County to receive nearly $100,000 from Multi-County Juvenile Attention System over next three years
When the Holmes County Commissioners initially decided to pull out of Multi-County Juvenile Attention System, which serves troubled youth in five different counties including Wayne and Stark counties, their efforts turned into some creditable savings financially for the county, as they began to utilize services within Holmes County.
On Monday, July 11, the county commissioners signed a resolution accepting a compromise settlement and mutual release from Multi-County that will see the organization make three annual payments of $30,560.37 through 2012, 2013 and 2014, meaning a $91,681.11 windfall for the county.
Having pulled out of Multi-County Juvenile Attention System in December of 2010, Holmes County settled with the organization, which agreed to pay Holmes County the money it had collected from the county over the next three years.
“This is what we have been working on over the past several years,” said Commissioner Ray Eyler. “We have been able to save the county money by doing what Multi-County has done, just by utilizing our own assets and services within the county.”
Commissioner Joe Miller said that Multi-County had been a very good idea years ago when it first began, but in recent years it has become a big, bureaucratic business, something that the commissioners want to avoid getting involved with.
Perhaps the final straw came last year, when, despite all of Holmes County’s departments and board members not taking on any raises, Multi-County board members were given raises across the board. Holmes County was the lone dissenting vote in not giving out raises, and the Multi-County’s insistence that the raises be provided angered the county commissioners, especially in a time when everyone else was being asked to forego salary increases.
“That really broke the camel’s back,” said Miller. “We didn’t give any raises here, yet we were being forced to give raises to the board there. It just wasn’t right.”
Thus, the county took its juvenile issues into its own hands, and the commissioners have received wonderful support and guidance on juvenile issues from both Judge Tom Lee and the Holmes County Juvenile Court, as well as Job & Family Services.
The result has meant incredible savings for the county, which has seen its payments on juvenile issues drop from nearly $20,000 annually when with Multi-County, to close to $3,000 through their own system.
“This is exactly what happens when people come together and work together toward one purpose,” said Commissioner Rob Ault, who had been dealing with Multi-County over the past two years.
Ault said that while the balance owed to Holmes County comes through a very complicated formula because the annual amount Holmes County was paying to Multi-County was based on a five-year plan, the $91,681 is very close to the actual balance owed back to Holmes County.
Miller said that because of the support and quality care being received through the Holmes County juvenile system, the county is coming out ahead not just financially, but in terms of the care for their youth too.
“We can’t say enough about Judge Lee’s office in particular,” said Miller. “They have worked very hard to make Holmes County a better place to live through this process.”
The resolution serves as a compromise between the two parties, and is intended to serve as a full settlement to any and all disputes, claims or causes for action.
In other commissioner news, the commissioners moved to accept the professional services agreement for the Lakeville Sidewalk Project, which was created through a Community Block Development Grant.
The project will create about 1,200 lineal feet of sidewalk through Lakeville. The project includes sidewalk on both sides of SR 226 from the intersection of CR 101 to approximately 50 feet east of the easternmost access drive to Lakeville Elementary School. The walkway will be five feet wide, and will include three curb ramps. The estimated cost of the project will be $34,700.
The scope of services for the project will include three phases, including design, bidding and negotiations and construction administration. The project will be incorporated with the Walnut Creek Sidewalk Project, and bid as a single project with separate bid prices required for both.
On Monday, July 11, the county commissioners signed a resolution accepting a compromise settlement and mutual release from Multi-County that will see the organization make three annual payments of $30,560.37 through 2012, 2013 and 2014, meaning a $91,681.11 windfall for the county.
Having pulled out of Multi-County Juvenile Attention System in December of 2010, Holmes County settled with the organization, which agreed to pay Holmes County the money it had collected from the county over the next three years.
“This is what we have been working on over the past several years,” said Commissioner Ray Eyler. “We have been able to save the county money by doing what Multi-County has done, just by utilizing our own assets and services within the county.”
Commissioner Joe Miller said that Multi-County had been a very good idea years ago when it first began, but in recent years it has become a big, bureaucratic business, something that the commissioners want to avoid getting involved with.
Perhaps the final straw came last year, when, despite all of Holmes County’s departments and board members not taking on any raises, Multi-County board members were given raises across the board. Holmes County was the lone dissenting vote in not giving out raises, and the Multi-County’s insistence that the raises be provided angered the county commissioners, especially in a time when everyone else was being asked to forego salary increases.
“That really broke the camel’s back,” said Miller. “We didn’t give any raises here, yet we were being forced to give raises to the board there. It just wasn’t right.”
Thus, the county took its juvenile issues into its own hands, and the commissioners have received wonderful support and guidance on juvenile issues from both Judge Tom Lee and the Holmes County Juvenile Court, as well as Job & Family Services.
The result has meant incredible savings for the county, which has seen its payments on juvenile issues drop from nearly $20,000 annually when with Multi-County, to close to $3,000 through their own system.
“This is exactly what happens when people come together and work together toward one purpose,” said Commissioner Rob Ault, who had been dealing with Multi-County over the past two years.
Ault said that while the balance owed to Holmes County comes through a very complicated formula because the annual amount Holmes County was paying to Multi-County was based on a five-year plan, the $91,681 is very close to the actual balance owed back to Holmes County.
Miller said that because of the support and quality care being received through the Holmes County juvenile system, the county is coming out ahead not just financially, but in terms of the care for their youth too.
“We can’t say enough about Judge Lee’s office in particular,” said Miller. “They have worked very hard to make Holmes County a better place to live through this process.”
The resolution serves as a compromise between the two parties, and is intended to serve as a full settlement to any and all disputes, claims or causes for action.
In other commissioner news, the commissioners moved to accept the professional services agreement for the Lakeville Sidewalk Project, which was created through a Community Block Development Grant.
The project will create about 1,200 lineal feet of sidewalk through Lakeville. The project includes sidewalk on both sides of SR 226 from the intersection of CR 101 to approximately 50 feet east of the easternmost access drive to Lakeville Elementary School. The walkway will be five feet wide, and will include three curb ramps. The estimated cost of the project will be $34,700.
The scope of services for the project will include three phases, including design, bidding and negotiations and construction administration. The project will be incorporated with the Walnut Creek Sidewalk Project, and bid as a single project with separate bid prices required for both.
Published: July 13, 2011
