Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Letters of invitation were mailed to county and state officials for a special meeting of the Tri-County Social Service Board on Monday, February 5, regarding the possibility of forming a District of Eddy, Foster and Wells County Social Services. Auditors, commissioners and social service board members from all three counties gathered with the Tri-County board along with District 23 Senator Joan Heckaman and District 29 Representative Chet Pollert.
Steve Reiser, the director of Dakota Central Social Services, was invited to present information and answer questions about the process that McLean, Mercer, Sheridan and Oliver Counties followed when they formed their own district. Reiser also serves on the Governor’s Task Force which was formed as part of SB 2206, a bill passed by state legislators in 2017 to create a two-year statewide pilot program for the purpose of the state taking over the funding of county social service programs. The North Dakota Department of Human Services is required to study county social services and provide the Legislature with a plan for a permanent takeover for consideration during the 2019 session. They are tasked with identifying ways to create efficiencies and possibly consolidate services.
Reiser explained that the four counties became a district in 2007, following guidelines established in the North Dakota Century Code. He said that in his opinion the people of these counties are better served by a district than they were by four county social service entities.
One example of these improved services includes the proximity of social service offices. In the past, residents were required to travel to their county seat to receive services. Now, if a resident lives closer to one of the other offices, he or she can receive services at any of the four offices that make up the district, making it more convenient and cost-effective for residents.
Reiser said there were two major factors in their decision to form a district. The first factor was the specialization of staff members, with both social workers and eligibility workers. Rather than expecting all workers to have a little knowledge about all areas of social services, the district has the ability to develop subject matter experts. The specialization of staff in Eddy, Foster and Wells Counties is already underway through the Tri-County Social Service Board.
The second factor was to increase efficiencies. Reiser explained that, in the past, the Director of Social Services for their four counties was devoting one entire week of every month to the preparation for and attendance at individual county board meetings. The director also had five separate budgets to prepare. This has been an issue for the Tri-County Social Service Director, as she has four boards to report to and four budgets to prepare.
Dakota Central Social Services set up a governing board, comprised of 10 members, with representatives from all four counties. Any changes to the plan require a 70 percent super-majority, which he said helps to keep the larger counties from running over the smaller counties. One county is set up with the fiscal responsibilities for the district; including paying bills, payroll, etc.
Reiser said given the advantages, that there were also some issues at the beginning. An almost immediate barrier was the varying pay rates for employees and the variances in benefit packages among the four counties. Each remained an employee of his or her respective county for a time with the understanding that all would eventually become employees of the district. He said there was pushback to begin with, but employees are now happy with the consistencies that have resulted from becoming one district. Another minor challenge is that the state computer programs are set up by county, so workers need to have four different log-ins and passwords, one for each county.
The governing board makes the budget for the district. The money received from the state is distributed in one lump sum to the district entity, rather than four separate county entities. Each county is asked to designate a certain portion of the budget and set aside funds for it. The larger counties bear a larger portion of the burden, and the smaller counties a smaller portion.
It is built into the plan that if the counties for some reason decide to withdraw from the district, they may do so after giving the district six months prior notice. Reiser recommended setting up a sub-committee to follow the guidelines in Century Code to make any transitions as seamless as possible.
Senator Joan Heckaman told the board that she appreciated the fact that they were looking at this important issue, saying she had been leery of a two-year pilot program for state-run Social Services. However, she said this is similar to what has already been done with the district health units. She is supportive of the process, adding that this is a time to be proactive rather than reactive and that setting up a plan now will benefit our rural communities.
Representative Chet Pollert reiterated what Heckaman said regarding the divisions between rural and urban communities and agreed that a proactive plan would be to our community’s advantage. The state made a big change by moving to this pilot program and Pollert said it would be hard to see it going back to the counties.
At this point, the Tri-County Social Service Board is supportive of moving toward a district because of the administrative efficiencies alone. Eddy, Foster and Wells County Commissions were all asked to discuss the topic at their county meetings, which were all scheduled for later in the week.
As discussion on this topic continues, the New Rockford Transcript will continue to keep readers apprised of any new developments.
