Genesee County Manager Matt Landers this afternoon reported that Genesee County has the lowest seven-day positivity rate for COVID-19 in the Finger Lakes Region.
“It’s a nice feeling to have, a nice distinction to have at this point – especially given that just several weeks ago we were not only the worst positivity rate in the Finger Lakes Region, but we were competing for the worst in the state,” Landers said during the regular meeting of the County Legislature via Zoom videoconferencing. “It’s nice to see the turnaround and that our positivity rate is below 3 percent.”
He called it a “quick turnaround” and said it is due to “all the hard work we have been doing in this community in terms of messaging, distancing and the testing and the vaccination.”
On another front, he said the Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Draft Report has been posted on the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office page of the county’s website -- Welcome to County of Genesee.
He encouraged residents to look it over and provide feedback by sending an email to: county.manager@co.genesee.ny.us
“I’ve gotten some comments already and I welcome more,” he said.
The Genesee County Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative has set its next meeting for 6 p.m. Feb. 23 (via Zoom) -- not on the 22nd as originally scheduled due to some members being unable to attend.
A resolution to accept the report is expected to be considered by the Public Service Committee on March 15, a couple weeks before it needs to be submitted to the New York State Office of Management and Budget.
In official action, the legislature:
- Voted in favor of accepting an $11,100 grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation’s Muriel H. Marshall Fund to launch the CallHub pilot program for the county’s Office for the Aging.
To be utilized over the remainder of this year, the grant will allow the Office for the Aging to help people safely connect with phone calls going through CallHub, a secure web-based tool that makes communication between individuals and groups of people easier, quicker and safer through a designated phone number.
The resolution that was passed indicated that CallHub is an application that allows for improved program management for staff and volunteer-based programs, through mass messaging and real-time data collection and monthly reporting capabilities.
OFA Director Diana Fox said the office’s “safe” number appears on the caller ID, keeping the caller's personal number private.
“This is advantageous for volunteer-based programs and staff working remotely due to the pandemic,” she stated.
- Approved amendments pertaining to the payment schedule of 2021 contracts with The Mental Health Association of Genesee & Orleans Counties, Restoration Society, Living Opportunities of DePaul, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, and Arc of Genesee Orleans.
Per New York State requirements, regular payments to these agencies should be paid quarterly, not monthly as the current contracts stipulate.
As a result of the legislation, quarterly payments will be as follows:
The Mental Health Association of Genesee & Orleans Counties, $95,142.75; Restoration Society, $71,113.50; Living Opportunities of DePaul, $11,201.25; GCASA, $387,668.25; Arc of Genesee Orleans, $10,436.25.
Landers said funds provided to these organizations are “pass-through” from the state.
“This is not what we traditionally consider outside agency funding,” he said. “When we refer to outside agency funding we refer to Genesee County taxpayer-supported funding for agencies such as the Holland Land Office or GO ART!”
