During Tuesday’s meeting of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, the final payment for Oak Hill construction bonds was approved for the county-owned senior living and rehabilitation center in Waterloo.

With the approval, Monroe County Treasurer Kevin Koenigstein said a “long saga is coming to an end.”

In 2004, county voters approved $20 million in bonds to replace the aging Monroe County Care and Rehabilitation Center which occupied the property now used by the Waterloo Fire Department on Illinois Avenue with groundbreaking on the current Oak Hill happening in October 2004 on Hamacher Street.

An ice storm in December 2006 forced an emergency evacuation of the former facility, with the community coming together to transport residents to Oak Hill two weeks ahead of schedule when the storm caused a power outage and dozens of leaks in the roof at the nursing home.

A transition care facility, Evergreen Pointe, was added in 2017.

Koenigstein noted the creation of Evergreen Pointe coincided with a refinancing of the original loan and included a $4 million cash payment to keep the loan term consistent with the original timeline.

The new loan lowered the interest rate, and the cash payment paid for the Evergreen Pointe addition without increasing the amount owed.

The final payment of $245,000 is due March 1, but payment will be sent this week. With this final payment, Koenigstein said the facility will officially become the property of Monroe County.

“We have fulfilled our duties to meet the needs of our county residents as well as our financial stewardship responsibilities,” Koenigstein said.

Oak Hill Acting Administrator Alicia Emmerich was on hand during Tuesday’s meeting to provide a report on the facility.

One of the biggest issues at Oak Hill in the past few years is hiring and retaining nursing staff. 

To stay compliant with state long-term care staffing regulations, the once-profitable Oak Hill has been forced to use costly employment agency personnel which produced a significant “operating” loss two years ago.

Last month, Emmerich reported staffing problems are improving, with Oak Hill avoiding deficit spending last year.

On Tuesday, she reported the hiring of several CNA and LPN staff with the goal of reduced reliance on agency staffing.

Emmerich also reported Oak Hill is near the end of a recent COVID-19 outbreak at the facility.

As of Tuesday, four residents and four employees were the remaining COVID cases from a surge that began shortly after Thanksgiving.

In addition to confirming the installation of a human resources position specifically for Oak Hill, Emmerich also said she is exploring options to outsource Medicare and Medicaid billing and reporting responsibilities.

In other business from the county board meeting, Lauren Voelker was appointed to the Monroe County Assessment Board of Review.

Voelker replaced Marge Francois, who passed away in late August.

The Board of Review hears protests of property owners who feel their property tax assessments are incorrect.

Monroe County EMS Director Carla Heise was on hand as commissioners renewed the county’s “no treat, no transport” policy which eliminates a service fee for EMS calls for county residents that do not require medical treatment or ambulance transportation. 

Commissioners also approved a floodplain variance for a property owner who wished to construct a 30-foot-by-72-foot pole barn in Fults.

Tuesday’s meeting was also the first to include an agenda item approving purchases of more than $10,000.

During previous weeks, Monroe County Clerk Jonathan McLean expressed a desire to change the way county bills are paid. 

Instead of waiting for the bi-monthly meetings to have bills approved, McLean suggested regular bills should be paid in a more timely manner, eliminating any late payment fees and streamlining the accounts payable process.

Each week, commissioners receive communication about bills paid the prior week, and the board still officially approve those expenses during its meetings. 

Another change Monday involved the county board meeting agenda. 

One change introduced “consent” and “report” agenda items. Instead of approving regular business matters individually, the board may now vote on several items at once.

During Tuesday’s meeting, McLean explained the new agenda format is designed to make the meetings run more smoothly.

Commissioners may choose to remove an item from a consent or report agenda group to allow more discussion, in which case the item would be moved to that meeting agenda’s new business section.

Several years ago, the City of Columbia began using the consent agenda method during city council meetings.

Another change to the county board meetings is omission of specific times for agenda items. 

Previously, each item would have a specific time listed on the agenda.

However, there had been several instances in the past during which the board was forced to take a recess to wait for the listed agenda time to avoid possible claims of Open Meeting Act violations.

While the change allows commissioners to consider business in a more timely manner, Monroe County Engineer Aaron Metzger suggested department directors listed on the agenda whose offices are not in the Monroe County Courthouse should be heard before personnel who work in the courthouse.

Metzger was on hand to present the annual financial  report of county road districts. 

The next meeting of the Monroe County Board is Monday, Feb. 3, beginning at 8:15 a.m. at the Monroe County Courthouse.