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October 10, 2013 (Board Retreat) Page 1767 The Board of Commissioners for the County of Cabarrus met for a Board Retreat in the Multipurpose Room at the Cabarrus County Governmental Center in Concord, North Carolina on Thursday, October 10, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. Present - Chairman: Vice Chairman Commissioners Elizabeth F. Poole Christopher A. Measmer Larry M. Burrage Stephen M. Morris Jason A. Oesterreich Also present were Mike Downs, County Manager; Jonathan Marshall, Deputy County Manager; Pam Dubois, Deputy County Manager and Megan Smit, Clerk to the Board. Call to Order Chairman Poole called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. Human Services - Federal Government Shutdown Ben Rose, Human Services Director, requested guidance regarding new developments with funding for the Work First Program. He advised the state announced a suspension of the program until federal funds are restored; in response, the Department is planning to implement a suspension of those services, effective Friday, October 18 at 5:00 p.m. Affected services included under the Work First Program: the Work First Employment Services; the Work First 200 Percent Program; and the Work First Emergency Assistance Program. Mr. Rose also requested guidance for addressing the four employees who administer the suspended programs. He requested the reallocation of those employees to the Economic Services Division, effective on Monday. He acknowledged the possibility of furloughs and further requested direction from the Board. Trish Baker, Economic Services Program Administrator; Randy Bass, Transportation Director; Ann Wilson, Finance Director; and Kathy. Mower, Adult and Aging Services Program Administrator, were also in attendance. An overview of the financial impact of the federal government shutdown to Social Services was provided as follows: • Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) : includes Child Protective Services, In -Home CPS Services, Foster Care, and Work First employment support: Potential Loss of $129,659/month • Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) : includes Child Welfare Services, Adult Protective Services, Guardianship, In -Home Services, Intake /Assessment, and Adult Day Care: Potential Loss of $75,000 /month • Child Care Development Fund (CCDF): includes child care subsidy and administrative services for over 700 children: Potential Loss of $409,217 /month • Low Income Energy Assistance (LIEAP) which serves elderly and disabled clients with heating assistance: Potential Loss of $803,000 in total federal dollars Mike Downs, County Manager, reviewed options available to the Board. A discussion ensued. Issues addressed included: the possibility that funds will not be reimbursed; suspension of programs; reallocating affected employees to other areas; the Cash Assistance Program; an update on temporary employees assisting with Economic Services and the backlogged caseload; TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families); etc. Commissioner Morris expressed support for Mr. Rose's recommendation of reallocating affected employees to another area during the federal government shutdown. Commissioner Oesterreich advised he does not oppose reallocating the four affected employees to another area during the federal government shutdown; however, he requested more information regarding provided services so they could be evaluated on a case -by -case basis.