Kane County Human Services Committee met Dec. 14.
Here is the minutes provided by the committee:
1. Call to Order
Chairman Surges called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m.
| Attendee Name | Title | Status |
| Clifford Surges | Chairman | Present |
| Bill Lenert | Vice Chairman | Present |
| Deborah Allan | Board Member | Present |
| Theresa Barreiro | Board Member | Present |
| Barbara Hernandez | Board Member | Present |
| John Hoscheit | Board Member | Absent |
| Anita Lewis | Board Member | Absent |
2. Approval of Minutes: November 16, 2018
RESULT: APPROVED WITH VOICE VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Bill Lenert, Vice Chairman
SECONDER: Barbara Hernandez, Board Member
AYES: Clifford Surges, Bill Lenert, Deborah Allan, Theresa Barreiro, Barbara Hernandez
ABSENT: John Hoscheit, Anita Lewis
3. Public Comment
None
4. Monthly Financial Reports
Monthly Financial Reports were included in the agenda packet. Finance staff Waggoner noted the reports will be listed as drafts while the Finance Department continues to work on closing out FY18. They will be posting transactions back to FY18 as needed. A final report on FY18 will be presented around March after the outside audit has been complete. There are no budget concerns to report at this time for the General Fund. In Special Revenue Funds, Insurance Liability has exceeded its budget for FY18, it is not an uncommon issue for that fund. There is enough cash balance to cover the current expenditures.
5. Veteran's Assistance Commission
VAC Supt. Zimmerman informed the new committee members that the Veteran's Assistance Commission's mission is to maximize the benefits of the veterans that reside in Kane County. He reviewed statistics from the monthly reports included in the agenda packet noting claims filed through his office were processed 10 days faster than the average Illinois VA claim. The total Illinois VA claims pending for last month were 7,772 with 139 from our County’s office. In November, Kane County claimants received over $169,000 in new benefits. County veterans received over $4.5M in new benefits for FY18, which totals about $1.2M more than the prior year. There were no financial assistance expenditures for the month of November.
6. Department of Human Resource Management
A. Monthly Applicant and Staffing Changes Report
The monthly report was included in the agenda packet. HR Exec. Dir. Wetzel reported between October 21 and November 17 there were 14 terminations and 39 new hires. Temporary election workers made up 29 of the new hires.
B. Monthly IPBC Funding
Referencing the IPBC funding sheet, Wetzel reported the County paid out just over $1.3M for the month of November.
C. Monthly MERP Enrollment
Referencing documents included in the agenda packet, Wetzel reported as of December 7, 2018, enrollment is up to 37 members. All of the MERP presentations have been completed. She discussed program eligibility and its benefits. Lenert added that each person that takes part in the program saves the County $10,000.
D. Training Report and Upcoming Webinars
Referencing a report included in the agenda packet, Wetzel promoted upcoming training webinars. The Human Resources Department recently took part in a webinar for the independent contractor, Understanding the Risk of Misclassification. Misclassifications have a huge impact if they are handled wrong. Over time Wetzel expects to see attendance grow for the training webinars. They are easy to take part in and offered at no cost.
E. FY18 Ethics Advisor Report and Ethics Ordinance Training
Referencing a report included in the agenda packet, Wetzel reported there were zero findings with nothing pending. The Ethics Ordinance requires that employees and ethics officers take an annual refresher course on the ethics video. She has worked with IT to put together a refresher program for individuals to login and take the course online. It will be made available from January through the end of March. Brief discussion followed.
A change in the agenda order followed.
7. Old Business
A. County Board/Committee Member Meeting Guidelines
Referencing a handout, Wetzel explained the document is a working draft that is similar to what other counties have been using for best practices on meetings and attendance. Lenert suggested the committee review the document in order to provide input at the next committee meeting. In response to a question, Wetzel agreed to provide copies of other county's guidelines for the committee to use as a comparison.
8. Compliance
None
9. New Business
A. Health Market Trends and Springbuk - Michael Baker, Group Alternatives
Referencing a presentation not included in the agenda packet, Michael Baker provided background on Group Alternatives and the services they provide the County. His firm has been gathering data to review the County's trust renewal and see what the marketplace can offer on a direct basis. Group Alternatives has purchased new data analytic software called Springbuk, which helps identify areas of wasteful spending. Baker discussed factors that affect market trends and provided an update on industry mergers and acquisitions.
Baker shared an overview of Springbuk then turned the presentation over to Kellie Pirkle, Group Alternatives Client Services Manager. Pirkle outlined the process from onboarding clients onto the Springbuk platform through to the data being deemed ready for use.
Chairman Lauzen discussed the challenges of gathering claim data. He stated it is an unfriendly process that Group Alternatives has handled well. In response, Baker reported Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) has missed all of the deadlines set by a request dated October 29. BCBS has notified Group Alternatives that the data should be sent to Springbuk by December 17.
Pirkle further explained how Springbuk utilizes the data and outlined the process for moving forward. Referencing a timeline, Baker provided an update on the data received. The information should be available on the Springbuk website by mid-February. Considerable discussion occurred.
Year End Workers Compensation and Liability - Rich Ryan, Wine Sergi
Referencing a presentation not included in the agenda packet, Rich Ryan reported that he will
be meeting with the County's third-party claims administrator to go over liability and worker's compensation claims in order to bring the numbers down. He reviewed information on liability and worker's compensation settlements by department from June 2016 through November 2018. He reminded the committee of the change in the County’s liability insurance from Traveler's to Trident Argo Group on December 1, 2018. Considerable discussion followed.
10. Reports Placed On File
RESULT: PLACE WRITTEN REPORTS ON FILE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Bill Lenert, Vice Chairman
SECONDER: Clifford Surges, Chairman
AYES: Clifford Surges, Bill Lenert, Deborah Allan, Theresa Barreiro, Barbara Hernandez
ABSENT: John Hoscheit, Anita Lewis
11. Executive Session (If Needed)
None
12. Adjournment
RESULT: ADJOURNED BY VOICE VOTE [UNANIMOUS]
MOVER: Barbara Hernandez, Board Member
SECONDER: Bill Lenert, Vice Chairman
AYES: Clifford Surges, Bill Lenert, Deborah Allan, Theresa Barreiro, Barbara Hernandez
ABSENT: John Hoscheit, Anita Lewis
This meeting was adjourned at 10:24 a.m.
http://kanecountyil.iqm2.com/Citizens/FileOpen.aspx?Type=15&ID=2262&Inline=True
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