Allegany County Human Services Committee approves series of grants, contracts and staffing actions

The Allegany County Human Services Committee on April 16 approved a package of grants, contracts, memoranda and staffing requests covering elder services, public health programs, Medicaid waiver arrangements and child welfare contracts.

The committee, chaired for the meeting by Vice Chair Jen Ricketts Swails, front‑loaded approvals for the Office for the Aging and Health Department and then moved through social services and staffing requests. Most motions drew brief discussion and carried on unanimous voice votes with five members present.

Why it matters: The approvals authorize local program operations and short‑term funding that affect county elder services, transportation for seniors and children, public-health surveillance and a suite of foster-care placements. Several items authorize the county to accept state or private grant funds, enter interagency agreements, or replace staff whose resignations were noted.

Key approvals and program highlights

- Office for the Aging: The committee accepted the monthly Office for the Aging report and approved an amendment to Resolution No. 17525 to correct an entity name. The office reported increases in home care (PC‑1) housekeeping clients from 683 last year to 754 this year and in personal emergency response units from 153 to 175. The office said its volunteer tax preparation program returned about $251,000 to clients and saved roughly $48,200 in filing fees; its GoGo Grandparent transportation partnership had 57 rides scheduled in coming months.

- Elder‑abuse microgrant: The committee approved acceptance and appropriation of a $4,000 microgrant to support elder-abuse prevention and education (grant recipient and account language included in the motion). The motion was amended to explicitly authorize the chairman to sign the mini‑grant agreement and carried on a unanimous voice vote.

- Grants and transportation: The committee authorized applying for the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York’s Accelerated Community Transportation Grant and approved a renewal to use the county Family Resource Center facility for health‑department programs.

- Victim services MOU: Members approved a memorandum of understanding with Accord (Allegheny County Community Opportunities in Rural Development / Accord Corporation) for New York State Flexible Funding for victims and survivors of domestic violence; the county’s portion of the work was described as directed to seniors who are victims of domestic violence.

- Bolivar congregate luncheons: The committee approved permission for a lease agreement with the Bolivar Fire Department to use the Bolivar congregate luncheon site and amended a related MOE (resolution No. 54‑25) to adjust the agreement term to Jan. 1, 2025–April 4, 2025, with other terms to remain in force.

- Medicaid/SCN agreement: Members approved a master service agreement with Finger Lakes IPA (doing business as Forward Leading IPA) to allow the county to provide services under the 1115 Medicaid waiver; staff said the county moved from the Western to the Finger Lakes region under the state restructuring and that the agreement has limited fiscal impact (meals provided are reimbursed by the partner).

- Preschool transportation contracts: The committee approved contracting for preschool transportation with a list of school districts (Alfred Almond, Andover, Arkport, Belfast, Cuba-Rushford, Fillmore, Friendship, Genesee Valley, Keshequa, Portville, Wellsville, Whitesville, Letchworth and others listed in the MOE). Staff said these are the same districts as prior years and that using districts is a county cost‑savings.

- Public‑health items: The Health Department accepted a radon‑kit grant from the Allegany County Area Foundation to provide about 297 radon test kits (staff said all funds will go toward kits). The committee approved the Marco Technologies copier/printer agreement for the WIC building and renewed display and outreach work tied to the community health assessment; the health department reported more than 1,800 completed community health surveys and presented tick surveillance results from Genesee Valley Greenway (37 deer ticks collected; about 67% positive for Lyme disease, 13% for Anaplasma and 2.7% for babesiosis in that sample, a single point‑in‑time collection performed in October 2024).

- Child welfare and social services: Commissioner Don Horn presented a new preventive Pathways contract with Together for Youth (a more intensive preventive service than standard preventive contracts), budgeted to cover 8–10 families every eight months; the committee approved the contract. The committee also approved renewals of multiple foster‑care contracts (listed in the packet) and noted that maximum state aid rates set the payment rates. Horn reported two sizable program‑integrity settlements that increased the fraud unit amount for February to about $27,000 (individual settlements cited as roughly $13,006.07 and $5,720).

- Staffing actions: The committee approved multiple “create and fill” or fill requests following resignations: a lunch‑and‑center manager position for the Wellsville site; a quality coordinator position (federal funded); a senior caseworker in CPS; an intensive case manager (to be located in Wellsville); and a temporary secretary position to overlap and train the long‑tenured incumbent before she retires (the temporary hire will transition into the permanent role). All staffing actions were approved on unanimous voice votes unless otherwise noted.

Items tabled or deferred

- A separate radon test‑kit donation item was tabled pending further action; the committee moved to table that item and voted in favor of tabling.

Votes at a glance (motions and outcomes)

- Approve March 19 minutes — Moved by Root; second Hanchett; outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Amend Resolution No. 17525 (entity name correction) — Moved by Yoyo (as stated in packet); second Hanchett; outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Accept & appropriate microgrant — $4,000 for elder‑abuse prevention (approval of grant agreement and chairman signature added) — Moved Hanchett; second Ilya; outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Authorize application: Accelerated Community Transportation Grant (Health Foundation for W&C NY) — Moved (motion recorded); second recorded; outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - MOU with Accord for NYS Flexible Funding for Victims & Survivors of Domestic Violence (county portion serving seniors) — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Lease permission with Bolivar Fire Department for congregate luncheon site; amend MOE/Resolution No. 54‑25 to change term — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Master service agreement with Finger Lakes IPA / Forward Leading IPA (1115 Medicaid waiver, SCN lead entity) — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Request to fill: lunch and center manager (Wellsville) — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Family Resource Center facility use agreement renewal — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Marco Technologies copier/printer agreement (WIC building) — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Preschool transportation contracts with listed school districts — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Accept & appropriate radon test‑kit grant (Allegany County Area Foundation) — funds to buy ≈297 kits; outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Motion to table separate radon donation item — Moved Hanschen; second Barnes; outcome: approved to table (voice vote, 5–0). - Amend Resolution No. 29324 to add Southtown Children’s Associates PLLC for physical therapy services — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Request to fill: quality coordinator (federal grant funded) — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Together for Youth Pathways contract (new preventive, more intensive visits than standard preventive contracts; covers 8–10 families every eight months) — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Renewals of foster‑care contracts (multiple agencies listed in packet) — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Create and fill temporary secretary position to overlap retirement, then transition into permanent role — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Create/fill permanent secretary position (to be filled after transition) — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Request to fill: senior caseworker (CPS) — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0). - Request to fill: intensive case manager (Wellsville) — outcome: approved (voice vote, 5–0).

What the meeting did not decide

The committee discussed potential state budget uncertainty affecting OMH/OASAS funding streams and noted risk to local behavioral‑health agencies if Medicaid or state funding were cut, but there was no county action taken on those questions at this meeting. Staff framed those remarks as preparatory and did not report a change in county program funding.

Next steps

Most items authorize agreements, grant acceptance, or hiring steps. Staff will return required signed agreements where the motions authorized chairman or department signatories and will proceed with hiring processes for approved positions.

Ending note: The meeting ended after brief public‑health and social‑services updates and moves to adjourn; all recorded motions carried by voice vote with five members present.