County board approves merging aging unit into ARDC

By RICHARD JENKINS

[email protected]

Hurley — The Iron County Board of Supervisors approved integrating the Aging Unit of Iron County into the county’s Department of Human Services and its Aging and Disability Resource Center at its meeting Wednesday.

Supervisor Vic Ouimette, who has been selected to head the county’s transition team, said that one of the primary goals of the transition was ensuring services continue throughout the transition.

“During and after the transitional process, no Iron County County resident will lose any benefit or service currently being provided,” said Ouimette, adding there will also be a coordination of services for all county residents as a result of the change.

“There is also a third issue here, that I think is also pretty important — to make sure we make more efficient use of the funding dollars that we receive from the state, the feds and the county. Just as a brief example, by having the elderly benefits specialist come under the county ARDC, that person’s wages will be 100 percent funded without using county dollars,” Ouimette said. “So we anticipate in the long run there will also be some significant savings, which will allow us to also expand and improve programs.”

The transition has been in the works for the last year, according to Ouimette. He explained the transition will also increase the public accountability of the program and, likely in the long run will result in more opportunities for residents to become involved in working with the senior program.

Carolyn Kolson-Janov, head of the human services department, said the county would also begin a search for a new aging unit manager as part of the transition.

On Tuesday, Leslie Kolesar was named the interim executive director of the aging unit after Mary Kay Welch resigned.

Kolson-Janov and Ouimette said they were looking forward to working with Kolesar throughout the transition.

Kolesar told the Daily Globe she has no interest in being named to the position permanently and expected her appointment to last roughly 90 days.

In other action:

— The county board approved a change to the vacation schedule in employee handbook to fix an error. According to Clerk Mike Saari, the handbook had read that employees get a vacation day a year after the beginning of the 11th year rather than the intended 12th. Saari explained employees get a week of vacation time at the end of the 10th year, which is the same as the beginning of the 11th.

— The county approved a 25-cents an hour raise for all county employees not in a re-certified union.

— The county approved a resolution urging the state to repeal requirements of Act 55 related to shoreland zoning that have severely restricted the county’s ability to regulate its shoreland areas.

— The board also approved the county’s forestry work plan for 2016 and an application allowing the forestry department to administer grants for 2016.