Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Social Services Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cole County staff say Safe Haven baby box will proceed; $4,900 gap expected before state reimbursement
Summary
County staff reported progress on installing a Safe Haven baby box at a county facility, described costs, identified a roughly $4,900 funding gap and said the county expects a $10,000 state reimbursement for projects after Aug. 28.
County staff reported that the Safe Haven baby box project at the county'operated facility on Atten Street will move forward, with a small funding gap the county expects to close before receiving state reimbursement.
"The device itself is $15,620," a county staff member identified in the meeting as Kate said during the update. Project supporters had raised roughly $28,000 in fundraising, staff said, which exceeded earlier cost estimates. Architects Alliance and contractor GBH reviewed the site and submitted necessary plans and bids.
The meeting record shows the contractor GBH estimated installation work at $17,171.29, leaving an approximate funding gap of $4,900 after accounting for fundraising. Staff said the state legislature included $10,000 in House Bill 121 for reimbursement to any agency that installs a Safe Haven baby box and that those funds became available Aug. 28. The county's Department of Health and Senior Services is writing rules to implement that program, and staff emphasized that reimbursement will be post-expenditure: "no matter how we go about this, we are going to have to expend some funds to get that reimbursement back," the staff member said.
Staff said the county had been cautious about drawing on EMS funds for the project, but that multiple reimbursement mechanisms and community contributions made the county confident it would not bear the final cost. No contract from GBH was finalized during the meeting; staff said a proposal would be presented at the next meeting for formal action.
Ending: Staff indicated intent to place a GBH contract on a future agenda and said the county expects to pursue the state reimbursement; commissioners indicated support for proceeding while monitoring funding sources.
