Supervisors agree in principle to host CICS headquarters, tentatively at 50% rent; discuss fiscal, employer and staffing transitions

Franklin County Board of Supervisors and leadership from Community Intervention and Crisis Services (CICS) discussed a proposed move of CICS’s regional offices into county-owned space, a fiscal arrangement for the agency’s transition and how staff changes would be handled under a new contract.

The discussion focused on three main items: proposed rent-sharing for the Franklin County building (board members signaled support for a 50% cost arrangement), a proposal that Franklin County continue as the agency’s employer of record and serve as fiscal agent for CICS at reduced administrative rates, and a staffing transition plan that includes vacation buy‑downs, potential layoffs, and how unemployment costs would be handled.

The item matters because CICS is changing how it is funded and where it operates: staff said the organization will cover more counties with a smaller overall budget next fiscal year, and preserving a local office is intended to maintain in‑county access for clients. Supervisors and CICS leadership discussed terms intended to keep services available in Franklin County without creating an open long‑term burden on county taxpayers.

Russell (Russell Wood) and Katie (CICS staff) walked the board through three rent proposals based on building occupancy and administrative cost ceilings CICS must meet. Proposal summaries discussed in the meeting were: (1) a cost‑recovery rent equal to 100% of allocated expenses; (2) charging CICS 50% of rent/costs; and (3) charging CICS 75% of rent/costs. Supervisors indicated a preference for the 50% option as the most realistic compromise to keep the building occupied while limiting county subsidy.

On employer and fiscal roles, staff proposed that Franklin County remain the employer of record and fiscal agent for the region under new, lower administrative fees to reflect CICS’s constrained budget. CICS proposed charging 1% (instead of 3%) for employer‑of‑record services. For fiscal agent services (processing claim runs and payroll), staff proposed a 1% fee on claims (with exclusions for amounts already charged on payroll). Supervisors said they were comfortable moving forward with those lower percentages in principle and asked staff to finalize written agreements for later formal approval.

The board and CICS leadership also discussed staff transitions tied to the contract change: CICS leadership said the organization will reduce operational staffing overall while increasing geographic coverage (planning for 44 counties under a smaller budget). The transition plan discussed includes: buying down vacation accruals to two weeks for continuing employees (with payouts for employees who leave), allowing departing employees to provide two‑week notices in May to reduce disruption, and issuing formal layoff/transition letters. The county clarified that, as a reimbursable employer for unemployment, the state will bill Franklin County for any approved unemployment claims and the county in turn will bill those costs back to CICS.

CICS and county staff discussed IT support options for the new arrangement. Options include continuing a contract with the vendor Heartland Business Systems for escalations, using local county IT staff for level‑one support, and an hourly or as‑needed billing arrangement for more complex issues. Supervisors asked staff to propose a practical hourly or monthly rate for IT calls that could be billed to CICS when work exceeds brief troubleshooting.

Next steps: CICS and county staff will finalize written agreements (leases and fiscal/employer‑of‑record contracts), set up a separate bank account for the region’s funds, and return to the board with the final contracts for formal approval. Staff also agreed to provide figures for unemployment exposure and the detailed budget treatment so the county can include necessary amounts in the short‑term closure budget.

The board emphasized its preference to keep a physical presence in Franklin County to preserve public access, while minimizing ongoing county subsidy by using the 50% rent model and modest administrative fees.