Social Services Board - Regular Meeting

Hey.

It's 04:00. We'll go ahead and call this meeting tomorrow. We wanna welcome everyone to our June meeting. Gotta take the class off so I can see. The agenda has been previously sent out for everyone's review, And I would call for a motion for the adoption of the agenda. There'll be a second? Second. Would there be any discussion? All in favor, aye. Aye.

Just one note, miss Porter is not feeling well today, so she will not be in this. Next item, the minutes from last month's meeting, and I apologize that I could not be here, have already been sent out for everyone's view. I will call for a motion for the adoption of minutes from the last meeting.

I make a motion that

minutes be it.

There'll be a second. Any discussion? All in favor, aye.

Aye.

Do we have any public comments? No. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you for filling in. We will recognize Director Hunt for the personnel report.

Alrighty. If you go ahead and turn to that report before we get started, I would like to introduce one of our newer employees to our board. And they are in Tiffany's unit. So, Tiffany, if you don't mind. So I will let them

tell you a little bit about themselves. But we have Jenna who is going to be on on call. Then we have Everett who is going to be on his 02:10 assessment and investigation. So if you want to share a little bit about yourself.

Thank

you. Any questions for our new staff?

How long have you been doing it now? Yeah. He said you come from HR base? Yes. K. That's a

Big change. But

now he's just dealing with little kids now.

So we always like for you to know who board members are. They are the driving force behind us to do this to support our work. And also, I'd like for you to meet our county attorney, almost that manager. Oops. Our county attorney, Richard Wood.

I think you you know everyone. But it is important, and if anytime you wanna come to a board meeting or wanna hear what's going have things that let us know. And so with that, we will continue with our meeting. And you can certainly choose to stay and listen to the rest of the meeting, or we will allow you to so it's totally up to you. This is a live. Okay.

Yeah. I'm one of the elses cases.

Yeah. Thank you, guys. Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. Alright. If if you guys then will turn to the personnel report for the month of May, and we would like to review that and let us know if you have any question. PM did change the layout just a little this time so that you could see, you know, the vacant positions a little bit clearer and the totals. So let us know if you have questions.

With

with our contracted employees, about a 176. Without that, we're, like, about one fifty six.

Give

me the numbers. Okay. So a lot of these are, workers who just started. So they may be in preservice, and they haven't been assigned to caseload yet. That's what the person that probably that that accurate.

I I think I know the answer to this question.

Okay. Numbers or is, like, the four digit number? One of those numbers, that's an employee.

That is correct.

In that total, that would tell how many employees in that particular

Yeah. Yeah. And then then you add the open position? Got it. Perfect.

Got it. Yeah.

And thank you for asking these questions because it's kinda good for Sydney, who's new on you let us know, Sydney. Additional questions. And child support. Support. What shows zero on down the line. But Oh, okay. Those zeros, these are people who work and come time. Does not have any only That's right. Mhmm. Only we do have down work and some overtime.

Got a couple in nutrition. Yeah.

That's a good thing.

How many? No.

We don't have anything else anything else.

Most of the recruitment in place.

Yes. We do. One of the things that we did that has been extremely helpful is we started utilizing believe it or not. And the thought was at at first that it may not get a lot from that, but sometimes you just have to try and eat, and we try. I will tell you, Tiffany, we have gotten That that works.

But this will recognize miss Price for the budget discussion.

K. Here's your financial report on page two. This is for the eleven months ended 05/31/2025. Your contribution from general fund for your administrative expenses at 91.7%, and that's exactly on budget. That's where we should be after eleven months.

On page four, contribution from general fund for your programs is at 91.32%, and that's point 35% under budget. At the very last page, page, 10, you'll see your total budget is at 83.07, which is 8.6% under budget. And the reason that contribution from admin is right on and then programs is a little under, and then it looks like we're a good bit under on the total. You have to take into consideration sales tax and sales tax reimbursement and other things that, you know, so reimbursement come out. So we're 83 o 7% right now.

It's 8.6 under budget. Then going back to page five, you'll see on your report that the ones highlighted professional service other on page five, which is about in the middle of the page, is over budget that no. Excuse me. Professional services IT has others was over budget last month for the single audit being paid. But your IT analyst I'm sorry.

That is our IT positions that we contract with two positions with IT, and that's just over budget just due to the COLA that they received during this last fiscal year not being budgeted this year. And same thing with our deputy line. The salary for for that our deputy her salary is a little higher because of the COLA that wasn't budgeted. Then going on to page no. Still on the same page. Sorry. Travel at the bottom of page five. This one is a little over budget because a Duke Energy invoice was coded to this one. So that will be reclassed. It was $2,500.

They just coded it to the wrong line. I think our what is our utilities is $3.31 and travel is $3.11, so they just hit the 3 instead of the 331 instead of 311. So that's well, that's $5,500 in travel. It's not supposed to be. So that's why we're a little over budget in travel.

So that will come back next month. Rentals on page six is over on this month, and that's, again, due to our rental on our postage machine being paid. No other invoices will be paid this this fiscal year, so this is where we'll be at the 97.6% pending in that. We won't go over budget in this line. And then the capital outlay HVAC, which is at the bottom of or goes to the bottom of page six, That line is a little over budget because we just have a new HVAC in, which was just put in yesterday and ongoing or got hooked up and everything going today.

So we can piss that, can't we? One side of our building was hot, hot, hot. So all the other lines that are over in the programs were over last month. There's no new lines that nothing new to tell you. Those have been over, you know, during the whole entire fiscal year.

So that's it as far as this year's budget. We would be way over budget if we haven't had some money pulled from general fund for foster care. As you remember, Paula put extra funds out of general foster care. We're way over budget in foster care. So but other than that, we've, you know, kept everything pretty much controlled.

Just just our foster care. And we knew at the beginning that foster care probably, you know, would be at this rate, but I'll just take it down to what our our costs were the year before and just said, we'll see as we go. You know? Our foster care rates will be. So we've got a lot of kids in group homes. We've got a lot of kids county. Expensive. What was it? That the line that says HVAC I think it was that on see it.

I lost it. Yeah.

That encumbrance, that 24,000. $24,009.50, you might as well say 5,000. Yeah.

I don't know.

Usually, but I'm not certain if they did it this time. I didn't have maintenance to the PO and everything, and I don't I mean, I can tell you that next

Are you next? Yeah.

I'm I'm not sure. I didn't even look look at it, Dave. I just knew it was hot. We needed something done so people wouldn't do

not a good big

kid in. Yeah. Yeah. Hot.

Not with not with the you have a couple back then or just one or two. I don't know. So you you definitely don't want the hot. But any other questions for me? I don't everything was pretty much the same as last month, I think, those coupons.

Thank you so much. You will look at May 25 service report. These are the programs that the department. Let us

How was that projection looking? It

is going to if they go through with it right now desk. And if they go through with it, just to you're gonna track me on this. So for food and nutrition normally, we get 50% reimbursement from so the county pays for 50%. We do and then the state federal government. Federal.

Sorry. Federal government would do so right now, what the federal government is saying that we'll do 25. So that means that if they do the 25, then that other 25% is going somewhere. So that means that that's the state. You know, they're saying that the state will take it, but the state's just gonna pass it off county without a doubt.

The other one is in under Medicaid. They're saying, no. We're not don't allow this to go for a year. We case again. Let's do it every six months.

But when you do it every six months, that means it's double the work. So that means that it's going to make a difference, impact, whether we're gonna need other work passed down to the county. So directors are fighting against it. We have advocacy that have sent letters to legislators. We're working for that matter.

And it is passed down to the and we know that. That's what the state's gonna do. That's is there anything else that you wanna 15.

Yes.

Right now, if there's an error, the state kinda takes

care of

it, but they're trying to pass pass that down counties. So it it just means that, you know, that unit I'm sorry. As accurate as possible. So I'm gonna add rest because once it hits hits my office, I'm gonna start asking questions because I know that it's have money attached to it. So it just it it makes it very, very stressful.

Now we do try to make sure things are done. But once they put money to it, I mean, we've gotta really pay it. Right. Because what they do like, there's, like, a 100 counties. And let's just say that we were at 100 let's just say that 80 counties were at 100, then there were, like, 20 that were at 20%.

Well, they just kinda sort of aggregate that together and come up with with that that that medium score. And if it's below what it's supposed to be, then we pay back. Even if we did have 100%. So it's it's just it it's tough and either way you look at it, it's tough. But I think if every county, you know, would do their best to make sure that their rates are accuracy rates are as high as possible. I mean, I'm sorry. That would be low as possible.

Was thinking, do you know do you have the same county with high error rate or low error rate?

You know, honestly, there's some truth to that. I I I, you know, I I won't just put a blanket statement on it and say yes, but there's some truth to that. There are some counties that do very well. Rutherford County is one of them. We normally do pretty good on our score. We've done right on our Em gets audited. She's always done very We've done extremely well in Medicaid. OMG. We've done very well. We've had some struggles with food and nutrition services a little, but it's it's it's it's not bad bad.

And normally, if there's a little struggle, they'll they'll give us a a a plan. We'll put it in place, and we'll try to make sure that we're doing the best that that we can. So, yes, there's there's some truth, but without a doubt. A 100%. So seeing

states. Yeah.

But, yeah, so we we do well. I mean, I'm I'm so proud. Yeah.

But I was thinking about the ones that always a little lower. They probably take money from them.

They can't even be

worth because they're not gonna be able to hire. Yeah.

So it gets to the point having to pay back. K? Everything going on in the county, there's a possibility some clients that need services won't get some. Is that a likelihood? But if we we're not getting the don't have the funding because we're having to pay back because of the mistakes of others

County would have would have to make that.

It's it's. Yeah. It'll come from somewhere. So it is mandated, so there's no way that you can't do it. You you whoever's eligible must receive

Somebody's gonna Yeah.

Must receive Somebody's gonna The the the yeah. The county will at some point. So it's mandated, sir. There's no way that we cannot do it. So who whoever's eligible and they apply, they would get it. Whoever it is I don't know.

Right.

And and it's you know, there and there's in some cases, we may benefit. We may be lower one time and then or the counties are higher and then we get to, you know, use that. So some sometimes it helps. I'm gonna give you an example with our welfare for the visitation rate. We were always really, really high and they came to us and said, thank you.

Because of your score, it tipped us. So the state was able pass the federal requirement of how many visits are held timely where they're supposed to be held because Rutherford County was like at a 98, something like that. Yeah. Which tipped which tipped. Because if some counties were 85 or 89, thank goodness for County because you were we put your numbers in. It tipped it. So we passed. Well, the state passed. So it it can go either way. But we're we're gonna do our jobs the very best that we can do them.

If at some point we can raise the social work that's a conversation for another day. That's a conversation for Steve.

Good. So what director Hunt says, they should probably gonna have to have to happen at some point in time because if you turnover rate keeps going because we can't pay folks because they can go across the street and get more, then we're spending out way more trying to keep qualified folks. You know, I'd love for one day we come to a meeting. We've got no new employees because they I know. All of our positions are fit.

That that that that is so true. But when I'm hearing from from people that employ people that where the money is great, it's just the generation. They're not gonna stay too long anywhere. They're just not gonna stay. Because I'm playing, god. Got money. You know?

It's Yeah.

And and they don't mind.

They don't mind. And that's the mindset.

Yes. That's the mindset. That's yeah. Yeah. It hurts someone fresh out of college or hadn't been out that long. They're mobile. I mean, they're just

and the only thing we can do right now is the other thing and do. Because

in in all of that, it affects everything that's on this

Yeah.

Report right here?

It does. It does.

Gotta get it across training too. Yeah. Yes. Any any other comments on the service report? That would go to program updates. We looked at this doc. It's social. Alright.

So children services, we are doing well. We are heavy in PATH NC, which is a system that the state is taking on that will be able to go in and, you know, instead of asking other counties for records and stuff, you can just go into one system and see it. And so we have a lot of trainings coming up. So, you know, the lucky Monday. We weren't in the all day.

She was had the office all by herself, nine to five, but it was so hot in there. So I'm glad it it didn't last all day. But I'm gonna take a lot of people out of office to learn the system, to learn the structured decision making tools. And, again, it's gonna be a great system if they can get it together, you know, and making sure that, you know, like I said, we don't have to call other counties. We can just zoom right on in to that county and see their cases. Now you can't just be lurking in the system. They'll it'll alert them and let them know, but you gotta make sure. So they're starting with intake and assessment. So, again, a lot of rollouts going on right now. So if if it turns out well, it's gonna be a good system.

And then we had our for adult services, they're doing well too. We had our World Air Relief event. It turned out really good. You know, play with the bingo. You know, you can they love bingo.

So they really

enjoyed that. So that's pretty much everything that's going on.

Where's the training place at?

So it could be they're looking for training sites right now. So they need a site. So for this Path and Seed, because it is so heavy, it's gotta be a training site that can hold the the web band or the IT cannot break down. It's gotta be able to accommodate, like she said she needs to accommodate, like, 40 to 80 people. So it's gotta be a a very big place where everybody can have a laptop. They'll provide all of that to show you. But then it was like, oh, no. We might just have to send a person from your county. They learn it and then come back and

Train it.

And train it. Yeah. Because it was like, how in the world can everybody who do intake and assessment go to this training? It's there's no way. Now it's different dates, but, still, that's a good bit of people out of the office at one time. It's just impossible with you know, we got vacancies. So we got some save the dates from these are some save the dates from the state, but, again, no specifics as to where. It could be Cleveland County, Charlotte, Asheville, Buncombe, that area. Just waiting to see. And I don't

know if I've told you or not, but Margaret Anunziotti, president, ICC Mhmm. Did agree to Okay. To to her place. That's really good. So, yeah, you can you can let them know if they wanna do that. And, of course, I like it there because if people go there, then I don't have to pay for travel.

Right. Well, that that's why I was at the reason I was saying because I knew ICC has

They agreed. Yeah. Okay. Good. Good. Good.

So I need let her

Yeah. Okay.

And I think I've given her the date that Peter had opened last week, July. And she's she's gotta open. Remind me to send you

because they made it clear. They wanted where the Wi Fi gonna work. Ain't nothing gonna crash. Like, it's that intense. It's a lot.

So, like, okay. I did I did tell Peter too that open.

Okay. Good. Good. Good. So we just taking it all right now. Everybody do intake because they don't call. So

And, also, I wanted to add a little bit to to Tiffany that the lighthouse is up and running. Oh, yeah. And we had our first person at the lighthouse. And Kayla was there. I was there. It's, like, 09:30, 10:00 at night. But I just wanted to be there to see that first person who spent the night at the lighthouse. He was a 15 year old, 16, 17, 16. He was a 16 year old. And, of course, you know, the workers have to be there.

I think Kayla did the night there or till five in the morning. One. Okay. But I I I let him know who he was, that he was our first there. Pictures not of him. He just stayed one night? Yeah. He just stayed was it one night or two nights?

Two nights, but he probably gonna

he's gonna be

on sick again.

Did I talk did I talk that up?

I'm sorry. So you're able to place him in auscultation? I

think he's in auscultation. He's just

oh, okay.

And then they'll say, we don't want him back, and then we won't have anywhere to put him, and then he'll end up at the lighthouse. And then I'll have to pull the staff that's already overworked, watch him at the lighthouse. You

don't have people on contract for that that you can call them

at We do. Anytime.

Absolutely, we do. We have people on contract, but it just depends on whether they're available. Because they have other things going on. Right. So we do have people. The only way to keep them on contract so that they're not doing anything else is is that what some counties are doing, but I don't have the budget for it. They pay them anyway. And then when it's time to call, they don't have a choice. They have But that's what some of the other county they just they they keep them on staff and say, okay. It's your turn.

It was, like, their own call. So that would be great, but we don't have the budget that we pay them. Budget. Also wanted to let you know that on Thursday of last week no. Wednesday of last week, it was two other directors and myself were invited to have breakfast with the legislator, talk about foster care, and and what we could do bring to have more foster parents, have less kids in care, and less kids out of the county.

And, of course, they were struck by Rutherford County because we only have 23 foster homes, of course, for about a 186 children that we have in care. So they talked with our supervisor in adoptions and licensing who is Jevon Bachus. And there's a program that we've that we're putting in place called bring the kids back. And so they're literally looking at that as a potential bill to to write, to help boost up foster children I mean, parents in the county and keep the kids home, to keep them from losing their connections to family and to their schools. And in in order to do that, they're thinking about every foster parent being a therapeutic foster parent.

I mean, there's money tied to that. And so what they're asking brother for is to come up with ideas that would be part of that, bring the kids back. So as soon as we come up with that, we'll submit it to senator Bergen. Senator Bergen is is one that's interested in. So that was really that felt really good.

So they got information from and the three people that they chose are the three people that that the three counties that got the grant from and I told you guys about this. It's a it's a grant to help us with bringing foster getting more foster families. So that came from the North Carolina Collaborative through. So it was the three of us that that that were invited there. We just gave our story.

It was pretty neat. So, hopefully, hopefully, that will bring or foster parents to the county out of state and out of county, which bugs. Not only that, but it also wear and tear on Workers may be gone all day, seven in the morning, nine at night. Get the parents take before a visit. And then there's policy that says that you must allow children to visit with each other, siblings.

There's sibling visits too. That's that's So hopefully something That's all.

All. Just

want to know if you if you all got an invitation for the Social Services Institute. It's gonna be an They normally especially your board member, there is an orientation. They do have something designated board members. Guys are interested in going. Just let me know so I and if you know today, that would be great.

I'm not

from this county.

So I don't think there is such a thing as RC catalyst. Okay. It's it's in this particular thing that's gotta be submitted.

Right. My social media stuff.

Oh, yeah. They're not there then.

They're they're not there anymore. There's another lady that is stepped up. I see. I don't understand. Let somebody tell me different. He's different. Do we have to fill that in?

Okay. Yeah.

Think we can. The the other ones are bloggers. She you have any dance that says she's me, but not like how RC Catalyst. So I just happened to see this, and I'm like, they're not there.

It's been a year since

And, yes, and it looked like it was probably copy paste more because you don't change much, but I don't I'd rather not send something.

I will have that.

Just take that one part out, and you call me tomorrow. I mean, I can run by the inside of it.

And regarding the social Sydney try to make sure that we're doing our part. It gives us a training board member. Would you like for

Yes. It it was very helpful.

Yeah. You know what? They they will do there is one at at the institute, but if you can't go to the institute, it's okay. I just wanted to make sure that you were aware. It it it doesn't matter. We just normally, if we need it, we'll send her a message and tell her that we need it, and she'll she'll do it. There is a, like, a recording that you can listen to. But so if you wanna do that, that's fine. Or if not, sometimes she'll she'll come down and and for training. We will do it on So what what was your preference? Are are you okay with doing Zoom? Yeah. So I will do that. Are you putting that in? Okay.

Alright. We will I will get in touch. I will email the chair.

Oh, I'm back at did of RC Catalyst Rutherford Weekly. They have a paper version that comes out every Thursday. You have an I don't know what Jean I think Jean is more in the

Yes, brother.

She's she's rather weak. Okay. Okay. They look here. They they do have a paper version, but only time I ever see the paper is in a school or a business.

We could because there is a local paper. Comes out three times a week three, four times a week. But the Rutherford Weekly comes out once a week, it probably reaches before that. They're gonna cure it.

Okay. Don't mind. Yes.

I think that would cover all of our

Free to pick up. Mhmm.

Thank you. Beneficial. I

apologize.

No. That that's good because I And I didn't have

No. Okay. Mister Williams, help me out if I'm in order. Board, I'd to take about five or ten minutes closed session. That It wasn't on the agenda. It was not on the agenda. You you'd need a motion to add this to the agenda. Already done it. I mean Yeah. Like a motion.

Yes. I believe you can do that. I have a motion on the floor to go into closed session. Will there be a second?

Sure.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Give me a call. Oh. Yeah. No. Not not on this one. Thank y'all.

Thank you, guys. Go back, Jameson.

It's still my. Goodbye.

Goodbye. Thank you, Drew.

She's gotta cut it off. Okay. Thank you. Come