Committee softens direct deposit proposal

County commissioner Janice Brothers listens as School Superintendent Ed Gray makes a point during Tuesday night's meeting of Bedford County Financial Management Committee. (T-G Photo by John I. Carney) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

A proposal which would have forced all county employees to be paid by direct deposit was softened Tuesday night by Bedford County Financial Management Committee to require only those employed from this point forward to be paid that way.

County finance director Robert Daniel had presented a proposed policy which would have required direct deposit immediately for new hires and would have forced all current employees to begin using direct deposit within the next year. Daniel said moving to direct deposit could save the county thousands of dollars each year in check-printing and check-handling costs, plus savings in bank costs as the county prepares to re-bid its banking services.

The county already offers direct deposit as an option.

But committee members, including county commission member Bobby Vannatta and Highway Superintendent Stanley Smotherman, said the system wouldn't be right for everyone.

"You need to give employees a choice," said Smotherman, none of whose current employees are on direct deposit.

Some employees reportedly don't have bank accounts. Daniel said that the county could contract with its bank to set up a holding account for such employees. The money would be direct-deposited into the holding account and then the employee could come to that bank and receive payment in cash.

But committee members still resisted the idea of requiring direct deposit for everyone. Smotherman attempted to defer action on the proposal altogether, but then J.D. "Bo" Wilson made a motion to require direct deposit only for employees hired from this point forward. Smotherman seconded Wilson's motion, which was approved by the committee and sent to the full county commission for approval.

In other discussion Tuesday night:

Fuel costs

The committee continued its discussion of fuel and energy costs in different county departments. County Mayor Eugene Ray said that county departments need to adjust their thermostats to help reduce energy costs.

Daniel said the county is looking at the option of buying its fuel tanks rather than relying on whichever company has the county's gasoline and diesel bid to supply them. The school system has five fuel tanks, the highway department has one and the ambulance service would like to place one at its new Airport Industrial Park headquarters.

If the county owned its own tanks, it would use a card-reader system to manage them. The driver and a supervisor would each have to swipe cards in order for the pump to function, and fuel use and mileage would be tracked for each vehicle. Any county department could use any of the tanks, and the expense would be automatically debited from the proper department's budget.

School Superintendent Ed Gray said the school system has improved security around its fuel tanks but did not discuss details. Gray said the school system already owns its own propane tanks.

The finance committee agreed to ask the law enforcement committee to ensure that non-patrol sheriff's department vehicles are not being driven home. Gray said that school system maintenance workers sometimes have to respond at odd hours, and so they need to have their vehicles easily accessible.

Nursing home

Ray said he's received five calls this week from potential buyers of Bedford County Nursing Home asking for information. No formal bids or proposals have been received, but that may happen soon, said Ray.

The nursing home lost money for the first two months of the fiscal year, but that derives in part from the 10 days when it was in regulatory trouble with the state and could not admit patients. Admissions to the nursing home were suspended due to an incident when a patient who had not been adequately strapped in to a chair fell out of it and died from resulting injuries. In addition, the resolution of that situation wasn't transmitted to Medicare promptly enough, and so there was a delay in Medicare payments to the nursing home.

The nursing home did make a profit for the month of August considered by itself, and adminstrator Wayne Schumann said the nursing home is expecting $90,000 in Medicare funds on Sept. 26.

"Our cash should pick up," Schumann said, "but right now we have a severe cash flow problem." The nursing home has paid the penalty that was due for the regulatory action, but due to conflicting information about the due date and the exact amount of the penalty, regulators are now trying to charge a late fee, which the nursing home is appealing. Committee members suggested that Schumann work with state and federal legislators to seek a resolution.

There was also a problem for a while with Heritage Medical Center making referrals to the nursing home, although that appears to have been resolved. Uncertainty about the nursing home's future may also be affecting admissions.

Grants

* The committee voted to accept a $38,800 highway safety grant to Bedford County Sheriff's Department. The grant, expected to be formally announced in the next few days, will fund three cameras in patrol cars; four radar guns; laptop computers; an alcohol sensor; and overtime staffing for DUI enforcement.

* A sidewalk grant has been obtained for $13,395 for the Learning Way/Harris Middle School area.

A budget amendment will be sent to the committee to account for the funds when they are received.

In a related matter, a budget amendment will be needed to account for the exchange of property and right-of-way to re-work the intersection of U.S. 41-A and Unionville-Deason Road, next to Community School. The commission had already approved the transaction itself, but had not put the required money in the budget.