Newsletter - Archive  Mar 17, 2010

print this page

Rotary Club Business and Member News

March 17, 2010

Opening:

Pledge     Pres Rich

Prayer      Bill D

Song        Pres Rich

Visiting Rotarian's and Guests:

George Maglaras       Strafford County Commissioner

Ray Bower                 Strafford County Administrator

Announcements:

Pres Elect Jud    District Assembly that requires sign up will be April 10th

Pres Rich            Need nominations for Citizen of the Year

Bill D                   Make sure signs are still in place he found one on the

ground

                            March 30 will be a work day at Camp Sunshine

Ric                      GSE team from NW India coming May 9.  Needs some help

setting up a portion of the vocational tour for the marketing member.

Happy Bucks:

Brian             For all the Irish

                      Ray Bower as a former police colleague

Mark              MA evacuation day

Amos            Son #3 arrived safely from Texas

Pres Rich      Saint Pat's Day

Mediha          Late buck

Jan               County Commissioner's visit

Bill D             For opportunity to be an Honor Flight escort again

John B          Daughter experienced first earthquake

Bob M           For Oyster River Boys hockey team

Ron              Franklin Pierce joining with UNH

                     Daughter and her husband's first successful sail

Dick B           Oyster River Boys hockey

Henry            Late buck

                      Saint Pat's Day

Pres Rich      UNH and Franklin Pierce affiliation

Program:

George Maglaras, Strafford County Commissioner

Commissioner Maglaras spoke of the two areas of county government that cost the tax payer the most. The first is the Medicaid system that requires states to pay half the cost of care.  In New Hampshire, the state has delegated that responsibility to the counties.  In Strafford County, that program supports over 600 individuals.

The second area is Criminal Justice.  When he first became a county commissioner in 1982, there were sixteen prisoners in the County Jail; today there are some 570.  The average age in 1982 was 40;  today it is 20.  Because of this explosion in inmates, the county has developed innovative programs for NH.  Among those is a Drug Court that moves first-time recreational drug users out of the jail requiring that they met criteria to remain out of the jail.  This program has moved about 70 out of the jail environment.  There is a similar program for mental health cases which also diverts about 70 individuals.  Strafford County has also implemented a pre- and post-trail community corrections system with individuals out on ankle monitors.  The savings is between 4-to-1 and 10-to-1 depending on the program.  Strafford County has been state- and nationally-recognized for these innovative programs.

Commissioner Maglaras spoke of rationalization of services.  The County has rationalized emergency dispatching; with Durham's recent move toward the county system, the town has saved $1/4 M a year.  He would like to look into assessing property on a regional basis to attempt to save substantial dollars for the communities in the county

Megabucks:

        Bob M drew the winning number but was not able to win the $60.00 pot

Upcoming Programs:

Mar 24     John Pokoski, Early Days at IBM

Mar 31     Doug Bencks, UNH Campus Planner

Apr 7       Bob Mittelholzer, NH Supreme Court

Apr 14     Ed MacKay, UNHS Chancellor

Your Scribe: Brian B