PONTIAC - Livingston Manor nursing home soon will be under new management. The Livingston County Board voted Thursday to approve a series of agreements with Good Samaritan Home, a nursing home provider based in Flanagan, that ultimately will remove the county from the nursing home business.

"It was an excellent process and I think people were heard," Good Samaritan Executive Director Rick Curtis said. "After all the back and forth … it is all about how we are going to care for the residents."

Good Samaritan will take over managing Livingston Manor on Dec. 1. The current managers, Chesterfield, Mo.-based Management Performance Associates, will be sent a notice of termination.

The county will pay Good Samaritan $12,500 a month.

On July 1, 2009, the management agreement will transform into a lease that will run to March 31, 2011.

Under the lease, Good Samaritan will pay the county $1 per year in rent plus 3 percent of income exceeding the operating expenses.

Livingston County will continue to own the nursing home for the time being, but Good Samaritan is expected to take ownership sometime during the lease period.

In the meantime, Good Samaritan will build a $14 million, 122-bed facility to replace Livingston Manor by the end of the lease period. The county may contribute up to about $4.5 million for the new home.

Curtis said Good Samaritan soon will apply to the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board for permission to change Livingston Manor's ownership. That is expected to take six to seven months, he said.

If the change of ownership is granted, Good Samaritan then will file another application seeking state permission to build the new home.

Nursing home committee Chairman David Heath said he was relieved the two-year effort to find someone to take over Livingston Manor has come to a close.

"It just became apparent to the board that (the nursing home) is something that we shouldn't be involved in," he said. "We hope that the people will realize that by doing this, this shows a commitment to the county."