Posted: 11/14/06
Semcac makes pitch for county funds
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Nutritional services, caregiver advocacy, volunteering, and transportation.
Those were just some of the items that four Semcac employees explained about their organization to Houston County commissioners on November 7.
The presentation, which lasted about half an hour, also included a request for $5,500 to help pay for the myriad of services aimed at senior citizens.
The population is aging and Semcac does a a good job providing very key, basic services for seniors, Semcac director Terry Erickson said.
The county gave Semcac $2,000 for the RSVP program in 2006. Commissioners said they will consider the request when they finalize their 2007 budget.
Federal and state agencies require matched funds, Erickson said.
Commissioner Ann Thompson said Semcac generates thousands of dollars worth of service in Houston County. ìItís certainly a valuable asset to the county,î she said.
Debbie Betthauser, who is in charge of senior nutrition services for Semcac, talked about the senior dining program and Meals on Wheels. She said Houston County serves more meals per capita than any of the 11 counties in Semcac. ìWe really serve a frail, old population with our Meals on Wheels program,î she said.
Commissioner Larry Graf asked Betthauser why there was no nutrition program in Brownsville. She said the program is based on need, and on results of a survey. ìWe didnít find a real interest there,î she said. Semcac could do another survey if people think there is a need, she said.
Commissioner Kevin Kelleher thought that Semcacís minimum age of 60 seemed young. The comment generated a few good-natured laughs from the people over 60 who were sitting near Kelleher.
The age is set by the Older Americanís Act, Betthauser said.
Semcac also has senior dining in Dodge, Fillmore, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele, and Winona Counties.
Caregiver advocacy
Barb Jilk explained her job of senior caregiver advocacy, in Houston and Fillmore Counties. She called it a broad-based job that requires knowing who to call and how to get more information.
Jilk works a lot on health insurance issues, especially Medicare Part D. She is trained by the State of Minnesota to be a state health insurance counselor.
Jilk also makes home visits to help seniors and relatives see what services are available so that seniors can stay in their homes. ìBecause thatís our goal,î she said.
Caregivers need help finding services and getting respite, Jilk added. She gives informal counseling, and looks at priorities like safety in the home.
Graf said there is a broad need for a complex for the elderly in La Crescent. Jilk responded that the thrust of Semcacís work is at homes and not assisted living or nursing home facilities.
Kelleher asked if Jilk works with the faith community. Yes, she answered, churches help identify people who need help, and are also a good resource for finding volunteers. She gets referrals from public health nursing too.
Jilk served 194 people in Houston County in the last year, the most of the four counties she serves. A Medicare Part D public meeting in Caledonia had about 100 people attending, she added.
Erlene Welshons also spoke about her job of Semcacís transportation director, which covers Dodge, Fillmore, Winona, Houston, and Steele counties.
The Houston city bus provided 10,550 rides in the last 12 month period, and the Houston County bus provided 14,480 rides.
There were 778 rides provided on a donation basis to Houston County seniors in 2005. Volunteers use their own vehicles but receive $.445 per mile reimbursement. Nearly all of the rides are to medical appointments.
Houston County is second only to Winona County in the volunteer driving program, Welshons said, and has the largest bus service in Semcac.
Ridership keeps going up, and more volunteers are needed, she added.
Thompson asked why Semcac numbers were high in Houston County. Betthauser said that Semcac started in Fillmore, Winona, and Houston Counties. Programs like senior nutrition and Meals on Wheels are ingrained here, she said.
Plus the countyís human services department is very aware of Semcacís services and recommends them to seniors, Welshons added.
For more information on Semcac, call (507) 864-77 or visit its website, www.semcac.org.
Personnel items
The board approved two personnel items that director Tim Comstock recommended.
They cancelled the cell phone per diem for veterans services officer Rob Gross and approved the per diem for Kurt Kuhlers, who has replaced Gross as emergency manager.
The board also awarded the proposal from Meyer Lawn Service for snow removal from sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots for the courthouse and sheriffís office at the rate of $45 per hour.
New phone system for jail
The board approved a new phone system for inmates in the Houston County Jail.
The three year contract with AGM Telecom Corporation, Keller, TX, will pay the county 12% on collect calls and 30% on prepaid calls. Inmates pay for all calls except those to their attorneys, which are free.
The system can be transferred to the new jail that is being proposed, jail administrator Mark Schiltz said. He called it a nice, web-based system. Calls can be monitored off-site, and technical support can be done via a web site. Calls in the visitation booth can also be recorded.
AGM will install its own DSL line for the system.
Computer software for jail
Schiltz and information services director Lindsey Pierce gave commissioners a proposal for new jail software.
The current software has limited technical support, and the county is not always able to send data the the Minnesota Department of Corrections in a timely manner, Schiltz and Pierce said.
Pierce said he had to work five hours one Sunday when the system went down.
Another improvement will be that data on inmates will only have to be entered one time. Currently, information is entered once when a person is booked into jail, then re-entered into the law enforcement system.
The proposed software is from Police Central, Inc., Atlanta GA, and has a price tag of $84,162. Phase one, called complete jail management, costs $34,593. Phase two, called E911 incident reporting, criminal warrants, and civil process, costs $49,569.
Schiltz said he has all but $12,593 for phase one in this yearís budget. He is hoping that $23,000 from a Homeland Security Grant will be put back into the 2006 budget to cover this.
Phase two will come from the E911 budget, Schiltz said.
Schiltz said he would have a representative from the company come back to answer more questions.
Tim Comstock suggested that the county set up a dedicated account that carries over from year to year to cover things like computer server upgrades and software purchases. ìIt might help planning down the road,î he said.
Cost allocation plan
The board approved hiring Government Management Group to do its indirect cost allocation plan. The job involves auditing county accounts to see if the federal government owed the county money. ìIf you donít do it, you donít get any money out of the federal government,î Corcoran said.
Commissioner Tom Bjerke was absent from the meeting.
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