Board Members Present:  Doug Fraley, Janice Abizaid, Norm Gilbert, Robert Krogman, Regina Parker,

      Charles Rose, Jeannette Vaupel.  

Board Members Absent:  Julia Fullerton, Andrea Gargani.

Other Persons Present:  Office staff:  Elizabeth Carney, Kathy Ostdick.

                                          Community Members:  Margaret Elmer.  

I.  CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by the President, Doug Fraley, at 7:10 p.m.

II.  AGENDA 

Mr. Fraley requested an Executive Session be added to the Agenda as item number XI.

Ms. Vaupel moved to approve the agenda with the addition of the Executive Session; seconded by Mr. Gilbert.  The motion passed on a voice vote. 

III.  INTRODUCTIONS 

Mr. Fraley introduced the new Board Member, Janice Abizaid, and the other Board Members

introduced themselves to her.     

IV.  MINUTES  

Mr. Krogman moved to approve the minutes of the November 2005 Board Meeting as presented; seconded by Mr. Rose.  The motion passed on a voice vote. 

V.  COMMUNITY INPUT   

There was no Community Input.   

VI.  CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS  

Ms. Carney called the Members’ attention to the 2006 Board Meeting Calendar in their packets, noting

that the starting times for the Funding Hearings had been added.   

 Mr. Krogman presented a brochure advertising services of a Chicago-area mental health services provider.  He directed the Members attention to the stories written by agency clients about their recovery process.   

Ms. Carney presented information on the following: 

A.  An article from the Chicago Tribune on the difficulties families encounter when

their mental health treatment needs exceed the benefit level established by their insurance,

especially for families who have a member with a severe mental illness.  

 B.  The Board received an invitation to the County Board Holiday reception on Wednesday,

 December 21, immediately prior to the County Board meeting. 

            C.  An article from the Daily Chronicle about the community group, Healing Harps, playing

            music for the patients and families at Kindred Hospital, a local long-term acute care hospital.

            The benefits of harp music for relaxation, and thus mental health, are well established. 

D.  The DeKalb County Community Foundation Annual Report was reviewed.

E.  An article from the Daily Chronicle about the experiences of a local social worker about

his work with Katrina evacuees in the South. 

            F.  An article from the Northern Star about an on-line service offered by the Northern Illinois

            University Counseling and Student Development Center.  Students can pose questions about

mental health concerns on the website and Center staff will post an answer, as well as educate

the inquirer about when to seek professional services.  The Center staff considers this an important outreach activity to the University community as students can communicate anonymously about their concerns. 

            G.  Several full-page advertisements in the Daily Chronicle by the Gordon Center with

            information about available services.

Mr. Gilbert noted that community members may experience difficulty in finding the number of the

Board office in the local phone books due to the way that the Board is listed.  The Board office staff

will follow up to correct this problem.   

VII.  FINANCE REPORTS 

Ms. Carney presented the monthly revenue and expenditure report.   Interest income for Fiscal Year

2005 will exceed the budgeted amount.   

Ms. Parker moved to approve the November 2005 agency claims in the amount of $111, 986.00;

seconded by Mr. Gilbert.  The motion passed on a roll call vote.   

Ms. Parker moved to approve the November 2005 office claims in the amount of $1,621.92;

seconded by Mr. Gilbert.  The motion passed on a roll call vote.

VIII.  DIRECTOR’S REPORT

Ms. Carney presented the following information:

A.  The Director’s goals will be presented after the 2006 Annual Plan is approved.

B.  Ms. Carney discussed the Community Behavioral Healthcare Association Conference that

she attended on December 5 & 6 at which the Department of Human Services announced that the transition to fee for service for mental health services will not take place in July 2006 as planned.  She will inform the Board of the date of implementation when it is announced.   

C.  Ms. Carney discussed the Disaster Preparedness training that she attended December 7.  This was the first of seven courses that she will attend for the Illinois Emergency Management Association professional development program.                         

D.  Funding applications for Grant Year 2007 will be mailed to agencies soon.  The Hearings will be held in March. 

Ms. Carney reviewed the following handouts:

A.  An article on a recent event on a commercial airliner involving a mentally ill person and federal air marshals.  The Board discussed the importance of effective mental health training for law enforcement personnel.   

B.  The Illinois Children’s Mental Health Act and its role in the transformation of mental health services in the state.   The Board discussed the “Illinois Learning Standards” and the psycho-social aspects of this Mental Health Act, the screening and assessment processes, and related items.  The Board will be using this document in its strategic planning process for Fiscal Year 2006 and beyond. 

IX.  COMMITTEE REPORTS   

The Personnel Committee met on December 7, 2005.  They will present a report during the Executive

Session. 

X.  OLD BUSINESS   

Review of the By-Laws:  Mr. Krogman presented his recommendation that the Board minutes reflect the following categories to indicate the Board members’ attendance:  Present, Excused, Absent.  He

suggested that in order for an absence to be considered “excused,” that the Board member give prior

notice.  It was the consensus of the members present that “prior notice” should be directed to the Board office.  Mr. Fraley and Ms. Carney will bring a proposed policy that addresses these issues to the next Board meeting. 

Returning Veteran’s Mental Health needs:  Ms. Carney has met the Commissioner of the new DeKalb County Veterans Commission and will follow-up with a meeting to discuss possible collaborative efforts between the Commission and the Mental Health Board. 

New Members’ Orientation:  Ms. Carney reported that Ms. Abizaid attended an orientation session and that Ms. Gargani will do this also when she is available. 

Board Office Space:  After discussing the various options available for office space, the Board

directed Ms. Carney to do the following:  initiate a dialogue with the County about the specifics of

purchasing or renting space in the new Home Care building, survey the availability and costs of

commercial office space, and present a comparative study of current space, new construction, and

commercial space to the Board. 

Gordon Center Roof Project:  The Board Members received a proposal from the architect, Brian Kerner of Burnidge Cassell Associates of Elgin, Illinois, to perform a roof analysis of existing conditions to determine an appropriate roofing system, obtain core samples from the roofing contractor to determine existing conditions, provide design documents to determine a cost estimate, prepare the contract documents for bid procurement, receive the bids and negotiate a contract, and perform construction administration and project close-out services.  After considerable discussion, the Board directed Ms. Carney to contact the architect to request that he attend the next Board meeting so they can discuss the proposal with him.   

Annual Plan and Board Retreat:  The Board discussed their strategic planning and allocation processes, and approved the following annual plan for Fiscal Year 2006: 

A.  To review Federal and State mental health initiatives, their impact on local services, and

                  the possibilities they present for performance improvement in local services.   

B.  January: To review the Board’s statutory responsibilities.

C.  February: To review current utilization of revenue.     

D.  March:  Hold the Grant Year (GY) 2007 Funding Hearings.

E.  April:  Allocate funds for GY 07.

F.  May:  Review any agency appeals and finalize allocations.

G.  June: Hold a Board retreat to develop guidelines for an annual strategic planning process,     

      assess current criteria for evaluating funding requests, and evaluate the current revenue   

      utilization and allocation processes.

H.  July:  Adopt the budget and levy request for Fiscal Year 2007.  Begin implementation of 

      any revised strategic planning, revenue utilization, and allocation processes.  Develop  

      evaluation tools for these processes. 

            I.  August through November:  Continue implementation and evaluation of above processes.

XI.  EXECUTIVE SESSION

Ms. Vaupel moved that the Board go into Executive Session to discuss a personnel issue; seconded

by Mr. Rose.  The motion passed on a voice vote.  The Board went into Executive Session at 8:50 p.m.

Ms. Vaupel moved that the Board return to an open meeting; seconded by Ms. Parker.  The motion passed on a voice vote.  The Board returned to an open meeting at 9:10 p.m.

XII.  ADJOURNMENT    

Mr. Gilbert moved to adjourn the meeting.  The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

________________________________________                __________________________________

Regina Parker, Board Secretary/Treasurer                                  Kathy Ostdick, Recording Secretary

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