Supervisors okay minor changes in SEIL pact

BY BROOKS TAYLOR

Mt. Pleasant News

Minor changes in the 28E contract for the Southeast Iowa Link (SEIL) and supervisor sub-committee reports dominated the agenda at Thursday?s Henry County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Sarah Berndt, coordinator of disability services, presented proposed changes in the 28E agreement between the eight counties comprising SEIL. SEIL is the regional mental health and disability entity in which the county participates.

The major change is separation of duties between the SEIL chairman and CEO. Currently, the CEO is appointed but also serves as chairman of the group.

SEIL?s board members have suggested in order to have the best chairman and best CEO, duties should be separated. The SEIL management team would name the CEO and the governing board would choose the chairman.

It was also suggested that the CEO be paid a stipend with the governing board determining the stipend, which would be paid at the end of the year.

In another minor change, the SEIL executive board has eliminated the office of treasurer from the roster. The executive board will have a chairman, vice chairman and secretary.

Supervisors had no concerns with the changes and approved a resolution for the 28E amendment.

Berndt said in her monthly update that the general assistance had 12 total contacts from Dec. 12, 2015, to Jan. 22, 2016. She said two of the contacts inquired about rental assistance.

?There was nothing out of the ordinary, a fairly normal month,? Berndt said.

Berndt was also asked about the state?s progress on the outsourcing of Medicaid services to private companies.

She told the board that she doesn?t believe the state will realize the savings it is expecting and said it is still a ?wait and see? scenario.

?It is what it is,? she began. ?It?s going to have to be put into action. We?re going to have to let it go and see what happens. I know we aren?t going to go backward, but we will have to see if it is better than what we have now.?

In a final tidbit of news, Berndt said Hillcrest Family Services would like to provide 24/7 services, ?but they will have to get people on board who will work weekend shifts.?

Supervisor Gary See said Henry County Assessor Gary Dutsman proposed a five-percent salary increase for his staff during the first meeting of the conference board. The conference board is comprised of the mayors of Henry County communities, school board representatives from each of the school districts and the supervisors. The board?s major duty is setting the assessor?s fiscal-year budget.

See also informed the board that during a meeting of the Mt. Pleasant Area Development Commission, he learned that work on conversion of the former Brazelton Hotel into apartments is progressing well. The building will have 19 apartments on the upper three floors and hopes to have construction completed by this spring or early summer.

County supervisors will meet again in regular session on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 9 a.m., in the Henry County Courthouse.