Post by CC on Jun 16, 2009 0:09:39 GMT -5
Outsourcing Inmate Medical Discussed
A proposal that would outsource inmate medical treatment at the Hill County Law Enforcement Center was outlined for commissioners’ court Tuesday morning, June 9.
Finding doctors and nurses to come to the Hall Street detention facility on a regular basis has not been successful, according to County Judge Justin Lewis and Sheriff Jeffrey T. Lyon.
The sheriff said, “We have found nobody willing to come to the jail to treat the inmates, and it is time consuming to take them to doctors’ offices, not to mention the security risks.”
Sheriff Lyon pointed out that he wasn’t endorsing any one company because the bid process must still be followed, but Dennis Hughes, regional director for Correctional Healthcare Management (CHM), was on hand to make a presentation.
The company has 72 sites in 11 states providing on-site doctor and nursing care.
Physicians work on a part-time basis, but a nurse is at a facility eight hours a day, seven days a week under the CHM proposal.
The annual cost was estimated at $387,358.56.
The sheriff’s office has been spending approximately $200,000 annually on inmate doctor, medical and prescription medication that is generally covered by indigent-healthcare funds.
It was noted that the amount doesn’t include labor and transportation costs.
The judge said that a ruling was still being sought to assure that indigent healthcare funds could still be used to offset the costs.
Commissioner Danny Bodeker added that there are a lot of intangibles in the equation that people not working in a jail wouldn’t understand.
“I like what I see, but we have to do what is best for the taxpayers,” the commissioner added.
More information on the outsourcing option is expected to be presented during upcoming budget workshops.
Two groups seeking expenditure of county hotel-motel tax revenue came before the court.
The Lake Whitney Board of Tourism received over $9,100 at the last court meeting to purchase ads in upcoming Texas Highways magazines.
Rick Pinner proposed purchasing ads in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department magazine and the Texas electric cooperative magazine.
Hill County’s share of the cost was set at $18,036.50 by Pinner.
Fred Molson with White Bluff Resort and Evelyn Cooper with WB Ranch proposed spending $10,176 for four ads in the Dallas Business Journal.
The two resorts have generated approximately 60 percent of the hotel-motel taxes collected to date.
Bodeker mentioned that the two resorts’ contributions in making the motion to accept their proposal.
After the vote, resort owner Jerry Anderson pointed out that the board of tourism proposal would have been included in over 1.6 million copies of the state and co-op magazines.
The Dallas Business Journal has 16,000 paid subscribers and an additional 120,000 hits on its website, according to Ms. Cooper.
Robert Meyers with the Waco law firm of McCreary, Veselka Bragg and Allen made a presentation to the court.
The firm recently placed a full-page ad in the Texas Association of Counties magazine on the history of the county.
A large framed replica of the ad was presented to the court by the attorney.
A memorandum of understanding on a Justice Association Grant Program was approved.
It allows the City of Hillsboro to seek $18,058 in federal-grant funds.
The court accepted the preliminary 2010 budget for the Hill County Appraisal District (HCAD).
The county’s general-fund share has been estimated at $190,950, and its lateral-road share was just over $31,381.
The budget reflects an increase of $27,469 over 2009. It totals $955,700.
The final share of the budget, which is based on tax levies, won’t be determined until tax rates are set this fall.
While voting in favor of the motion, Commissioner Steven Sulak said, “I can’t stand to see an entity raise its budget in stressful financial times.”
Service-agreement renewals for the Victims Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) Program were approved.
A state grant totaling $17,925 funds the program, which allows crime victims to check on cases on a day-to-day basis, according to the sheriff.
Annual county-road reports were accepted from commissioners. State law requires the reports each June.
They will now be forwarded to the current foreman of the grand jury in order to meet all state requirements.
New bids were opened for road-base material. They were sought after the marketplace costs were less than the bids received earlier this year.
Submitting proposals were Rattler Rock, Maverick Material, Arnold Crushed Stone, Destructors, Conner Crushed Stone, Ratliff, Knife River and Vulcan Materials. They were all accepted.
Bids were also opened from Wilson Culverts and Contech for steel culverts, but they will have to be considered at a later meeting because the agenda item only addressed road base.
Bodeker accepted bids from OEM Replacement Parts totaling $15,000 for two used backhoes.
An extensive list of salvage electronic equipment was accepted by the court in order to dispose of the items.
The judge pointed out that two main frames remain at the Covington Street annex that were under water in the basement of the courthouse following the 1993 fire.
A portion of the items will be disposed of during a HILCO-sponsored recycling day, while others will go to the North Texas Association of P.C. Users which refurbishes computers for use by handicap or disabled residents.
The outside audit for Emergency Services District (ESD) #2 was presented by board President Barbara Leetun.
An error that was detected by the board led the court to postpone action on the document to observe and record it in the court minutes.
Interlocal agreements between the county and the cities of Hubbard and Aquilla were accepted.
A sub-depository agreement with Citizens State Bank, with branches in Whitney, Itasca and Hubbard, was finalized.
The May hot-check report from District Attorney Dan Dent totaled $10,555.87. Of that figure, $7,489.17 were checks, $1,871.49 were merchant fees and $1,195.21 were district attorney fees.
The preliminary revenue-and-disbursement report reflected income of $1,352,263.63 and disbursements of $1,831,030.45. The ending balance was $12,101,700.75.
The meeting closed with Commissioner Larry Wright reporting that he had toured all county-owned buildings in recent weeks.
Most were in fairly good shape, but he had reservations about the John Erwin Annex.
He said that he felt the fourth floor of the courthouse wouldn’t hold all the records stored at the Covington Street annex, so he no longer supports renovating the top floor of the building.
He suggested studying space problems and come up with a long-range plan.
A proposal that would outsource inmate medical treatment at the Hill County Law Enforcement Center was outlined for commissioners’ court Tuesday morning, June 9.
Finding doctors and nurses to come to the Hall Street detention facility on a regular basis has not been successful, according to County Judge Justin Lewis and Sheriff Jeffrey T. Lyon.
The sheriff said, “We have found nobody willing to come to the jail to treat the inmates, and it is time consuming to take them to doctors’ offices, not to mention the security risks.”
Sheriff Lyon pointed out that he wasn’t endorsing any one company because the bid process must still be followed, but Dennis Hughes, regional director for Correctional Healthcare Management (CHM), was on hand to make a presentation.
The company has 72 sites in 11 states providing on-site doctor and nursing care.
Physicians work on a part-time basis, but a nurse is at a facility eight hours a day, seven days a week under the CHM proposal.
The annual cost was estimated at $387,358.56.
The sheriff’s office has been spending approximately $200,000 annually on inmate doctor, medical and prescription medication that is generally covered by indigent-healthcare funds.
It was noted that the amount doesn’t include labor and transportation costs.
The judge said that a ruling was still being sought to assure that indigent healthcare funds could still be used to offset the costs.
Commissioner Danny Bodeker added that there are a lot of intangibles in the equation that people not working in a jail wouldn’t understand.
“I like what I see, but we have to do what is best for the taxpayers,” the commissioner added.
More information on the outsourcing option is expected to be presented during upcoming budget workshops.
Two groups seeking expenditure of county hotel-motel tax revenue came before the court.
The Lake Whitney Board of Tourism received over $9,100 at the last court meeting to purchase ads in upcoming Texas Highways magazines.
Rick Pinner proposed purchasing ads in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department magazine and the Texas electric cooperative magazine.
Hill County’s share of the cost was set at $18,036.50 by Pinner.
Fred Molson with White Bluff Resort and Evelyn Cooper with WB Ranch proposed spending $10,176 for four ads in the Dallas Business Journal.
The two resorts have generated approximately 60 percent of the hotel-motel taxes collected to date.
Bodeker mentioned that the two resorts’ contributions in making the motion to accept their proposal.
After the vote, resort owner Jerry Anderson pointed out that the board of tourism proposal would have been included in over 1.6 million copies of the state and co-op magazines.
The Dallas Business Journal has 16,000 paid subscribers and an additional 120,000 hits on its website, according to Ms. Cooper.
Robert Meyers with the Waco law firm of McCreary, Veselka Bragg and Allen made a presentation to the court.
The firm recently placed a full-page ad in the Texas Association of Counties magazine on the history of the county.
A large framed replica of the ad was presented to the court by the attorney.
A memorandum of understanding on a Justice Association Grant Program was approved.
It allows the City of Hillsboro to seek $18,058 in federal-grant funds.
The court accepted the preliminary 2010 budget for the Hill County Appraisal District (HCAD).
The county’s general-fund share has been estimated at $190,950, and its lateral-road share was just over $31,381.
The budget reflects an increase of $27,469 over 2009. It totals $955,700.
The final share of the budget, which is based on tax levies, won’t be determined until tax rates are set this fall.
While voting in favor of the motion, Commissioner Steven Sulak said, “I can’t stand to see an entity raise its budget in stressful financial times.”
Service-agreement renewals for the Victims Information and Notification Everyday (VINE) Program were approved.
A state grant totaling $17,925 funds the program, which allows crime victims to check on cases on a day-to-day basis, according to the sheriff.
Annual county-road reports were accepted from commissioners. State law requires the reports each June.
They will now be forwarded to the current foreman of the grand jury in order to meet all state requirements.
New bids were opened for road-base material. They were sought after the marketplace costs were less than the bids received earlier this year.
Submitting proposals were Rattler Rock, Maverick Material, Arnold Crushed Stone, Destructors, Conner Crushed Stone, Ratliff, Knife River and Vulcan Materials. They were all accepted.
Bids were also opened from Wilson Culverts and Contech for steel culverts, but they will have to be considered at a later meeting because the agenda item only addressed road base.
Bodeker accepted bids from OEM Replacement Parts totaling $15,000 for two used backhoes.
An extensive list of salvage electronic equipment was accepted by the court in order to dispose of the items.
The judge pointed out that two main frames remain at the Covington Street annex that were under water in the basement of the courthouse following the 1993 fire.
A portion of the items will be disposed of during a HILCO-sponsored recycling day, while others will go to the North Texas Association of P.C. Users which refurbishes computers for use by handicap or disabled residents.
The outside audit for Emergency Services District (ESD) #2 was presented by board President Barbara Leetun.
An error that was detected by the board led the court to postpone action on the document to observe and record it in the court minutes.
Interlocal agreements between the county and the cities of Hubbard and Aquilla were accepted.
A sub-depository agreement with Citizens State Bank, with branches in Whitney, Itasca and Hubbard, was finalized.
The May hot-check report from District Attorney Dan Dent totaled $10,555.87. Of that figure, $7,489.17 were checks, $1,871.49 were merchant fees and $1,195.21 were district attorney fees.
The preliminary revenue-and-disbursement report reflected income of $1,352,263.63 and disbursements of $1,831,030.45. The ending balance was $12,101,700.75.
The meeting closed with Commissioner Larry Wright reporting that he had toured all county-owned buildings in recent weeks.
Most were in fairly good shape, but he had reservations about the John Erwin Annex.
He said that he felt the fourth floor of the courthouse wouldn’t hold all the records stored at the Covington Street annex, so he no longer supports renovating the top floor of the building.
He suggested studying space problems and come up with a long-range plan.