Commissioners say they are pursuing options to reopen Hyder; staff transfers and ICE reimbursement shortfall discussed
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Summary
Strafford County commissioners discussed ongoing efforts to reopen the closed Hyder facility, possible staff transitions to Riverside and other providers, and a roughly $100,000 ICE-reimbursement shortfall in March; commissioners voted to enter nonpublic session for personnel and contract negotiation.
County commissioners discussed community interest and active outreach to reopen the closed Hyder facility, and staff described likely personnel transitions and a recent reimbursement shortfall connected to ICE-funded detainee payments.
The chair told the board the county has fielded many calls and emails about reopening Hyder and that commissioners have not given up on finding an operator or management option. Ray Bauer, the county staff member managing negotiations, said discussions are ongoing and that the county expects any reopening to be managed (not owned) by an outside operator. "It's not ownership. It's not ownership. It's management," Bauer said.
Bauer told commissioners many Hyder employees have already found other jobs and that a number have expressed interest in moving to Riverside or nearby hospices; the county set a deadline (the 10th of the month) for employees to inform staff whether they want to transfer to Riverside. He also said two registered nurses are set to move to the House of Correction to meet staffing needs and that some hospice positions have already been filled.
On county revenue, Bauer reported a March shortfall of roughly $100,000 tied to delayed or reduced ICE reimbursements and said county staff are working to reach higher-level ICE decision-makers to resolve the issue. "We're about $100,000 behind in in all of which happened in March," he said, and added county officials are pursuing communications with ICE but have not yet reached the ultimate decision-maker.
Commissioners urged continued outreach to potential operators and said the county will not use additional county funds for reopening efforts unless necessary. The chair described the hospice-house history and said prior delegation votes constrained county options; he urged larger partners to step in for long-term sustainability.
Before closing, the board voted unanimously to move into nonpublic session to discuss personnel matters and contract negotiations.
Next steps: county staff will continue recruitment and transfer discussions with Hyder employees, pursue resolution with ICE about reimbursements, and pursue negotiations with potential operators; the board moved to nonpublic session for personnel and contract negotiation.
