Talks continue with MRDD unions

The board received 38 new fully funded individual-
options waivers.

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Contract talks between the Mahoning County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and its teaching and service employees unions will resume this week and next.

MRDD Superintendent Larry Duck said a federal mediator will facilitate talks between the agency and the Mahoning Education Association for Developmental Disabilities, which represents some 140 employees, including teachers, and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1143, which represents about 88 support workers.

Talks are scheduled with Local 1143 on Friday and with MEADD on Sept. 19, Duck said.

Employees are working under the terms of their current contracts, which expired earlier this year.

At its meeting Monday, actions taken by the board included approval of a motion on how to distribute 38 new fully funded individual-options waivers to be received over the next two years.

Duck said the waivers are part of a statewide agreement to settle a state lawsuit and are intended to offer community residential placements to MRDD clients residing in nursing homes, state-operated developmental centers and intermediate-care facilities for the mentally retarded.

The recently passed state budget included full funding for 1,500 such waivers across Ohio during fiscal years 2008 and 2009.

Mahoning County will distribute its new waivers using the current waiting lists for families awaiting community residential placement.

Here’s the situation

A “waiver” provides 60 percent federal funds for the cost of the services. The 40 percent local funds in these particular waivers are paid for by the state. The county has more than 600 individuals on its individual-options waiting list for residential placement, Duck said.

The superintendent said the most common reason for needing residential placement is when parents or family members are no longer able to provide care for clients in their own homes because of age or health reasons.

The board also passed a motion authorizing the superintendent to contract with an architect and advertise for bids for the construction of bus loading and unloading canopies at the board workshops at Bev Road and Meshel MASCO on Marwood Circle.

Duck said the canopies are needed to provide shelter for staff and clients as the buses are unloaded at the workshops. The use of the wheelchair lifts on many of the buses is time-consuming and is especially difficult for staff and clients during heavy rains, and parents and staff have asked for this type of building improvement, he said.

alcorn@vindy.com