Administration and County Services Committee
Michael Crawford			Robert McLeod, Chairman	Laura Stanek
September 2, 2004
Minutes
Members Present:		Bob McLeod, Mike Crawford, and Laura Stanek
Members Absent:		None
Others Present:		Pete Garwood
1.       Meeting called to order at 1:00 p.m.
2.       Public Comment
	No Public Comment.
3.       Probate Court Unrepresented Group
	Judge Hayes joined the meeting to talk about salaries for the two unrepresented employees in his office.  Judge Hayes discussed ideas for potential wage increases for his employees with the Committee.  The Committee indicated nothing will be done until we find out what happens with the Consumer’s Price Index.
4.       Supervisor Training
	Linda Racine, from Northwestern Michigan College – MTEC, joined the meeting to discuss a Supervisor Training program offered by Northwestern Michigan College - MTEC. The Committee directed Mr. Garwood to check into the potential of grant funding for supervisory training.
5.       Commission on Aging (COA)
	Carol Mitchell, Director of the Commission on Aging, joined the meeting.  Ms. Mitchell explained to the Committee why the COA Board is requesting that a part-time nurse be hired for the COA. Motion by Mike Crawford, supported by Laura Stanek, to recommend the Board of Commissioners approve the creation of a part-time nurse position, on a contractual basis, for the Commission on Aging as long as it can be paid for with the current revenues of the Commission on Aging (without additional funds from the general fund).  Motion carried – unanimous.
6.       Representatives of the Unrepresented
	Karen Day, Julie Gorno, and Jim Rossiter came in to discuss compensation for the members of the unrepresented group.  The three representatives will bring their list of proposals to the next Administration and County Services Committee meeting.
7.       Building Department Issue
	The Committee reviewed, and discussed, the report (attached) on the investigation regarding Arlen Turner’s performance as the Director of the Construction Codes Department of Antrim County. Motion by Mike Crawford, supported by Laura Stanek, to recommend the Board of Commissioners terminate Arlen Turner's employment with Antrim County.  Motion carried – unanimous.
8.       Communication Systems and Internet Use Policy
	Motion by Mike Crawford, supported by Laura Stanek, to forward the Communication System and Internet Use Policy to the Computer Committee and Legal Counsel.   Motion carried – unanimous.
9.       Resolution of Northern Michigan Hospital Nursing Strike
	The Committee reviewed a communication and resolution from a group called Citizens to Save Healthcare, encouraging the Board of Commissioners to pass the resolution.  The Committee expressed concerns that the resolution favors binding arbitration to settle the contract.  No Action taken.
10.     Various Matters as Appropriate
	² Baraga County Resolution The Committee reviewed a resolution from Baraga County regarding removal of armed guards from exterior prison towers at the high security prison in the town of Baraga. No Action Taken. The Committee was also made aware of resolutions from Hillsdale and Roscommon Counties that addressed revenue sharing issues the County has already taken action or non-action on. ² Recent Power Outage The power was out last Friday morning due to a storm during the night.  A call to Consumers Power revealed the power would likely not be back on until sometime in the afternoon. A decision was made to send the employees home, but inform them they were on call.  If the power was restored by 1:00 p.m. they were to be called back in to work.  Mr. Garwood informed the Committee the power was restored at 12:59 p.m.  He didn’t finish calling all the department heads until 1:25 p.m.  Since that day Mr. Garwood has been informed that some employees were told they were not required to come back to work (as it looked like the power was going to stay off past 1:00 p.m.) and were unreachable afterward.  Other employees were reachable and came back in to work. Motion by Laura Stanek, supported by Mike Crawford, to recommend the Board of Commissioners pay all employees that were sent home from work on Friday, August 27, 2004, for a full day of work.  This would be done as a one time exception, without precedent.  Motion carried – unanimous. Mr. Garwood will make sure to touch base with the Union on this issue.  Mr. Garwood will also develop a policy for this type of situation. ² Commission Expiration Dates Mr. Garwood explained the Planning Commission, Economic Development Commission and Brownfield Redevelopment Authority have terms of office for their membership that expire in the middle of the year.  He also stated that it would be nice if the terms of office for these commissions expired at the end of the year like most of the other boards and commissions.  However, there is more research to do before action can be taken, to find out how easy or hard it would be to change when the terms of office expire.
11.     Health Insurance Agent
	The Committee discussed entertaining other agencies to be designated as the “Agent” for the County’s health benefit services.  Mr. Garwood indicated it would best be done through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process or Request for Qualification (RFQ) process.  The focus would be on what services each agency can provide for the County.  The committee directed Mr. Garwood to initiate such a process by the end of the year.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:25 p.m.