LONG GIVES LAST BRIEFING AS OCHD ADMINISTRATOR
Osage County Health Department (OCHD) Administrator Susan Long gave her last briefing in that capacity to the commission Thursday, Jan. 28. Beginning Monday, Feb. 1, she will be a part-time, although still very valuable, employee. OCHD Nurse Kim Sallin will officially assume administrator’s duties that day.
Long announced COVID-19 case and contact investigations are ongoing. “Hopefully, we’ll start seeing [vaccine supply coming soon],” she said.
Her main project in that regard right now is to get Sallin out of these investigations. Long wants Sallin to tackle the larger mainstream of the OCHD office’s work. She expects the transition to go on for “quite some time.”
The coronavirus contraction rate has slowed slightly. This is primarily because the calendar has advanced beyond the holiday season. She asks citizens, though, to maintain their vigilance: mask-wearing, hand-washing, and social-distancing.
“It’s still really important we keep up the safety measures,” she emphasized.
Flu cases have been way down so far this year. It’s probably because of the effectiveness of coronavirus mitigation. What works against one airborne communicable disease works as well against others. “I’m being cautiously optimistic with this,” said Long, although pointing out the flu season is still just getting started.
Osage County Presiding Commissioner Darryl Griffin was curious about citizens from Osage County getting their COVID-19 shots in Cole County. He has heard of many who successfully attended clinics at Capital Region Medical Center and Jefferson City Medical Group (JCMG) facilities in Jefferson City.
“They’re not checking driver’s licenses,” said Long.
Neither will she when the vaccine becomes available here. When giving any vaccination, like flu for instance, “We’re not sitting there carding people,” she said. “We are taking people at their word.” People must meet vulnerability criteria. Otherwise, there’s only one hard and fast restriction on the COVID-19 vaccine: the second dose must match the first. If the first dose is a Pfizer shot, the second one must be as well. There is to be no mixing and matching Pfizer with Moderna. Nobody knows how that would turn out.
She also emphasized there are no fetal cells involved with any of the vaccines. This is true of all products available or in the pipeline. She and Sallin both insist, with clarity, rumors to the contrary are false.
“We’re also not micro-chipping people either,” added Long.
Coming soon is the draft of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Region F updated Emergency Operation Plan (EOP). It is being composed by an emergency operations specialist of another county but Long is working closely with the writer.
“I’ll still be overseeing that,” on behalf of Osage County, she said.
Osage County then awarded Long with a cake to express gratitude for her years of service in the OCHD office. “We sure appreciate your leadership over the years,” said Griffin. “You’ve built up an excellent department.”
Long’s OCHD stewardship began with instituting a full-time health department. “Before that, we were a two-county part-time health department,” said Osage County Western District Commissioner Larry Kliethermes, who feels the service of providing birth and death certificates has helped to connect the county’s citizens with the department. Many have and do appreciate the convenience of being able to obtain those forms so easily.
For her part, Long appreciated the groundwork laid by the administration prior to hers. It was split between Gasconade and Osage counties, and only part-time at that. She feels their work helped her make a smooth transition to operating a full-time office. Gasconade County remains “a very good partner to work with,” she said.
Now, there’s a long-range dream of the OCHD having its own building some day. Long would be on board with the idea. The crowding in an office trying to preach social-distancing during a pandemic has been tough. This is not new with COVID-19.
“We’ve always had to juggle where to put people,” she explained.
Long did, however, express a great deal of gratitude for the new air purification system recently installed in the Osage County Administration Building (Annex) and the Osage County Jail. Her office and the jail are both susceptible to airborne communicable diseases. She touts the new system as better protection for the future. She also appreciated laptop computers, enabling her larger staff to work a lot from home.
Circumstances causing Long’s decision to leave full-time work have been difficult. However, “Everything happens for a reason,” she insisted.
“We’re sure glad you decided to stay on a part-time basis,” said Griffin. “We just want to thank you and make best wishes for the future.”
“It’s a phenomenal place to work,” responded Long. “I’m so thankful I’ve been here. I feel like we’ve made a big difference in the lives and the health and safety of the people who live here.”
ROAD AND BRIDGE
Osage County Road and Bridge Foreman Ron Kempker continues to struggle with manpower related issues. There remains, for months now, a full time opening on his crew. Additionally, he has a crew member who will be unavailable until March 9. The medical absence is not a work-related illness or injury.
Griffin visited a department safety meeting recently. While there, he heard crew members talking about once-per-month pay. It’s detrimental to recruiting efforts. He left with the impression the last two candidates offered a position turned it down because of it.
“We’ve heard that before,” said Griffin. “I think that’s something we really need to look at.”
Osage County Eastern District Commissioner John Trenshaw concurred, saying, “I’ve heard where the sheriff actually borrowed money for the new deputies to maintain them until they got their first check.”
A new employee may go more than 40 days before getting paid, depending on the day of the cycle he or she begins work.
“It’s something to think about,” Griffin concluded.
He intends to survey other county governments to get an idea of how their employees are paid. Kliethermes suggested searching online through the County Commissioners Association of Missouri (CCAM).
Kempker invited the commissioners to watch the new combination gravel hauler in action. They were all impressed with the new rig’s capabilities. The driver currently assigned has had no trouble getting over the county roads. He’s had no problem making turns to get out of any situation he’s been in so far.
“There will be some dead-end roads,” Kempker commented. The county will always need some straight tandem-axle dump trucks for total coverage. However, “He hasn’t hit any bad spots he knows of so far.”
“I was amazed how fast he was able to drop that load,” said Griffin. The trailer empties as fast as any dump truck in the fleet and hauls several tons more material. Kliethermes measured the coverage from one load, noting it stretches 300 yards down a regular gravel road. Plus, it leaves a track 12-feet wide, where a regular dump truck’s trail is eight feet. The material is released lower to the road grade, so less rock bounces into the ditch. As a rule, a fresh load is more likely to be drivable immediately.
However, heavy rains recently fell soon after gravel was hauled. It exposed how hungry the roads are for the material. The new loads were completely invisible after the rainfall.
“It’s like that a lot this time of year,” Kempker commented.
“It’s going to take a lot of rock to fix these roads,” added Kliethermes.
In addition, the heavy rain produced flooding on the Maries River near Westphalia. A bridge on CR 521 had water well over its deck. Crews spent hours after the weekend of Jan. 25 clearing brush and debris from on and around it.
Griffin recently attended a meeting in Houston. The group is still trying to form an alliance to promote work on US 63 from Jefferson City to the Arkansas border. Nothing is yet confirmed and there remains effort ongoing to build consensus.
“I think it would be a hard sell in Osage County until we get something accomplished on Highway 50,” said Griffin, referring specifically to the problem at Rt. CC near Missouri State Technical College and Linn R-2.
The department hauled rock on CRs 201, 232, 233, 236, 241, 244, 263, 273, 274B, 522, 604, and 609; crewmembers performed service on Grader #01; crews patched a low water slab on CR 236; brush mowers worked on CRs 272 and 273; and grader operators worked on CRs 201, 236, 274A, 274B, 411, 412, 413, 414, 506, 612, 727, 731, 733, and 734. They also cleaned ditches and culverts.
COUNTY GOVERNMENT
SOFTWARE AVAILABLE
Computer Information Concepts (CIC), of Greeley, Colo., sent a sales team to pitch software designed for county governments. They offer programs for everything from public works to payroll. Eleven counties in Missouri already use CIC products, including some in the same class as Osage, and many larger ones.
The CIC team consisted of two individuals very experienced in Central Missouri county government. Cathy Daniels of Versailles recently completed a 16-year run as Morgan County Clerk. Tracey Graham of Mexico is currently the Audrain County Western District Commissioner. He also serves on the Executive Board of the National Association of Counties (NACo).
One feature the commissioners found attractive is CIC’s commitment to ongoing enhancement. There is no planned obsolescence. The company gathers input every year from county officials as to how to upgrade the product. Other software will crank for a few years. Then the company announces an expensive upgrade.
CIC, instead, commits a portion of annual service fees to “enhancements.” They make improvements each year to avoid the periodic major “upgrade.” Planned obsolescence, leading to five-figure fees, has irritated the commissioners several times recently. They often come from the same company that initially installed an electronic system.
Also, all call-in help centers are in America. Service calls are forwarded to a local technician who can schedule a prompt visit. All responders work from home and should be close enough to schedule a personal visit if necessary.
Osage County Clerk Nicci Kammerich has expressed interest in CIC’s service. Daniels concluded by committing to scheduling a demonstration that Kammerich could attend.
BUILDING AND GROUNDS
An agreement has been reached with Kuster Real Estate and Management, the owner of a vacant lot northeast of the Annex between Lincoln and Benton streets. The county will lease the lot for five years, with no rent being due for the first three. Instead, the county will clean and maintain it. After that, it will cost $500 per year. The commission approved and signed a proposed contract. They intend to gain the owner’s signature soon.
The next step will be to clear trees from the property. “I expect that to be the major amount,” said Trenshaw, who predicts the $1,500 in saved lease payments will not exceed the cost of getting the property into shape. It is to be used as additional parking for county employees. Power lines are close to every tree on the lot. Professional tree-removal expertise will be necessary.
“I would think Ameren would be the first choice,” said Kliethermes.
The power company should be most interested in making sure the job would be safe and efficient. Commissioners agreed to contact them first.
“Cutting trees down can be pretty dangerous,” Griffin observed.
PENTECOSTAL BRIDGE
Kliethermes has been monitoring the wreck of the Pentecostal Bridge, the destroyed span on the Maries River on CR 611 east of Westphalia. Collapsed on Aug. 17, it’s still in the water. He has been in touch recently with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and they are not concerned with the situation. They warned Kliethermes, though. If complaints come, environmental or otherwise, all actions would be against the county. Therefore, “it’s all more important we get something done against the [trucking] company [whose driver caused the accident],” he said.
Osage County Prosecuting Attorney Amanda Grellner agrees. Kliethermes said she would be in contact with the company again. She will allow two weeks for them to respond. Lacking that response, she may file a lawsuit.
“I appreciate you pursuing that,” said Griffin to Kliethermes.
FORM W-4 FOR COUNTY
EMPLOYEES
Kammerich complained to the commissioners about the alleged treatment her staff has received. She said it has come from other county employees. By law, the United States Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service Employee’s Withholding Certificate Form W-4 must be kept up to date. Kammerich has requested all employees update this form before filing their 2020 tax returns. Some have requested assistance from the clerk’s office employees. This Kammerich refuses to allow. “Legally, we can’t tell them how to fill them out,” she said. “We are not tax people.”
The refusal to grant the prohibited assistance has met with some behavior she calls rude.
“We are being treated poorly,” she said, emphasizing the vituperative is exhibited by a small, but vocal, minority. Most workers are polite and take responsibility for themselves in a cooperative spirit. The exceptions, though, have caused some bad moments.
“You can’t tell them how to do it,” agreed Kliethermes.
Griffin promised to address the issue with individuals identified by Kammerich.
“They’ve got to figure out what their tax liability is,” said Griffin.
Kammerich said the forms have been coming in at a satisfactory pace but the process is still in its beginning stages. She emphasized her position has not been taken without plenty of advance notice.
“We sent [the instructions] out prior to anybody filing their taxes,” she asserted. “We don’t deserve to be treated like that.”
MISCELLANEOUS
The commissioners signed grant applications written by and for the OCHD. They also signed service contracts with Mitel Corporation, Chesterfield, and Remote Computer Services (RSC), Westphalia.
Commissioners confirmed money from the recent sale of vehicles retired by the Osage County Assessor’s Office goes to general revenue, rather than into the assessor’s fund.
MRPC has committed to file and deliver all the 1099-G forms incurred by the CARES Act funds administered through the county. “We don’t have much time to do those,” commented Kliethermes. They were due to contractors by Jan. 31.
MRPC has received a retirement announcement from an Osage County member of the board of directors. Candidates for replacement are wanted.
Commissioners approved paying bills from Jan. 16 through Jan. 27 as follows by department: 911/EMA ($3,932.27), Building & Grounds ($358.52), Circuit Clerk ($293.41), Coroner ($3,099.89), Health Department ($72.82), Miscellaneous ($8,956.46), Professional Organization Fees ($128.90), Prosecuting Attorney ($155.29), Road & Bridge ($1,132.20), and Sheriff-Jail ($16,105.08), Treasurer ($144.99), for a total of $34,380.13.
Commissioners reviewed and approved county employee timesheets and signed outgoing checks.
County Offices will be closed Friday, Feb. 12, for Lincoln’s Birthday, and Monday, Feb. 15, for Presidents’ Day.
Griffin announced that Friday, Jan. 29, was Osage County’s 180th birthday.