Hastings County Warden Rodney Cooney, (File photo: (Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
Hastings County has fired back at Belleville after learning the city has refused to pay the increased costs for Hastings Manor and Centennial Manor.
At its budget meeting, Belleville city council decided not to support the increases that ranged from 17% to 31%.
Council also decided to review the “exit clause” on share-funding the two long term care homes, Hastings Manor in Belleville and Centennial Manor in Bancroft.
Hastings County Warden Rodney Cooney tells Quinte News the 2018 increase for all shared services, including social service and emergency services, is 3.5%.
Hastings Manor has a waiting list of 278 people. Cooney says there are 79 people on the waiting list for Centennial Manor.
He says that at Hastings Manor 12,178 personal support worker hours would need to be cut if there was no increase in budget. He says it would mean laying off 6.25 full-time PSW staff.
“It would be even worse at Centennial Manor,” said Cooney. “The Belleville cuts would translate into 17,882 fewer PSW hours or 9.17 full-time staff losing their jobs.
He said anything less would mean staff cuts in the long term care homes.
City Councillor Egerton Boyce, who had supported the increases in the budget vote, told Quinte News the answer lies with private businesses.
Following a meeting of the county’s Finance Committee on Tuesday, Cooney told Quinte News, “To be clear, we will be sending Belleville the bill for their portion of the Long Term Care budgets and we expect payment in full as per the cost sharing agreement.”
Cooney pointed out Quinte West is supporting the Long Term Care budget and the other shared services.
In an interview following the meeting, he emphasized the county will be sending Belleville the bill and “expects payment in full.”
In a media statement, Finance Chair Paul Jenkins says “If we did what Belleville wants, resident care will be dramatically reduced”
