County Commission approves district plan for social services

The Eddy County Commission has reviewed the Central Prairie Social Services District plan and agreed to move forward with the formation of the district.

At the May 15 Eddy County Commission Meeting, Teresa Fetsch, the Director of Eddy, Foster and Wells County Social Services, presented the Central Prairie Social Services District plan.

She explained that the North Dakota Department of Human Services is required to study county social services and provide the N.D. Legislature with a plan for a permanent takeover for consideration during the 2019 legislative session. The purpose of the district plan is to provide optimum service and to benefit recipients of social services in the three-county area. The district will share staff, and the members agree that this will result in future reductions in program costs. One of the things they are tasked with is to look at ways to create efficiencies and consolidate services where possible.

The Central Prairie Social Services District will include the counties of Eddy, Foster and Wells, with an area covering 2,581 square miles and a population of 10,799 people. The district will keep all current county offices open and staffed to provide for the needs of the clients served in those counties and will continue to provide outreach services when needed.

Overall, the three counties should save about $400,000 annually under the new plan. The approximate 2019 budget for the district is $1,963,955.64, compared to the $2,311,748.64 combined for the three counties providing services separately under the current Tri-County agreement. The projected 2019 payments from the state will total $1,967,846.

The preliminary budget reflects current levels of reimbursement based on caseload, land value and population. The current formula for determining fiscal responsibility for Central Prairie expenses calls for Eddy County to pay 24 percent, Foster County 34 percent and Wells County 42 percent of the budget.

The district office will be in Fessenden, with ancillary offices in Carrington and New Rockford. Wells County is responsible for the district bookkeeping, with the elected officials of Wells County making and recording disbursements and receipts.

The director is currently a Wells County employee who was hired by a sub-committee of the Tri-County Social Service Board. Under the new district structure, her annual evaluations will be conducted by the governing board of the Central Prairie Social Service District. Any new director would be hired by the governing board and then approved by the three county commissions.

The governing board will be made up of seven members, three from Wells County and two members each from Eddy and Foster counties. At least one county commissioner from each county will be a member of the governing board, and the county commission from each of the counties will appoint their representatives to the board.

The agreement is slated to go into effect on January 1, 2019, and will remain in effect for one year. Thereafter, it will be automatically renewed annually. Any county that wishes to end its membership must notify the governing board in writing six months in advance.

Income maintenance services will continue to be provided through programs like Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Care Assistance, Medicaid and Basic Care assistance for individuals in basic care facilities or adult foster care, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), home energy assistance, foster care payments, subsidized adoption payments to assist families with special needs children they have adopted and other general assistance programs like emergency assistance and burial expenses.

Social Services will be provided through children and family services, providing child protection assessments, in-home services, foster care case management, child care facility licensing and special health services. They’ll also continue providing services for the elderly and disabled through both home and community-based services care management.

Currently the district employs six full-time eligibility workers and a part-time eligibility technician, who provide income maintenance services to the clients of the district. The social services are provided for the district by five licensed social workers, one of which is the director and supervisor for children and family services. Two licensed social workers serve in the Home and Community Based Services program. Two full-time Family Services Specialists complete case management for Foster Care. The district also employs two full-time administrative assistants and one part-time administrative assistant.

The district does not intend to reduce staff as a result of the new structure. However, when an employee resigns or leaves their employment, the director and supervisor will explore the options of filling the position, filling the position part-time or assigning the work load to other employees by following the caseload standards set by the North Dakota Department of Human Services.

Following the approval of the Tri-County board and the commissioners of Eddy, Foster and Wells counties, Fetsch will submit the plan to the North Dakota Department of Human Services for its approval.

Eddy County welcomes three new staff members. Jess Earle, the Emergency Manager/911 Coordinator for Foster County, was hired to fill the Emergency Manager position. Earle plans to complete her office hours for Eddy County on Fridays. Former Eddy County Emergency Manager Kristi O’Connor will train Earle and then will be out of the office most Fridays. O’Connor’s normal office hours will be Monday through Thursday.

The Veteran’s Services Officer (VSO) position was filled by Kathy Steinbach, who will assume the extra eight- hour position in addition to her duties with the Eddy County Housing Authority. Her office will remain in the courthouse, and the VSO office in the American Legion building will be closed and the records will be moved to Steinbach’s current office. She is looking forward to starting her new position and will be training at the state office in May.

Tim Hartl has already assumed his duties as the caretaker at Warsing Dam.

Eddy County Road Superintendent Irvin Loe told commissioners that Brent Huso with 701 Tree Service will begin removing the trees on Eddy County #1 near Hamar. He will remove trees that are encroaching the roadway and holding snow in the winter and coordinate with a landowner to remove fencing in order to make the tree clean-up easier.

After discussion regarding some Eddy County roads, it was determined that the department will put caution signs out warning drivers of some adverse road conditions, either due to problems with frost upheavals or vegetation issues. The caution signs will remain until the roads are fixed.

The state vehicle auction is scheduled for May 23, and the county is interested in purchasing a truck with a blade and sand spreader. The newest vehicle the county currently owns for that purpose is a 1998 model. Road Superintendent Irvin Loe will check to see if there are any trucks meeting their specifications on the sale. If there are, Loe, Commissioner Neal Rud or Commissioner Jeff Pfau will attend the sale.

The commissioners were approached by a township asking what the county would charge for the use of their tractor, disc and operator for use on township roads. After discussion, commissioners agreed to offer the equipment and the operator to the township for $50 per hour.

The next regular meeting of the Eddy County Commission will be on Tuesday, June 5 at 8:30 a.m.