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Supervisors approve county contract to operate disability access points with state
Summary
Pottawattamie County supervisors authorized the director of community services to sign a contract with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to run local disability access points, formalizing staffing, payroll and short-term vendor payments.
Pottawattamie County supervisors voted to permit the director of community services to sign a disability access point contract with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, formalizing how the county will deliver service coordination and limited payments to vendors.
The contract shifts longer-term services billing to the state while the county will handle payroll and limited short-term vendor payments under the new arrangement, Suzanne (Director of Community Services) told the board. “Mostly, it's gonna be payroll as the majority is just simply payroll,” she said, describing the service as navigation and coordination rather than the broader administrative contracting the region previously handled.
Suzanne told supervisors the transition will include travel for staff to meet clients at provider sites and other community locations, and that the county expects to operate with roughly 21 employees compared with about 19 currently under the regional model. She said startup funds and a change in the state funding formula — described at the meeting as additional payroll coverage in July and two startup payments of about $142,000 due April 15 and June 1 — should keep the county ahead of payroll during the transition.
The contract document cited during discussion allocates about $3,000,000 in funds between Districts 1 and 4; Suzanne said most of that total will be payroll, and that direct claims payments already billed by the region (about $7 million previously) will largely move to state billing for longer-term services. She also said administrative costs up to 7% are allowable and can cover items such as payroll services and space rental when necessary.
Supervisors asked about staffing levels in Sioux City and the surrounding area; Suzanne said the county will try to use current employees first, but anticipates hiring up to five additional people in District 1 over time and expects to recruit staff from neighboring regions where needed. She also said the county will adjust the administration of a separate general assistance budget and bring internal personnel changes to the board later.
A motion to allow the director to sign the contract carried by voice vote; the board indicated no opposition. The board asked Suzanne to keep supervisors informed of staffing changes as the county works through human resources and other operational steps.
The county will continue to refine administrative details, including exact allocations for auditor services and vendor claims processing, as the contract is implemented.
