Ulster County committee adopts a package of budget, contract and appointment resolutions; drug-test resolution postponed

Legislators at an Ulster County Legislature committee meeting on March 6 approved a series of resolutions to amend the county’s 2025 budget, confirm appointments and authorize contract amendments and awards across health and social services, while postponing a resolution on field drug-test kits for social-service screenings.

The package included a budget amendment to in-house a forensic pathologist who would serve as the county’s chief medical examiner, contract amendments for mental-health providers and supportive-housing services, acceptance of multiple state allocations for social-services programs including Raise the Age and kinship/adoption recruitment, and a $200,000 contract with Industrial Medicine Associates to screen temporary-assistance clients for substance-use issues.

Committee members said bringing the forensic pathologist in-house would make Ulster County’s medical examiner office able to perform forensic pathology and reduce perceived conflicts of interest when the pathologist is affiliated with a hospital. Director Walter (Department of Health) said, “we've been contracting with Westchester or Health Alliance or Kingston Hospital, depending on the name... for a very, very long time, decades,” and described the shift as creating neutrality and improved administrative capacity because the pathologist could serve as chief medical examiner and attend scenes.

Deputy Commissioner Bridal Wood (Department of Social Services) described several state-funded allocations the county is receiving for 2025. The county will use Raise the Age funds mainly for prevention programs including multi-systemic therapy, family therapy and Family Woodstock’s DASH restorative-justice groups. Staff said the adoption and legal-guardianship recruitment allocation is a new, $25,000 award from the state to help counties recruit and support kinship and adoptive placements; the county intends to develop a spending plan before the state deadline.

Commissioner McDonald (Department of Mental Health) explained contract amendments for youth surveys and prevention services and described a rate increase from the New York State Office of Mental Health that will support Gateway Community Industries’ PROS program and supported housing. "Before the increase, it wasn't covering their costs," McDonough said of supportive-housing services, adding the rate adjustment helps agencies provide supportive housing as costs rise.

On contract items, the committee authorized an amendment of $10,000 (bringing the total over $50,000) to Family Services Inc. for prevention work that will be moved administratively from the Department of Health to the Department of Mental Health; an amendment of $97,122 to Gateway Community Industries tied to rate changes for PROS and supported housing; and a $4,096 amendment to Health Alliance Hospital Mary’s Avenue Campus for crisis-intervention services in the emergency room. The committee also approved a $200,000 contract with Industrial Medicine Associates, PC, to provide screening and substance-use assessment services for Temporary Assistance clients.

Legislator McCullough introduced a separate resolution requesting that county-administered social-service programs use "high quality" field drug-test kits in any required screening. McCullough said, "I'm just asking them to use the best test available to to make sure we get the true outcome for, people lives at stake." Social-services leaders and other legislators asked for data on the frequency of discrepant results between initial field screens and confirmatory lab testing and noted the tradeoffs between rapid screening and laboratory confirmation. Commissioner Haidbosey and other staff explained the county uses vendor-supplied screening strips for rapid results, with confirmatory testing sent to labs when needed, and that vendors publish sensitivity and specificity data. The committee moved to postpone resolution 155 for one month to allow staff to gather information on test performance and past discrepant cases.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 145 — Amend 2025 Ulster County budget to fund forensic pathologist position (in-house chief medical examiner): moved by Legislator McCullough; seconded by Legislator Harmon; outcome: approved (voice vote; no roll-call tally recorded). - Resolution 146 — Confirm reappointments to Community Services Board (Maya Hambright, Emma Hambright, Maureen Sheehan): moved by Legislator Corcoran; seconded by Legislator Collins; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Resolution 147 — Contract amendment $10,000 to Family Services Inc. (Department of Mental Health): moved by Legislator Collins; seconded by Legislator Lopez; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Resolution 148 — Contract amendment $97,122 to Gateway Community Industries (PROS and supported housing): moved by Legislator Harmon; seconded by Legislator Kitchen; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Resolution 149 — Contract amendment $4,096 to Health Alliance Hospital Mary’s Avenue Campus (crisis intervention ER services): moved by Legislator Harmon; seconded by Legislator McCullough; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Resolution 150 — Amend 2025 budget for 2024 rollover expenses through Department of Social Services (rental supplement, family-centered base-management services): moved by Legislator Collins; seconded by Legislator Corcoran Green; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Resolution 151 — Accept allocation from NYS Office of Children and Family Services for Raise the Age services (state fiscal year 2025): moved by Legislator Lopez; seconded by Legislator McCullough; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Resolution 152 — Accept CAPTA/CARA funds from NYS Office of Children and Family Services for behavioral specialists in child-protective services (annual $90,000 allocation described): moved by Legislator Corcoran; seconded by Legislator Collins; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Resolution 153 — Accept adoption and legal-guardianship incentive funds for recruitment activities (new $25,000 award described): moved by Legislator Harmon; seconded by Legislator Corcoran; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Resolution 154 — Contract with Industrial Medicine Associates, PC for $200,000 (screening and substance-use services for Temporary Assistance clients): moved by Legislator Collins; seconded by Legislator McCullough; outcome: approved (voice vote). - Resolution 155 — Require high-quality field drug-test kits for county social-service screenings: motion to postpone for one month (moved by Legislator Collins; seconded by Legislator Herman); outcome: postponed to allow staff to gather test-performance and discrepancy data.

Committee context and next steps

Committee members said the forensic-pathologist amendment seeks to establish Ulster County as a legitimate medical examiner’s office able to perform forensic pathology rather than rely solely on hospital-contracted pathologists. Staff noted the county will maintain per-case lab services and other vendor relationships for autopsy-related lab work, even after hiring the pathologist as a county employee.

For the paused drug-test resolution, staff agreed to compile any available internal records about how often initial field screens are later contradicted by laboratory confirmation and to retrieve vendor sensitivity/specificity documentation for the tests the county uses. The committee asked staff to return with that material at the next meeting.

The committee adjourned after completing the listed business.