Howard County commissioners approve two Kinsey Youth Center MOUs, table third; adopt handbook changes and routine claims

The Howard County Board of Commissioners approved two of three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) related to services at the Kinsey Youth Center and tabled the remaining agreement for further review at their meeting.

Michelle, a county staff member who presented the agreements, said the three MOUs had been reviewed by legal and were ready for signatures. "I come here today just asking for the commissioner's signatures on 3 MOUs for contract services," she said, describing agreements for mental-health services with Steve Nichols, religious programming with Dr. Michael Carson, and fire-safety training with Stephen Ables.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about the mental-health MOU, including how many hours per week the provider would be onsite and whether the position had been advertised. One commissioner said: "I would be willing to approve 2 of the 3" and moved to approve the Carson and Ables agreements and table the Nichols agreement until the next meeting so staff could research outstanding questions; another commissioner seconded the motion. The chair called for a voice vote and the motion passed by voice vote. The commission directed staff to add signature blocks and to return the tabled MOU after further review.

The commission also handled several routine items on the consent side of the agenda. Assessor Mindy asked that two PDABO board members, Cheryl Duncan and Mark Hornstein, be reappointed; the commission approved those reappointments by voice vote. A planning commission representative presented a one-lot minor subdivision for Gibbs Estates at 434 South 440 West; the commission approved the plot. The county auditor presented salary claims ($1,141,980.62), payroll ($1,141,980.62) and operating claims ($1,382,120.23); motions to approve each were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

Human Resources representative Carrie requested three amendments to the Howard County employee handbook, including a change related to the threshold for part-time hours (transcript wording about the new monthly measure is unclear), reverting the Board of Health work hours to 8 a.m.–4 p.m., and clarifying holiday schedules for Kinsey administrative staff. A commissioner moved to accept ordinance "20 26 b c c o -10" to implement those handbook changes; the commission adopted the ordinance by voice vote.

What’s next: The unusual or unclear items — notably the mental-health MOU with Steve Nichols and the handbook language about the part-time-hours threshold — were tabled or clarified as needing follow-up and will return to the board for further review. The meeting adjourned with no public comments.