[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6321361,"mediaKeyId","2350668-c01381c17bc69f0f7d295aae33e6dd4e","parentId",2350668,"title","Votes at a glance: Jefferson County committees approve multiple budget amendments, agreements and local-law steps","audioSeconds",2300,"startMs",980000,"endMs",3280000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2350668-c01381c17bc69f0f7d295aae33e6dd4e&start=980&end=3280","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2350668-c01381c17bc69f0f7d295aae33e6dd4e/thumbnail_980000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6321361/Jefferson-County/New-York/Votes-at-a-glance-Jefferson-County-committees-approve-multiple-budget-amendments-agreements-and-local-law-steps","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6321361-8792129378e701630a7973da22c93b4b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162689&Signature=YDA54F90guBGgY2ZJsvsAl1o9eJ~7SE17~-pKBitvQXzCO5KM8SK-3RaL1bz9Cj0OJ2DPjud2NZyh8Z9WNDaWDc2Kx1UWcMHxwFs2bSd0XrqsdxsbBuVB6lDkB6VlqKKIYmlUjQzPQzHveUQpWCYCNSvhj-dpvPW4aXnvGffb4vQ76rZR5~UpOC9yQAN-IGFRTAYOu4MU3pAeIyhg6bmTPAuUQoLmUFg7tmE0-ierjPnwEXn3eRK58c8IgMjn8-voYkPEcRKPz5BQ-03cGBXDGIuR1umpgATunmYjB~FvPQmfgGile3r37Pn0TttOIOENbe1wM0jteVuIH4MX4F-wA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Jefferson County, NY","date","2025-02-01T00:00:00Z","article","Two Jefferson County committees approved multiple resolutions during the meeting series, including budget reappropriations, program funding allocations, contract authorizations and local-law introductions. Committee members typically moved and seconded motions with no extended debate; all listed items were carried at the meeting.

Votes recorded at the Health & Human Services committee (selected items):

- \"A resolution amending the 2025 county budget to reappropriate Alzheimer's disease and related disorders association incorporated grant.\" Mover: Legislator Bolio; Second: Legislator Bear Up. Outcome: Approved (vote called: \"Aye. Opposed? Carried.\").

- \"Appointing members to the community services board.\" Mover: Legislator Clarko; Second: Legislator Grant. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Amending the 2024 county budget relative to community services preschool program.\" Mover: Legislator Bolio; Second: Legislator Barra. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Amending the 2025 county budget to allocate additional state aid for community services mental health programs.\" Mover: Legislator Bolio; Second: Legislator Clerco. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Amending the 2025 county budget to reappropriate by-county mobile crisis program funding.\" Mover: Legislator Clarko; Second: Legislator Bear Up. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Authorizing an agreement related to climate and health funding and amending the 2025 county budget in relation thereto.\" Mover: Legislator Grama; Second: Legislator Bolio. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Authorizing an agreement with Home Care Home Base LLC relative to Home Health Care Clinical Financial Software.\" Mover: Legislator Clarko; Second: Legislator Bara. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Accepting donation on behalf of the Jefferson County Public Health Service and amending the 2025 county budget.\" Mover: Legislator Barra; Second: Legislator Clarko. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Authorizing an agreement for provision of speech therapy services to the public health service.\" Mover: Legislator Barret; Second: Legislator Bolio. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Authorizing an agreement relative to public health service participation in the New York State Department of Health Statewide Health Information Network for New York State Common Participation Agreement.\" Mover: Legislator Barrow; Second: Legislator Bolio. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Amending the 2025 county budget to reappropriate funding from the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance for New York State Code Blue.\" Mover: Legislator Clarko; Second: Legislator Grama. Outcome: Approved.

(Several additional informational items were distributed to committee members.)

Votes recorded at the Finance & Rules committee (selected items):

- \"A resolution requesting introduction of legislation extending the authorization of a 1% increase in the county sales and compensating use tax in Jefferson County.\" Mover: Legislator Ferris; Second: Legislator Calarco. Outcome: Approved (motion carried).

- \"Amending the 2025 county budget in relation to real property tax services department relative to general ledger coding review.\" Mover: Legislator Ferris; Second: Legislator McBride. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Local law introduction number 1 of 2025: a local law to amend local law number 2 of 2022, setting the salary of the director of aviation in the airport department.\" Mover: Legislator Bridal; Second: Legislator Ferris. Outcome: Approved (introduction).

- \"Authorizing an amended agreement with Adirondack Operations LLC in relation to professional services associated with the Abbess Foods Project.\" Mover: Legislator Ferris; Second: Legislator Reid. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Authorizing an amended agreement with the Development Authority of the North Country in relation to professional services associated with the Abbess Foods Project.\" Mover: Legislator Ferris; Second: Legislator Calargo. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Authorizing an amended agreement with the Development Authority of the North Country in relation to professional services associated with the Defariate Paper Mill Project.\" Mover: Legislator Bridal; Second: Legislator Ferris. Outcome: Approved.

- \"Amending the 2025 county budget to reappropriate funds related to the Northern Border Regional Commission Broadband Project.\" Mover: Legislator Ferris; Second: Legislator Reid. Outcome: Approved.

- A block vote: Four general-services resolutions were read and approved together, including K-9 and training fund allocations using federal forfeiture funds; a district attorney digital-evidence management system server appropriation; an amendment to the 2024 county budget and capital plan relative to a bridge project; and an agreement with Infrastructure Repair Service for capital work. Mover: Legislator Reid; Second: Legislator McBride. Outcome: Approved.

- A block vote: Health & Human Services sponsored resolutions (reiterated) were read and approved together in the Finance & Rules committee, covering the same public-health and community-services budget amendments and agreements recorded earlier. Mover: Legislator Farris; Second: Legislator McBride. Outcome: Approved.

Across both committees, recorded votes were unanimous as read in the meeting transcript (the chair called for \"Aye. Opposed? Carried.\" or equivalent for each motion). The meeting minutes show motions, names of movers and seconders, and that the motions carried; the transcript does not include a roll-call tally for each vote.

What to watch next: Several items presented at the Finance & Rules meeting (the consolidated purchasing and credit-card policies and the Commerce Bank contract) were presented for discussion and are expected to return to committee with draft policy language for formal vote. Some contract-authority changes may require local-law amendments before taking effect.

Provenance: Actions and motion texts taken from committee meeting transcript entries beginning with the Health & Human Services motions at 00:16:24 and continuing through the Finance & Rules minutes ending at 00:54:35.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Jefferson February 2025 Health & Human Serv and Finance & Rules Committee Meetings","oneSentenceSummary","Two Jefferson County committees approved multiple resolutions including budget reappropriations, agreements and introductions; numerous items were carried with no extended debate.","taxTitle","Jefferson County, New York","taxId",24864,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6321366,"Jefferson County finance committee unveils purchasing policy overhaul and credit-card rebate plan",1449,1421000,2870000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2350668-c01381c17bc69f0f7d295aae33e6dd4e&start=1421&end=2870","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2350668-c01381c17bc69f0f7d295aae33e6dd4e/thumbnail_1421000.jpg","/articles/6321366/Jefferson-County/New-York/Jefferson-County-finance-committee-unveils-purchasing-policy-overhaul-and-credit-card-rebate-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6321366-9369b2fca39172b05317a9cf1e3d7902/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162689&Signature=Mop1Ae8IvREnUQODd61-sL~LbQvVC11pwmcS6AVgQ1e3~BxLbB7iOS1JA0lQWNkFJGnOB3bW6g22bEMSrqnfmoLp1A0WDhQaW2Y68uDdk-xFwT0O6qZ2jtAJfgeDg-RvMfeva5Np8EUXivaYo9LyL65ns6G1UH2XWpOXuB-TaJSp3sYHydxAs-pfwWyZiJKK6381LyywHtafHeg9FbC4-st4iL6bJVwpo73WLydyzs9xIUhQBSdg8RuphEzKEEfHPhnC1TByAdPpA7ymVDMf~tMpS-BUo6qipsLr4-iBGif7apcASZr8HrV0BSqe8On6B3wuHbzjxE7z6a-Y1QDHcQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Deputy County Administrator Soper and County Auditor Stephanie Lapeer presented proposed revisions to Jefferson County’s purchasing, contracting and credit-card policies at the Finance and Rules committee meeting and outlined a plan to launch a countywide credit-card rebate program with Commerce Bank.

Soper said the review began from interest in credit-card rebate programs and led the administration, attorneys and department heads to reassess longstanding purchasing thresholds and contract rules. The goals are modernization, reduced administrative burden and clearer guidance for departments. “We want everybody to know what the rules are, because that's going to help us move forward as a county in the most efficient way possible,” Soper said.

Key proposed changes described at the meeting include raising quote and bid thresholds that have not been updated since a 1991 quotation policy; permitting no purchase orders under $250; allowing department heads to sign contracts up to $10,000 and county administrators up to $20,000 within defined parameters (excluding indemnity or similar language that would bind the county); and merging separate purchasing and quotation policies into a single document.

Soper and Lapeer described planned practical tools to accompany the new policy, including a decision tree that department staff can use to determine whether a resolution is required and a short guidance tool that maps procurement steps by dollar threshold.

On the credit-card program, the county identified Commerce Bank as the vendor for three card types: a countywide accounts-payable (AP) virtual card to capture large vendor payments and rebate revenue share, departmental virtual cards intended for online/phone transactions, and physical purchasing cards (P-cards) intended mainly for travel and situations requiring a plastic card. The administration said Commerce Bank provided a conservative initial estimate of $9.9 million in annual spend eligible for AP-card rebate tiers and that some large vendors (for example: Grainger, Motorola Solutions and W.B. Mason) already participate in Commerce’s cooperative, which could raise the county’s revenue share as more vendors enroll.

Soper said the administration plans a phased rollout, starting with a few departments, and expects rebate revenue to grow over time; the presentation included an optimistic target of capturing up to $120,000 in annual rebates by 2026 if participation increases, but the administration said they would start slowly to work out issues.

The proposed credit-card policy would require cardholder agreements, itemized receipts, tax-exempt purchasing where allowed, card audits and recoupment where unauthorized expenditures occur. Soper said the policy will forbid use of cards where vendors charge fees for card acceptance; a committee member asked specifically about gasoline purchases and the presenter said the county uses a WEX fuel-account program and would avoid credit-card purchases where sales tax or vendor fees apply.

Other changes the presenters described include raising the fixed-asset capitalization threshold from $500 to $5,000 to align with accounting standards; splitting the existing travel-and-credit-card policy into separate travel and credit-card policies; and retaining specific contracting authorities already granted by statute or prior board action for airport, highway and Department of Social Services functions.

Next steps: Soper said draft policy documents (with tracked changes) will be circulated to department heads for comment and then brought to the committee for formal introduction and vote. The committee discussion included questions from multiple legislators; no vote on the policies occurred at this meeting.

Direct quotes in the meeting included: “We want everybody to know what the rules are,” Soper said, and Lapeer, describing the credit-card rollout, said the county will “start slow” with a phased implementation.","County administrators told the Finance & Rules committee they will propose merged purchasing and quotation policies, higher procurement thresholds, departmental contract-signing limits, a credit-card program with Commerce Bank to capture rebate revenue, and an increase in the fixed-asset threshold from $500 to $5,000.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6321369,"Jefferson County Public Health outlines progress toward national accreditation",801,94000,895000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2350668-c01381c17bc69f0f7d295aae33e6dd4e&start=94&end=895","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2350668-c01381c17bc69f0f7d295aae33e6dd4e/thumbnail_94000.jpg","/articles/6321369/Jefferson-County/New-York/Jefferson-County-Public-Health-outlines-progress-toward-national-accreditation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6321369-daff0eed193c4435f2732d4f50aa207c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771162689&Signature=o6DSDY49FaJ2ohrqiwHCGGdSSuu8SyNyRsqUPHEmoOlwCxxQvruBGOKRHKb3a3CTQieIZWGc0dqOQwB1DUxCZ5Z34BfuaEkLZXIBIhuUeGik54JfKdDIXPLGPc69OvdnsQ885cN0cqydCixOYJeWz9wgyC--0LC1wPM182ZQ28jQyoqP2LtsV2tpzBgv7-7bTbi~mlDKikhy~suaNA3X~p9zKgSxdgcX45cSJrjmYwSR9nP9x-qZ-WJGyGzygut2QG88gxSpXQiDOu-ojtx2-DsAGSoWyUn2aJTVC~lbQ-W8hk3Id8vEbUxns18d~BHBBzrxu1xbsC1a2DfCDbzvOA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Steve Jennings, of Jefferson County Public health, told the county Health and Human Services committee that the department has completed most of the documentation required for national accreditation and is awaiting a site visit from the accrediting body.

Jennings said the accreditation process measures a health department’s performance against nationally recognized, evidence-based standards and “promotes a culture of quality and performance improvement.” He said accreditation also increases capacity for public health emergency response and encourages use of an equity lens to set priorities and refer individuals to partner services.

The accreditation program is administered by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). Jennings said Jefferson County is at step three of a seven-step process: pre-application and application are complete and the department is submitting documentation for PHAB’s review. He said the next steps include a site visit and interviews with staff before a decision is issued. “We are submitting documents right now and we have almost all of the documentation that they want,” Jennings said.

Jennings reviewed the department’s recent efforts tied to accreditation: adopting a performance management system, completing strategic and workforce development plans, creating a quality improvement and performance management plan, and hiring a full-time accreditation coordinator through a federal Public Health Infrastructure Grant (referred to in the meeting as the FIG). He described past quality-improvement work — including streamlining communicable-disease case reporting after a 2012 grant — as a foundation for the current push.

Legislator Bolio asked when the accrediting program began nationally; Jennings answered that state and local departments began applying in 2011. Jennings said COVID-19 slowed prior accreditation efforts because response activities were not always documented in the way PHAB requires, but that the county resumed a deliberate accreditation push after receiving federal resources in 2022 and hiring coordinators in 2023.

Jennings said departments that achieve accreditation generally maintain continuous improvement through annual progress reports and pursue reaccreditation after five years. He asked the committee if there were questions and received none from the committee.

Why it matters: Accreditation is voluntary but is intended to make health departments more resilient, transparent and ready to respond to emergencies. Jefferson County Public Health described concrete steps already completed and identified the site visit and PHAB decision as the near-term milestones to watch.

Sources: Presentation to the Jefferson County Health and Human Services committee by Steve Jennings and committee discussion recorded in meeting minutes.","Steve Jennings of Jefferson County Public Health told the Health & Human Services committee the department has submitted most required documents to the Public Health Accreditation Board and expects a site visit this year; accreditation is intended to strengthen quality improvement, emergency preparedness and equity-focused services.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Jefferson County committees approve multiple budget amendments, agreements and local-law steps

Jefferson County finance committee unveils purchasing policy overhaul and credit-card rebate plan

Jefferson County Public Health outlines progress toward national accreditation