holman explained that the resolution sets up an advisory board made up of the 16 township supervisors and/or their representatives from throughout the county. This advisory board will assist the managing director with strategic planning, reviewing data and projects for federal aid, reviewing and recommending on local construction, etc. Commissioner Bahar-Cook offered an amendment to tighten up procedure moving forward, which requires the advisory board to report back to the Board of Commissioners regarding any changes to the advisory board within 6 months, and to actually make changes within 18 months. The amendment passed unanimously, and resolution passed 15-1 (Commissioner DeLeon opposed it).
We then considered a resolution calling for access to preventative health care including contraception, with no co-pays or cost sharing. We have clinics at our health centers that deal with contraception, so this resolution does pertain to county business. The Lansing Area National Organization for Women asked us to consider this to express our support for access to preventative health care services for contraception for women and to strongly support insurance without co-pays or cost sharing for contraception. We had two amendments offered to this resolution. With the US Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act still in doubt at that time (we met on Tuesday), we passed an amendment offered by Commissioner Rebecca Baher-Cook (she was really busy this week!) to remove all language referencing that Act in our resolution. . We didn't want to pass a resolution based on that Act since it could be struck down. This amendment passed unanimously.
Commissioner Victor Celentino next offered an amendment. He said that there is good language in the resolution, but is concerned about the implications on religious institutions. He specifically was concerned that churches would have to offer contraception when they do not believe in that as part of their religions practice. His amendment would call for exempting religious institutions. There were questions, though, about what religious institutions would be exempt from having to provide coverage by those that have religious beliefs against these services. Would it be churches, or would it be hospital systems that are religious-based? Several indicated that religious liberties are important, as indicated by the president recently, but that this language goes too far. I asked if anyone had any clarification language since this was considered confusing in committee. I indicated that we should be consistent with federal law. Commissioner Celentino said that he things that this would just be for churches. Commissioners Tennis and Koenig indicated they thought that we solved this issue by removing references to the Affordable Care Act and instead just saying that we encourage protection for contraception without co-pays. The amendment failed on a 5-11 vote, and the resolution passed on an 11-5 vote.
Finally, we considered a resolution that increases monetary awards to continue Child and Adolescent Health Centers in Lansing. Commissioner Schafer indicated support, but stated that at one time there were clinics in Weberville, Leslie, and Stockbridge, and that there is no coverage to those parts of the county now. He implored the Commission to remember the southern part of the county, and and that there is no access in the southern part. needs across the county should be looked at.
Commissioner DeLeon responded saying that those people have the same access at any of the clinics, and that those clinics were closed for lack of use, Commissioner Grebner expanded on this, saying that when there were lots of migrant farm workers, there was usage a greater use of public clinics in these parts of the county. When those populations went away due to the mechanization of farming, though, the need was no longer there. He said we have cost-effective clinics, which the Republicans should love, and that money in clinics goes to where there is the population. The resolution passed unanimously.
Are you interested in improving the health of your community? The Ingham County Health Department (with the Eaton, Ingham, Clinton Health!CapitolCounties initiative) is holding community dialogue sessions to discuss our health issues, stories, and experiences! In Lansing, the session is at the Cooley Temple Conference Center (217 S. Capitol Avenue) on Tuesday, July 17th from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Light refreshments will be provided. Those interested in registering or who want more information about this project can go to www.healthycapitalcounties.org . There are also sessions in St Johns, Charlotte, Dansville, DeWitt, East Lansing, and Eaton Rapids. If you want information on those, or have other questions, please call (517) 887-4428 or email info@healthycapitalcounties.org. Registration is limited based on the size of the venue, so register early!
Campaign Update: The campaign continues to go exceptionally well. Absentee ballots are now available, and you can call the City Clerk for a ballot. We have hit many, many houses (announcement to come!) and have gained a few more big endorsements (announcement to come!). Last week, we announced that the Police Officers Association of Michigan and the Michigan Association of Police Organizations endorsed my campaign. We also announced the National Organization of Women supports me, which is critical as the Republicans continue to target women in their legislation. Fundraising has also continued to come in well, and we expect to be funded for our needs through the rest of the campaign. We have many people out knocking doors for me, and we hope to have many more throughout July and the first week of August. 20 days until election day! Please go to www.andyschor.com or email me at andy.schor@gmail.com if you want to knock doors, need a yard sign, want to make a contribution, or want to help the campaign in any other way. Thanks everyone for all your help!!!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Health Care Millage, Child & Adolescent Health Centers, Contraception and Preventative Care, County Road Advisory Board, Clerk Data, Campaign Update
This week we had committees and spent many hours talking about many important issues.
In the Human Services Committee, we again discussed the request from the Ingham Health Plan to place a millage on the November ballot for funding access to care for the uninsured in Ingham County.
The IHP, along with the Health Department, gave an extensive presentation. They said we have seen a a decline in Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) dollars from the federal government, so our primary funding may be going away. There are 32,000 uninsured in Ingham County. The current enrollment for the IHP is 11,500. In order to enroll more, we need higher reimbursement rates for providers so that we have more providers that will accept IHP. Provider capacity is key to increasing enrollment and reducing wait times. We also need more specialty care. The Ingham Health Plan is requesting that the Commissioners place a millage of 0.61 on the November 6th ballot. If approved by the voters, this would mean a home with $50,000 in taxable value would pay $30.50 per year. It would raise $4 million annually. The proposal would have the millage money maintain enrollment capacity, expand access by increasing reimbursement rates, allow for benefit adjustments, and assist in building greater provider capacity.
In discussion, I indicated that I am not ready to vote for this until we have some answers. The first big question to be answered is what the U.S. Supreme Court does with the Affordable Care Act (referred to as Obama-Care by some). This will play a big role in deciding if there is a need for a millage, and what would it would be used for. The IHP has indicated a need either way. If the Act is struck down, the money would be used to pay for what the federal government would have paid for. If the Act is sustained, the IHP thinks the millage money can be used to get to the 100% goal that Ingham County set many years ago. It could be used for people that make more than the IHP requirements, but still don't have insurance. There are
31,700 total uninsured in Ingham County. I expect that we will be finalizing this at the next Human Services meeting, where we will know the the ruling of the Supreme Court.
We also passed a resolution regarding funding the Child & Adolescent Health Centers. We receive money from the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), which provided a total of $3.375 million over five years. MDCH notified the Health Department’s Community Health Center Network (CHCN) of an increase in funding of approximately 10% (up to $375,000 total or up to $75,000 per year). The new grant allocations for the Child & Adolescent Health Centers are:
• Gardner SWP - $110,000 (currently $100,000)
• Willow - $250,000 (currently $225,000)
• Otto - $195,000 (currently $175,000)
• Sexton - $195,000 (currently $175,000)
The new base allocations will take effect this current fiscal year, 2012, and will be applicable to costs for the remainder of the fiscal year. MDCH plans to continue the new allocations for the remainder of the grant cycle, through FY 2017, upon approval of a revised budget and work plan. MDCH conducted its three year review of the child and adolescent health center programs and strongly encouraged the CHCN to use these additional funds to address issues related to:
• Patient Centered Medical Home recognition
• Quality Assurance activities, including compliance monitoring
• Outreach and Enrollment activities related to Medicaid and other health insurance
• Outreach Activities related to youth retention and engagement
As a result, the CHCN will use these additional funds for the following activities:
• Contract with KMD Consulting for up to $35,000 per year, not to exceed $175,000 over the five year period to assist in coordinating Patient Centered Medical Home activities, assist in the development, tracking and training related to ongoing compliance monitoring, assist in outreach and enrollment activities to ensure youth are enrolled in an insurance plan and to assist in outreach and engagement activities to recruit and retain youth in care.
• Engage in health education and outreach activities at each of its four child and adolescent health centers for $35,000 per year, not to exceed $175,000 over the five year period to be used to fund special part time health advocates who will conduct outreach activities related to youth retention and engagement. In addition, as a condition of these awards, the Ingham CHCN was required to establish a local community advisory committee, which was representative of the community and included a broad range of stakeholders and school staff. Resolution 11-235 approved an agreement with the School Community Health Alliance of Michigan with a cost of up to $25,000 for these services. MDCH is now requiring the CHCN to allocate funds
to establish a local community advisory committee at each of its four Child and Adolescent Health Centers. For this reason, the ICHD proposes to increase this agreement to up to $30,000 per year, not to exceed $150,000.
Finally, we passed a resolution in the Human Services Committee that expresses support for access to preventative health care services, including contraception for all women, and strongly supporting insurance coverage of contraception without co-pays. The resolution made the following arguments. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires new health insurance plans to cover women's preventive health care services without co-pays or cost-sharing on August 1, 2012. This is the same as other preventative services including immunizations and well-child physician services. The intent of Congress to require health insurance plans to cover preventive services was to encourage and invest in basic health care services to improve health outcomes for all Americans. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) - an independent, nonpartisan medical body - has conducted a scientific review and recommended that contraception be considered a preventive service for women under the Affordable Care Act as family planning services improve health care outcomes and wellness for women and families. Access to family planning is directly linked to declines in maternal and infant mortality rates. Contraception enables women to better prevent unintended pregnancy and plan for pregnancy when they do want to have a child, when women plan their pregnancies, they are more likely to seek prenatal care, improving their own health and the health of their children. In addition to the primary purpose of allowing women to plan and prepare for pregnancy, other health benefits of contraception include reduced risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers, ectopic pregnancy, iron deficiency anemia related to heavy menstruation, osteoporosis, ovarian cysts, and pelvic inflammatory disease. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) accepted the recommendation of the IOM, and will therefore require U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved contraceptive methods to be covered by all new health plans without co-pays or cost-sharing. Co-payments and other cost-sharing are barriers to accessing affordable contraception with consequences reflected in sobering statistics concerning unintended pregnancy, and the U.S. has one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancy among the world's most developed nations and consistently lags behind other developed nations in maternal and infant mortality rankings. The cost of the prescription is a major factor in consistent use of prescription birth control, co-pays for birth control pills typically range between $15 and $80 per month, and for other methods, such as IUDs, copays and other out-of-pocket expenses can reach into the hundreds of dollars. Access to health care services, including contraception, is consistent with current policy, including existing federal and state refusal laws. While twenty-eight states require health insurance plans that cover prescription drugs to cover contraception, Michigan does not. As a result of all of these arguments, the resolution expressed support of the County Board of Commissioners for access to preventive health care services, including contraception, for all women and strongly supported insurance coverage of contraception without co-pays and cost-sharing.
Commissioner Vickers said that unintended pregnancies create problems, and insurance companies should provide prescription coverage for these things, but he said he is against resolutions that do not deal with county business. He also indicated that the Affordable Care Act interesting because he has heard from businesses that it is cheaper not to offer insurance and pay the fine than to provide health insurance. Questions were also asked why it would call for no co-pays, and it was pointed out that other services (well child, immunizations, others) do not have co-pays in order to ensure prevention.
A late substitute was offered that included language saying that the Board of Commissioners supports the constitutionality of religious liberty by providing exemptions for religious-based institutions. There was a discussion about the meaning of religious-based institutions. Commissioner Tennis said he would support exemptions for churches, but religious-based hospital systems. We were told that the Affordable Care Act has language saying that employees of religious institutions don't have to abide by things that they have religious objections to. The language will likely be clarified and re-offered on the Commission floor on Tuesday. This resolution passed the Human Services Committee 4-2.
In County Services, we passed the resolution creating the county road advisory board for the Ingham county department of transportation and roads (as explained two weeks ago). We also had a lengthy discussion about the Lake Lansing North trail property. The County Commission had approved $25,000 for this project a few years ago but, apparently, ended up paying over $200,000 for the new trails property when the Department of Natural Resources did not come through with the money they committed. We are trying to figure out the County ended up on the hook and why the Board was not alerted nor asked to vote on this appropriation.
The County Clerk also gave an update on the deleted data. Software is being restored, and the company recovering the deleted data has been working on it for 2-3 weeks. We do not yet have an estimated time for the data to be restored. Once all the programs are back up and running, much of the data will need to be re-scanned back in and we have hired a Vendor to do this. It is approximately 150,000 records to be re-scanned and imported. The County Clerk, Information Systems, and hired vendors are doing a good job trying to re-create this.
On the campaign trail, things continue to be going well. We are receiving more and more endorsements, and are visiting voters at their doors. With just 44 days left before election day, the Schor for State Representative campaign continues in full swing! If you are interested in volunteering for a few hours, you can send the campaign a message at www.andyschor.com and we will put your time and/or money to good use!
In the Human Services Committee, we again discussed the request from the Ingham Health Plan to place a millage on the November ballot for funding access to care for the uninsured in Ingham County.
The IHP, along with the Health Department, gave an extensive presentation. They said we have seen a a decline in Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) dollars from the federal government, so our primary funding may be going away. There are 32,000 uninsured in Ingham County. The current enrollment for the IHP is 11,500. In order to enroll more, we need higher reimbursement rates for providers so that we have more providers that will accept IHP. Provider capacity is key to increasing enrollment and reducing wait times. We also need more specialty care. The Ingham Health Plan is requesting that the Commissioners place a millage of 0.61 on the November 6th ballot. If approved by the voters, this would mean a home with $50,000 in taxable value would pay $30.50 per year. It would raise $4 million annually. The proposal would have the millage money maintain enrollment capacity, expand access by increasing reimbursement rates, allow for benefit adjustments, and assist in building greater provider capacity.
In discussion, I indicated that I am not ready to vote for this until we have some answers. The first big question to be answered is what the U.S. Supreme Court does with the Affordable Care Act (referred to as Obama-Care by some). This will play a big role in deciding if there is a need for a millage, and what would it would be used for. The IHP has indicated a need either way. If the Act is struck down, the money would be used to pay for what the federal government would have paid for. If the Act is sustained, the IHP thinks the millage money can be used to get to the 100% goal that Ingham County set many years ago. It could be used for people that make more than the IHP requirements, but still don't have insurance. There are
31,700 total uninsured in Ingham County. I expect that we will be finalizing this at the next Human Services meeting, where we will know the the ruling of the Supreme Court.
We also passed a resolution regarding funding the Child & Adolescent Health Centers. We receive money from the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), which provided a total of $3.375 million over five years. MDCH notified the Health Department’s Community Health Center Network (CHCN) of an increase in funding of approximately 10% (up to $375,000 total or up to $75,000 per year). The new grant allocations for the Child & Adolescent Health Centers are:
• Gardner SWP - $110,000 (currently $100,000)
• Willow - $250,000 (currently $225,000)
• Otto - $195,000 (currently $175,000)
• Sexton - $195,000 (currently $175,000)
The new base allocations will take effect this current fiscal year, 2012, and will be applicable to costs for the remainder of the fiscal year. MDCH plans to continue the new allocations for the remainder of the grant cycle, through FY 2017, upon approval of a revised budget and work plan. MDCH conducted its three year review of the child and adolescent health center programs and strongly encouraged the CHCN to use these additional funds to address issues related to:
• Patient Centered Medical Home recognition
• Quality Assurance activities, including compliance monitoring
• Outreach and Enrollment activities related to Medicaid and other health insurance
• Outreach Activities related to youth retention and engagement
As a result, the CHCN will use these additional funds for the following activities:
• Contract with KMD Consulting for up to $35,000 per year, not to exceed $175,000 over the five year period to assist in coordinating Patient Centered Medical Home activities, assist in the development, tracking and training related to ongoing compliance monitoring, assist in outreach and enrollment activities to ensure youth are enrolled in an insurance plan and to assist in outreach and engagement activities to recruit and retain youth in care.
• Engage in health education and outreach activities at each of its four child and adolescent health centers for $35,000 per year, not to exceed $175,000 over the five year period to be used to fund special part time health advocates who will conduct outreach activities related to youth retention and engagement. In addition, as a condition of these awards, the Ingham CHCN was required to establish a local community advisory committee, which was representative of the community and included a broad range of stakeholders and school staff. Resolution 11-235 approved an agreement with the School Community Health Alliance of Michigan with a cost of up to $25,000 for these services. MDCH is now requiring the CHCN to allocate funds
to establish a local community advisory committee at each of its four Child and Adolescent Health Centers. For this reason, the ICHD proposes to increase this agreement to up to $30,000 per year, not to exceed $150,000.
Finally, we passed a resolution in the Human Services Committee that expresses support for access to preventative health care services, including contraception for all women, and strongly supporting insurance coverage of contraception without co-pays. The resolution made the following arguments. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires new health insurance plans to cover women's preventive health care services without co-pays or cost-sharing on August 1, 2012. This is the same as other preventative services including immunizations and well-child physician services. The intent of Congress to require health insurance plans to cover preventive services was to encourage and invest in basic health care services to improve health outcomes for all Americans. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) - an independent, nonpartisan medical body - has conducted a scientific review and recommended that contraception be considered a preventive service for women under the Affordable Care Act as family planning services improve health care outcomes and wellness for women and families. Access to family planning is directly linked to declines in maternal and infant mortality rates. Contraception enables women to better prevent unintended pregnancy and plan for pregnancy when they do want to have a child, when women plan their pregnancies, they are more likely to seek prenatal care, improving their own health and the health of their children. In addition to the primary purpose of allowing women to plan and prepare for pregnancy, other health benefits of contraception include reduced risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers, ectopic pregnancy, iron deficiency anemia related to heavy menstruation, osteoporosis, ovarian cysts, and pelvic inflammatory disease. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) accepted the recommendation of the IOM, and will therefore require U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved contraceptive methods to be covered by all new health plans without co-pays or cost-sharing. Co-payments and other cost-sharing are barriers to accessing affordable contraception with consequences reflected in sobering statistics concerning unintended pregnancy, and the U.S. has one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancy among the world's most developed nations and consistently lags behind other developed nations in maternal and infant mortality rankings. The cost of the prescription is a major factor in consistent use of prescription birth control, co-pays for birth control pills typically range between $15 and $80 per month, and for other methods, such as IUDs, copays and other out-of-pocket expenses can reach into the hundreds of dollars. Access to health care services, including contraception, is consistent with current policy, including existing federal and state refusal laws. While twenty-eight states require health insurance plans that cover prescription drugs to cover contraception, Michigan does not. As a result of all of these arguments, the resolution expressed support of the County Board of Commissioners for access to preventive health care services, including contraception, for all women and strongly supported insurance coverage of contraception without co-pays and cost-sharing.
Commissioner Vickers said that unintended pregnancies create problems, and insurance companies should provide prescription coverage for these things, but he said he is against resolutions that do not deal with county business. He also indicated that the Affordable Care Act interesting because he has heard from businesses that it is cheaper not to offer insurance and pay the fine than to provide health insurance. Questions were also asked why it would call for no co-pays, and it was pointed out that other services (well child, immunizations, others) do not have co-pays in order to ensure prevention.
A late substitute was offered that included language saying that the Board of Commissioners supports the constitutionality of religious liberty by providing exemptions for religious-based institutions. There was a discussion about the meaning of religious-based institutions. Commissioner Tennis said he would support exemptions for churches, but religious-based hospital systems. We were told that the Affordable Care Act has language saying that employees of religious institutions don't have to abide by things that they have religious objections to. The language will likely be clarified and re-offered on the Commission floor on Tuesday. This resolution passed the Human Services Committee 4-2.
In County Services, we passed the resolution creating the county road advisory board for the Ingham county department of transportation and roads (as explained two weeks ago). We also had a lengthy discussion about the Lake Lansing North trail property. The County Commission had approved $25,000 for this project a few years ago but, apparently, ended up paying over $200,000 for the new trails property when the Department of Natural Resources did not come through with the money they committed. We are trying to figure out the County ended up on the hook and why the Board was not alerted nor asked to vote on this appropriation.
The County Clerk also gave an update on the deleted data. Software is being restored, and the company recovering the deleted data has been working on it for 2-3 weeks. We do not yet have an estimated time for the data to be restored. Once all the programs are back up and running, much of the data will need to be re-scanned back in and we have hired a Vendor to do this. It is approximately 150,000 records to be re-scanned and imported. The County Clerk, Information Systems, and hired vendors are doing a good job trying to re-create this.
On the campaign trail, things continue to be going well. We are receiving more and more endorsements, and are visiting voters at their doors. With just 44 days left before election day, the Schor for State Representative campaign continues in full swing! If you are interested in volunteering for a few hours, you can send the campaign a message at www.andyschor.com and we will put your time and/or money to good use!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Joan Nelson Honored, Red Cross Workers' Rights, Foreclosures, 911 Plan, Campaign Update
This week at the Board meeting, we took up a few resolutions expressing the sense of the county. First, we honored Joan Nelson. Joan is the co-founder and Director of the Allen Neighborhood Center on the Eastside of Lansing. She is the driving force behind many community improvements on the east side, the farmers market, greenhouse and senior programs, and is now embarking on a commercial kitchen incubator and year-round food service endeavor. Joan was named the 2012 Woman of the Year by the Greater Lansing Woman Magazine, and I was proud to join with Commissioners McGrain and Bahar-Cook to bring this resolution to the Board. Joan spoke eloquently in thanking the Board and talking about everything going on at the Allen Street Center. The resolution, of course, passed unanimously.
We next passed a resolution urging the American Red Cross to preserve workers’ rights to collectively bargain and resolve the strike. On March 30, 2012, the American Red Cross Blood Services Division Workers of Lansing were forced to strike to protect their rights to collectively bargain. The national American Red Cross has expected its workers to accept staffing levels that could endanger blood supplies and have stated as part of their bargaining objectives that they wish to strip the rights of the workers to bargain over their wage package. There have been many safety violations assessed by the FDA resulting in millions of dollars worth of fines, and staff has been harassed and discriminated against for reporting such safety issues to the FDA. Additionally, the the American Red Cross has also been found guilty by the National Labor Relations Board of violating the rights of its workers by committing several unfair labor practices. As such, we passed a resolution strongly urging the American Red Cross to meet and bargain fairly with its employees to resolve this strike in an equitable manner that not only assists in protecting the blood supply, but also preserves workers’ rights to collectively bargain. Commissioner Schafer argued that this is not county business. Commissioner McGrain said that we should be concerned about things that concern the health and safety of our county. This affects our blood supply, and is very relevant. Commissioner Tennis agreed and said that we should examine these issues as part of our role as elected officials. People listen to our opinions, and we have an impact on our community which this greatly affects. The resolution passed 13 – 3.
We considered the contract with Legal Services of South Central Michigan. I explained this in depth last week. It deals with foreclosure assistance for Ingham County residents. Commissioner Dragonetti voting was the sole vote against this resolution. He said that he voted for the funding last year, but was opposing it this year because it is only a very small impact. He said that the lawsuit by the Register of Deeds really goes after the problem. By the time folks try to get help, it is actually too late. Register of Deeds Hertel strongly disagreed and said that it is not too late. He said that we have stopped foreclosures and gotten modifications for those facing foreclosures. He said that it is worth money we are spending and much more than that. Many people who had no legal access now have successful resolutions using this program. Additionally, we are saving people’s homes, so it is not too late. 140 people have been helped since July. I argued that this is an instance where a little bit of government money is going a long way to help our residents and that this is the best use of taxpayer dollars. Preventing foreclosure helps those people, helps the neighborhood, and helps the community because foreclosures bring down property values for everyone. Hertel also said that when title companies are forced to face the court and sanctions, they actually try to find the documents and make things right. Otherwise they don’t, and people won’t get to court and get things right, and will lose their homes when they shouldn’t. Commissioner Koenig also said that this is about the value of hope for these people. The resolution passed 15-1.
Finally, we had our public hearing on the new 911 Service Plan. State statute requires a 911 service plan. We needed to update it because of the consolidation of our 911 centers, so we adopted a new plan. The plan was provided to public agencies in the 911 service district and advertised through newspaper notification. No one opted out of the plan and there were no requested changes. Speaking of 911, we also opened our new 911 center this week. It was a great event. We had a last-minute problem when the FOP went to court and asked for an injunction because they believe their employees are not properly trained yet. This court action was the first that we had heard of this at the county. Our staff says that the employees have been provided significant training. I assume the County Services committee will look at this, but it will be played out in court.
The campaign continues to go exceedingly well. Voters are very engaged in the race. Fundraising is going well and we have our next fundraiser on Monday. If you are interested in contributing or volunteering, or just want to keep up with the campaign, please visit www.andyschor.com!
We next passed a resolution urging the American Red Cross to preserve workers’ rights to collectively bargain and resolve the strike. On March 30, 2012, the American Red Cross Blood Services Division Workers of Lansing were forced to strike to protect their rights to collectively bargain. The national American Red Cross has expected its workers to accept staffing levels that could endanger blood supplies and have stated as part of their bargaining objectives that they wish to strip the rights of the workers to bargain over their wage package. There have been many safety violations assessed by the FDA resulting in millions of dollars worth of fines, and staff has been harassed and discriminated against for reporting such safety issues to the FDA. Additionally, the the American Red Cross has also been found guilty by the National Labor Relations Board of violating the rights of its workers by committing several unfair labor practices. As such, we passed a resolution strongly urging the American Red Cross to meet and bargain fairly with its employees to resolve this strike in an equitable manner that not only assists in protecting the blood supply, but also preserves workers’ rights to collectively bargain. Commissioner Schafer argued that this is not county business. Commissioner McGrain said that we should be concerned about things that concern the health and safety of our county. This affects our blood supply, and is very relevant. Commissioner Tennis agreed and said that we should examine these issues as part of our role as elected officials. People listen to our opinions, and we have an impact on our community which this greatly affects. The resolution passed 13 – 3.
We considered the contract with Legal Services of South Central Michigan. I explained this in depth last week. It deals with foreclosure assistance for Ingham County residents. Commissioner Dragonetti voting was the sole vote against this resolution. He said that he voted for the funding last year, but was opposing it this year because it is only a very small impact. He said that the lawsuit by the Register of Deeds really goes after the problem. By the time folks try to get help, it is actually too late. Register of Deeds Hertel strongly disagreed and said that it is not too late. He said that we have stopped foreclosures and gotten modifications for those facing foreclosures. He said that it is worth money we are spending and much more than that. Many people who had no legal access now have successful resolutions using this program. Additionally, we are saving people’s homes, so it is not too late. 140 people have been helped since July. I argued that this is an instance where a little bit of government money is going a long way to help our residents and that this is the best use of taxpayer dollars. Preventing foreclosure helps those people, helps the neighborhood, and helps the community because foreclosures bring down property values for everyone. Hertel also said that when title companies are forced to face the court and sanctions, they actually try to find the documents and make things right. Otherwise they don’t, and people won’t get to court and get things right, and will lose their homes when they shouldn’t. Commissioner Koenig also said that this is about the value of hope for these people. The resolution passed 15-1.
Finally, we had our public hearing on the new 911 Service Plan. State statute requires a 911 service plan. We needed to update it because of the consolidation of our 911 centers, so we adopted a new plan. The plan was provided to public agencies in the 911 service district and advertised through newspaper notification. No one opted out of the plan and there were no requested changes. Speaking of 911, we also opened our new 911 center this week. It was a great event. We had a last-minute problem when the FOP went to court and asked for an injunction because they believe their employees are not properly trained yet. This court action was the first that we had heard of this at the county. Our staff says that the employees have been provided significant training. I assume the County Services committee will look at this, but it will be played out in court.
The campaign continues to go exceedingly well. Voters are very engaged in the race. Fundraising is going well and we have our next fundraiser on Monday. If you are interested in contributing or volunteering, or just want to keep up with the campaign, please visit www.andyschor.com!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Foreclosure Fraud, Employee Negotiations, Dep't of Roads and Transportation, Health Department and CMH Co-Location, Campaign Update
This week, we had a very busy committee in County Services. We led off with discussion about the resolution to contract with legal aid of central Michigan to take client referrals from the Ingham County Register of Deeds and Ingham County Treasurer. Register of Deeds Curtis Hertel, Jr. presented about the importance of the program. Ingham County and its residents have been hit especially hard by the foreclosure crisis and Register of Deeds Hertel has uncovered potential fraudulent documents that call into question the legality of thousands of foreclosures in his office. The foreclosure crisis has directly impacted the county budget by lowering property values across the county and increased the counties tax foreclosure costs. Last year, Ingham County contracted with Legal Aid of South Central Michigan, who has served over 130 Ingham County Residents in the last year based on the county’s funding. There are 39 active cases being adjudicated using Ingham County Grant dollars currently. Legal Aid and the Register of Deeds Office have held a dozen town halls across the County, helping to explain the problem foreclosures present to our communities, and to find victims of illegal foreclosures. Legal Aid has helped uncover cases of notary and foreclosure fraud that have been referred to the Attorney General’s office and FBI for investigation. This resolution continue the county’s contract with Legal Aid of South Central Michigan to refer clients who have been effected by this crisis in the amount of 60,000 dollars to be taken from the delinquent tax fund. Additionally, we were told that 145 people were helped since July 1 of last year. These people have no help, and this program provides a unique opportunity for reliable and accessible help. These people have no resources and this is one of the few resources available. The resolution passed unanimously.
The second big resolution that we considered was a bit more controversial. It was a resolution to change the 2012 managerial and confidential personnel manual to match changes negotiated in collective bargaining agreements with the managers. The changes proposed included:
- recognition of the earlier implementation of the 1.8% increase in employee’s pension contribution.
- change in employee contribution toward retirement: Employees hired prior to the effective date of this agreement would contribute an additional 1.8% of gross wages to the employee retirement, increasing the total contribution for Managerial employees to 8.19% and Confidential employees to 7.16%
- add a new retirement plan: Employees hired on or after the effective date of this agreement would be covered by the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System’s Hybrid Plan - consisting of a Defined Benefit (DB) component with a 1.0% Benefit Multiplier and a Defined Contribution (DC) component with an employer match of the Employee’s contribution in an amount up to 2.5% of the employee’s payroll.
- change in the language under Compensation Plan: 2. Step increases would be subject only to the approval of the immediate supervisor with the exception of those positions reporting directly to the Board of Commissioners or Judges. Those positions include but may not be limited to the Health Officer, Animal Control Director, Veterans Affairs Director, Friend of the Court, Circuit Court Administrator, District Court Administrator and Magistrate, Probate Court Administrator, and the Controller, and must be approved by the appropriate presiding Judge or liaison committee Chairperson of the Board of Commissioners.
- Change in the language under Compensation Plan: upon justification by the department and approval of the Human Resources Director, a new employee would be able to be started at step 2. At the discretion of the Ingham County Health Department and with the approval of the Human Resources Director, Primary Care Physicians and Dentists may be started at step 5 based on applicable experience.
- Employees hired after the effective date of this agreement would not be eligible to receive longevity bonus.
- decrease sick time accruals for employees hired on or after the effective date of this agreement as follows: Each full-time employee hired on or after the effective date of this agreement would earn 3.69 hours per pay period. Three quarter-time and part-time employees shall earn 75% and 50% of that amount, respectively.
- change the donation of sick time to read: A total of 16 sick hours may be donated by an employee under this manual in any department, irrespective of the employee group affiliation or bargaining unit membership.
- change to Section J (2) regarding if the request for donated sick time is approved by the County Services Committee under the 6 step procedure outlined in the agreement and that the Sick Leave Donation Policy may be terminated by County Services Committee, in its discretion, after the expiration of this manual: New language - Any decision by the County Services Committee shall not be subject to the Complaint Procedure.
- change in Retiree Health Insurance: Employee hired on or after the effective date of the agreement shall not be eligible for single retiree health insurance coverage until after they reach 60 years of age, subject to the scale based on years of service. Retirees that purchase dental and vision insurance at group rates and subsequently choose to discontinue the coverage, may not re-enroll.
- change in vacation leave earned: New employees hired on or after the effective date of this agreement shall be subject to the reduced accrual of vacation based on years of service.
- change in Other Specific Managerial Benefits (Appendix A): Elimination of dry cleaning and laundering allowance and elimination of clothing reimbursement. Addition of “on-call” language: In accordance with Ingham County Board of Commissioners Resolution #03-042, physicians employed by the County under the Managerial and Confidential Employee Personnel Manual would participate in “on-call” coverage and shall be paid an “on-call” bonus. The “oncall” bonus shall be paid on quarterly.
- provide salary increases as follows: There will be no change in the compensation levels reflected in Appendix D for the duration of this agreement.
This resolution was proposed to be effective only until the end of the year (December 31, 2012). We had a very lively debate. These terms were agreed to by the managerial staff, but many of the labor unions were upset with it because they believe that it would create terms that they would have to abide by as well. Our unions are now in negotiations, though, and collective bargaining sessions are still happening.
In discussion, I expressed opposition to the automatic Step 5 provision. I also expressed concerns about creating all of these conditions without having all bargaining units involved. Our Controller said that the managers feel they should provide leadership in agreeing to these conditions. They also specified that these conditions are only until the end of the year, so any changes with the employees can be reflected with the managers next year. Commissioner Grebner expressed what he thought are the positives of the hybrid defined contribution plan, including eliminating the corruption possibilities of the defined benefit program. We had a long discussion and, ultimately, the resolution was defeated 3-3. The same resolution came up in Finance, though, and but I am not on that committee and don’t know if it passed that committee.
We next had a long conversation about our first ever resolution consideration actions regarding the Department of Roads and Transportation. We approved permits that were presented to us. These are regular permits that were routinely approved by the Road Commission. Because the County Commission is now the Road Commission, we approved these permits. There were long discussions, though, about the processes and questions to the Executive Director of the Road Commission about how things work. We will definitely have more discussion and training about how to be road commissioners! We then talked about the conversations that the townships had regarding creating an advisory committee that will recommend which road projects are done. The townships seem skeptical of their role, but they proposed a 16 member Advisory Board that would meet four times per year.
We had a few things left on the agenda at that time, but I had to leave because it was my daughter’s birthday that day. The meeting had gone 2 ½ hours and I needed to get home to wish her a happy birthday before she went to bed. The most important resolution to be considered was a discussion about how our Information Systems department accidentally deleted all of the clerk data and information. My understanding is that there was an attempt to delete old Register of Deeds data, but this inadvertently deleted all the Clerk data as well. They are trying to re-create that information. I am very upset that there were not backup protocols and redundancies, and plan to discuss this with our staff. I am also disappointed to have missed this discussion after 2 ½ hours of meeting, but my daughter had to come first.
In Human Services the day before, we talked at length of co-locating a Health Department clinic within the Community Mental Health building. CMH and the Health Department both said that this would be a great thing for the county and our services. This is a way to help people get access to those that can provide the health care. Health care access is a growing challenge, especially for the seriously mentally ill. Coordination of these services will allow for each to bring assets to the table that have not been available previously. There is a 25% less life expectancy for those with mental illness. The mentally ill face depression, which results in higher blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, stroke, etc. They also cost society more money because they are more likely to use the emergency room (46.7% vs 30.5% for others) and to be hospitalized (20.4% vs 11.6% for others). The seriously mentally ill usually don’t seek care and are a disenfranchised population. The Health department can’t do the full range of services for the mentally impaired, and the co-location brings in level of resources that are needed to have proper patient services and keep federal funds – psychiatric, residential, other pieces. We expressed support of the concept. There were details that needed to be worked out, though. The Health Department proposed to have a new provide hired, but wants to move support staff from other facilities. I expressed concern that this will reduce service and care in those facilities, and will result in other workers having to pickup more of those duties. There were other questions about startup costs, which will be paid for by a federal grant, and operational costs which the Health Department will pick up. We were also told that CMH is an at-risk provider, so they get paid as if they are an insurance company and can spread the money around for services. Other details, like hours of operation, will be worked out as the plan is moved forward. But because there are a lot of approvals that are still needed, we agreed to move this forward for now with the details still needing to be worked out.
As for my campaign for State Representative, it continues to go very well! If you are in Lansing or Lansing Township and you vote, you have probably received a knock on your door and have spoken to someone from my campaign or had a piece of literature left at your door. I have done a few thousand doors myself, and my campaign team have covered the district and start over on Monday! Fundraising also continues to go well, and we will have our next event on June 19th. You can go to www.andyschor.com to volunteer or to contribute. Thanks everyone for all your help. Two more months until Primary Election day!
The second big resolution that we considered was a bit more controversial. It was a resolution to change the 2012 managerial and confidential personnel manual to match changes negotiated in collective bargaining agreements with the managers. The changes proposed included:
- recognition of the earlier implementation of the 1.8% increase in employee’s pension contribution.
- change in employee contribution toward retirement: Employees hired prior to the effective date of this agreement would contribute an additional 1.8% of gross wages to the employee retirement, increasing the total contribution for Managerial employees to 8.19% and Confidential employees to 7.16%
- add a new retirement plan: Employees hired on or after the effective date of this agreement would be covered by the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System’s Hybrid Plan - consisting of a Defined Benefit (DB) component with a 1.0% Benefit Multiplier and a Defined Contribution (DC) component with an employer match of the Employee’s contribution in an amount up to 2.5% of the employee’s payroll.
- change in the language under Compensation Plan: 2. Step increases would be subject only to the approval of the immediate supervisor with the exception of those positions reporting directly to the Board of Commissioners or Judges. Those positions include but may not be limited to the Health Officer, Animal Control Director, Veterans Affairs Director, Friend of the Court, Circuit Court Administrator, District Court Administrator and Magistrate, Probate Court Administrator, and the Controller, and must be approved by the appropriate presiding Judge or liaison committee Chairperson of the Board of Commissioners.
- Change in the language under Compensation Plan: upon justification by the department and approval of the Human Resources Director, a new employee would be able to be started at step 2. At the discretion of the Ingham County Health Department and with the approval of the Human Resources Director, Primary Care Physicians and Dentists may be started at step 5 based on applicable experience.
- Employees hired after the effective date of this agreement would not be eligible to receive longevity bonus.
- decrease sick time accruals for employees hired on or after the effective date of this agreement as follows: Each full-time employee hired on or after the effective date of this agreement would earn 3.69 hours per pay period. Three quarter-time and part-time employees shall earn 75% and 50% of that amount, respectively.
- change the donation of sick time to read: A total of 16 sick hours may be donated by an employee under this manual in any department, irrespective of the employee group affiliation or bargaining unit membership.
- change to Section J (2) regarding if the request for donated sick time is approved by the County Services Committee under the 6 step procedure outlined in the agreement and that the Sick Leave Donation Policy may be terminated by County Services Committee, in its discretion, after the expiration of this manual: New language - Any decision by the County Services Committee shall not be subject to the Complaint Procedure.
- change in Retiree Health Insurance: Employee hired on or after the effective date of the agreement shall not be eligible for single retiree health insurance coverage until after they reach 60 years of age, subject to the scale based on years of service. Retirees that purchase dental and vision insurance at group rates and subsequently choose to discontinue the coverage, may not re-enroll.
- change in vacation leave earned: New employees hired on or after the effective date of this agreement shall be subject to the reduced accrual of vacation based on years of service.
- change in Other Specific Managerial Benefits (Appendix A): Elimination of dry cleaning and laundering allowance and elimination of clothing reimbursement. Addition of “on-call” language: In accordance with Ingham County Board of Commissioners Resolution #03-042, physicians employed by the County under the Managerial and Confidential Employee Personnel Manual would participate in “on-call” coverage and shall be paid an “on-call” bonus. The “oncall” bonus shall be paid on quarterly.
- provide salary increases as follows: There will be no change in the compensation levels reflected in Appendix D for the duration of this agreement.
This resolution was proposed to be effective only until the end of the year (December 31, 2012). We had a very lively debate. These terms were agreed to by the managerial staff, but many of the labor unions were upset with it because they believe that it would create terms that they would have to abide by as well. Our unions are now in negotiations, though, and collective bargaining sessions are still happening.
In discussion, I expressed opposition to the automatic Step 5 provision. I also expressed concerns about creating all of these conditions without having all bargaining units involved. Our Controller said that the managers feel they should provide leadership in agreeing to these conditions. They also specified that these conditions are only until the end of the year, so any changes with the employees can be reflected with the managers next year. Commissioner Grebner expressed what he thought are the positives of the hybrid defined contribution plan, including eliminating the corruption possibilities of the defined benefit program. We had a long discussion and, ultimately, the resolution was defeated 3-3. The same resolution came up in Finance, though, and but I am not on that committee and don’t know if it passed that committee.
We next had a long conversation about our first ever resolution consideration actions regarding the Department of Roads and Transportation. We approved permits that were presented to us. These are regular permits that were routinely approved by the Road Commission. Because the County Commission is now the Road Commission, we approved these permits. There were long discussions, though, about the processes and questions to the Executive Director of the Road Commission about how things work. We will definitely have more discussion and training about how to be road commissioners! We then talked about the conversations that the townships had regarding creating an advisory committee that will recommend which road projects are done. The townships seem skeptical of their role, but they proposed a 16 member Advisory Board that would meet four times per year.
We had a few things left on the agenda at that time, but I had to leave because it was my daughter’s birthday that day. The meeting had gone 2 ½ hours and I needed to get home to wish her a happy birthday before she went to bed. The most important resolution to be considered was a discussion about how our Information Systems department accidentally deleted all of the clerk data and information. My understanding is that there was an attempt to delete old Register of Deeds data, but this inadvertently deleted all the Clerk data as well. They are trying to re-create that information. I am very upset that there were not backup protocols and redundancies, and plan to discuss this with our staff. I am also disappointed to have missed this discussion after 2 ½ hours of meeting, but my daughter had to come first.
In Human Services the day before, we talked at length of co-locating a Health Department clinic within the Community Mental Health building. CMH and the Health Department both said that this would be a great thing for the county and our services. This is a way to help people get access to those that can provide the health care. Health care access is a growing challenge, especially for the seriously mentally ill. Coordination of these services will allow for each to bring assets to the table that have not been available previously. There is a 25% less life expectancy for those with mental illness. The mentally ill face depression, which results in higher blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, stroke, etc. They also cost society more money because they are more likely to use the emergency room (46.7% vs 30.5% for others) and to be hospitalized (20.4% vs 11.6% for others). The seriously mentally ill usually don’t seek care and are a disenfranchised population. The Health department can’t do the full range of services for the mentally impaired, and the co-location brings in level of resources that are needed to have proper patient services and keep federal funds – psychiatric, residential, other pieces. We expressed support of the concept. There were details that needed to be worked out, though. The Health Department proposed to have a new provide hired, but wants to move support staff from other facilities. I expressed concern that this will reduce service and care in those facilities, and will result in other workers having to pickup more of those duties. There were other questions about startup costs, which will be paid for by a federal grant, and operational costs which the Health Department will pick up. We were also told that CMH is an at-risk provider, so they get paid as if they are an insurance company and can spread the money around for services. Other details, like hours of operation, will be worked out as the plan is moved forward. But because there are a lot of approvals that are still needed, we agreed to move this forward for now with the details still needing to be worked out.
As for my campaign for State Representative, it continues to go very well! If you are in Lansing or Lansing Township and you vote, you have probably received a knock on your door and have spoken to someone from my campaign or had a piece of literature left at your door. I have done a few thousand doors myself, and my campaign team have covered the district and start over on Monday! Fundraising also continues to go well, and we will have our next event on June 19th. You can go to www.andyschor.com to volunteer or to contribute. Thanks everyone for all your help. Two more months until Primary Election day!
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