NoRTEC
MINUTES
WIB AND GOVERNING BOARD
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2000
CHICO, CALIFORNIA

1. CALL TO ORDER

   The meeting was called to order by the Governing Board Chair, J. Reese, and the WIB Chair, J, Madden, at 10:01 AM

2. ROLL CALL

   There was a quorum of both the Governing Board and the WIB. Roster

3. WIB APPROVAL OF MINUTES, JANUARY 27, 2000

   A motion by B. Maffett, seconded by S. LaBriere, for WIB approval of the January 27, 2000, minutes, as mailed, passed the WIB unanimously.

   A motion by J. Smith, seconded by B. Reiss, for Governing Board approval of the January 27, 2000, minutes, as mailed, passed the Governing Board unanimously.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

   A motion by L. Bosetti, seconded by B. Hamby, for WIB approval of the Agenda, as mailed, passed the WIB unanimously.

   A motion by E. McCain, seconded by J. Smith, for Governing Board approval of the Agenda, as mailed, passed the Governing Board unanimously.

5. PUBLIC COMMENT

   There was no public comment.

6. BOARD ORIENTATION

   The WIB and Governing Board members introduced themselves.

   C. Brown presented an overview of NoRTEC, utilizing a new NoRTEC Web Site, accessed through the "Orientation" link on the NoRTEC home page (ncen.org).

7. PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT

   In the absence of Michele Piller, Program Committee Chair, T. Brown and B. Austin, NoRTEC Staff, presented the Program Committee Report.

   1. Program Monitoring

      B. Austin said the Spring JTPA program monitoring reviews were underway. The focus of this round of on-site monitoring visit was to review files of participants that are likely to be carried over into WIA, and to assure that the programs are ready for the implementation of WIA. There were no areas of concern identified.

      A review of the Welfare-to-Work program is also being conducted. T. Brown said that while all information necessary to document the participant's eligibility and their progress through the program was contained in the participant files, there was no standard system in place for NoRTEC. She said it was up to the Administrative Entity to put together a standardized, internet-based, reporting system for both W-t-W and the upcoming WIA programs. She said it was difficult to begin work on this project prior to the State identifying the information they wanted reported to them.

   2. PY 1999/2000 Third Quarter Program Reports

      A summary of the standard program reports was presented (adult and youth performance standards, entered employment rates and average wage at placement, barriers to employment, in vs. out of school youth, and welfare to work). No items of concern were noted.

   3. Participant Summaries and Employment Report

      The participant summary and employment reports were presented (number of participants served in each county and participant placements in jobs). No items of concern were noted.

   4. State Monitoring

      There was a brief discussion of the the State Welfare-to-Work "draft" monitoring report and the staff response. T. Brown said the new State monitor was a bit zealous in his attempt to thoroughly monitor the program. A number of incomplete documentation items were noted. T. Brown said all the deficiencies had been corrected.

      A motion by B. Maffett, seconded by D. Beeson, for WIB approval of the Program Report, passed the WIB unanimously.

      A motion by J. Smith, seconded by B. Reiss, for Governing Board approval of the Program Report, passed the Governing Board unanimously.

8. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT

   B. Hamby, Finance Committee Chair, presented the Finance Committee report.

   1. PY 99/00 Third Quarter Financial Reports

      The standard finance reports were presented; contracts summary, contract modifications, and the expenditure reports. B. Hamby said there were no areas of concern, other than the reduced overall funding for this year and probably next. (NoRTEC currently has $9,650,638 in available funds for the program year July 1, 1999, to June 30, 2000.)

      A motion by L. Bosetti, seconded by D. Beeson, for WIB approval of the Finance Report, passed the WIB unanimously.

      A motion by G. Russell, seconded by J. Smith, for Governing Board approval of the Finance Report, passed the Governing Board unanimously.

      E. McCain abstained. He said he was unable to review the reports prior to the meeting because he was unable to access the reports over the internet.

   2. INCREASE SPECIAL PROJECT BUDGET

      B. Hamby said the Finance Committee was recommending that the Administrative Entity budget for Special Projects be increased by $100,000 to a total of $200,000. He said NoRTEC has sufficient funding to cover this proposed increase.

      A motion by B. Maffett, seconded by R. Belarde, for WIB approval of the increase in the Special Projects Budget from $100,000 to $200,000, passed the WIB unanimously.

      A motion by B. Reiss, seconded by J. Smith, for Governing Board approval of the increase in the Special Projects Budget from $100,000 to $200,000, passed the Governing Board unanimously.

   3. PY 2000/2001 NoRTEC ADMINISTRATIVE BUDGET

      There was a discussion of the proposed Administrative Entity budget for PY 2000/2001. R. Camillieri questioned the setting of a line item budget without knowing revenue. C. Brown said the budget would be contingent upon available funding. E. McCain asked if the budget would increase with the addition of Butte County? C. Brown said it was his intention to keep staff at the same level, and he did not anticipate any other significant changes in operating costs for the upcoming program year. He said that if Shasta County was also added, he may have to reconsider and would come back to them at that time if need be.
      
      A motion by S. LaBriere, seconded by L. Bosetti, for WIB approval of the PY 2000/2001 NoRTEC Administrative Entity budget of $672,950, subject to the availability of funding, passed the WIB unanimously.

      A motion by E. McCain, seconded by J. Smith, for Governing Board approval of the PY 2000/2001 NoRTEC Administrative Entity budget of $672,950, subject to the availability of funding, passed the Governing Board unanimously.

   4. PY 2000/2001 NoRTEC WIB/GB BUDGET

      B. Hamby said the WIB Finance Committee is recommending that the PY 2000/2001 WIB/GB Budget be approved at $50,000. This is same amount that was approved for PY 1999/2000. NoRTEC has sufficient funds to cover this budget. B. Hamby said the budgets may need to be changed during this time of transition, but this was the best shot for now. G. Russell thanked the Finance Committee for their review of the material prior to the meetings and for their recommendations. Their work is appreciated.

      A motion by S. LaBriere, seconded by D. Beeson, for WIB approval of the PY 2000/2001 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board budget of $50,000, subject to the availability of funding, passed the WIB unanimously.

      A motion by B. Reiss, seconded by J. Smith, for Governing Board approval of the PY 2000/2001 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board budget of $50,000, subject to the availability of funding, passed the Governing Board unanimously.

9. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PERFORMANCE AND COMPENSATION

   Note: The meeting was adjourned into closed session at 11:30 AM to discuss a personnel matter. The meeting was re-opened at 12:01 PM.
   
   A motion by C. Burden, seconded by B. Maffett, for WIB approval of the following with regard to compensation for the NoRTEC Executive Director:

   1. A 15% bonus for PY 1999/2000 performance;
   2. A $72,000 base salary for the upcoming PY 2000/2001;
   3. A review by the WIB Executive Committee of the Executive Director bonus structure; and
   4. A review and possible revision of the bonus amount and base salary in consideration of the pending expansion of NoRTEC.

   A motion by E. McCain, seconded by J. Smith, for Governing Board concurrence with the WIB motion, passed the Governing Board unanimously.

10. NoRTEC COUNTIES; ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILES

    Dan Ripke, Director of the Center for Economic Development, California State University, Chico, provided a brief look at the "Economic And Demographic Profile 2000" reports the Center recently completed for the NoRTEC counties. These reports contain projections to 2010 for Population, Employment, and Income, and Income by Industry, New Construction , School Enrollment, Business by Industry Size and Class, Per Capita Income, Retail Sales, Poverty, and more. C. Brown said a limited number of copies for each county were available for the Governing Board and WIB members that want them. Additional copies can be purchased from Mr. Ripke.

11. FUNDING FOR NEXT YEAR, JULY, 2000 - JUNE 2001

     

    Draft NoRTEC Allocations
    Adult		Youth		Dislocated
    W/Hold Harmless	W/O Hold Harmless	W/Hold Harmless	W/O Hold Harmless	NA
    $2,469,867	$2,580,271	$2,476,853	$2,602,399	$2,611,440

    
    Total With Hold Harmless: $7,558,160
    Total Without Hold Harmless: $7,794,110
    
    We loose $235,950 with the "Hold Harmless." The Governor has an option of choosing a "hold harmless" allocation formula that will keep all Workforce Investment Areas at no less than 90%, and no more that 130% of their portion of the prior year's allocation formula. C. Brown said our selfish best interests are for no hold harmless, but staff has avoided the debate as not being worth the ill will.

    Administration - C. Brown said it appears DOL is defining all contracted expenses for program operation as program costs, and only administrative activities at the NoRTEC level and the One Stop Operator level as coming out of the 10% administrative cost category.

    Contracts - The DOL distinction between One Stop Operation duties and Program Operation duties means two contracts with each one stop operator; one for their One Stop operation duties, and another to implement the adult and dislocated worker programs. (Coincidentally, there will be a third with each to operate the youth programs.) This means 24 contracts at a minimum.

    Rapid Response - This funding is in addition to the allocated funding referred to above. C. Brown said there is a concern that the State may not pass these funds down to the local level. If not, we will be unable to fund the Community Coordinator positions.

12. NORTEC WIA TRANSITION COMMITTEE MEETING MARCH 24, 2000

    There was a brief report on the four action items from the March 24, 2000, WIA Transition Committee meeting.

    1. Local MOUs - Plumas was designated a Comprehensive One Stop. Lassen, Modoc, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity were given Temporary Designation pending one or two partner signatures. Butte and Del Norte are still gathering signatures
    2. Youth Proposals - The proposals from the Butte PIC for Butte, RHS for Del Norte, AFWD for Lassen, Modoc and Plumas, STEP for Siskiyou, JTCTC for Tehama and TOT for Trinity were approved for the NoRTEC youth service contracts.
    3. Five Year Plan - with mostly house cleaning changes, the NoRTEC Five Year Plan was approved for submission to the State.
    4. WIB/GB Agreement - The operating agreement was approved, outlining the way the WIB and Governing Board will conduct business.

    Please refer to the agenda and minutes of this WIA Transition Committee meeting for more details. Minutes, Agenda

13. LOCAL MOU AND ONE STOP STATUS

    C. Brown said the Department of Rehabilitation has not yet consented to enter into any local agreements, and now the Employment Development Department has decided to try and add more to the local agreements. C. Brown said that the goal was still to try and reach agreement with all the partners. The sanction for failure is no representation on the WIB for the unsigned partner and NoRTEC would not receive a share of whatever incentive funds become available in the future.

    Trinity was congratulated for obtaining the final signature they needed to achieve full NoRTEC designation as a comprehensive One Stop. Now we have two "comprehensive" One Stops; Plumas and Trinity. (Rehab does not have a full time presence in Plumas or Trinity, so are not a required One Stop partner for them, and they both already have an EDD sign-off.)

    C. Brown said it would be helpful for the timing of it if the One Stops could receive automatic NoRTEC designation as their MOUs were signed by all the requisite partners.

    A motion by B. Hamby, seconded by D. Beeson, for the WIB chair to sign off on the local MOUs as the requisite mandatory partner signatures are acquired, passed the WIB unanimously.

    A motion by G. Russell, seconded by J. Smith, for the Governing Board chair to sign off on the local MOUs as the requisite mandatory partner signatures are acquired, passed the Governing Board unanimously.

14. SHASTA TO JOIN NoRTEC?

    C. Brown said the Executive Director of the Shasta PIC asked him if NoRTEC would be amenable to Shasta joining the NoRTEC Consortium. He said "yes" because he thought the inclusion of Shasta is in line with the goal of NoRTEC to expand its regional base. He said it would be a challenge to pull off. First of all was the need for ratification by all the current NoRTEC member counties - to include Butte - of a revised Joint Powers Agreement to include Shasta County. This needed to be accomplished before July 1, 2000. Second was the staff level details/workload involved in adding another county (plans, contracts, State approval, WIB representation, etc.). C. Brown said there was also the challenge of smoothing out the differences between Shasta and NoRTEC, who had not developed the history of collaboration that existed between Butte and NoRTEC.

    Don Peery, Shasta PIC Director, said the decision was not final yet, but they were seriously considering joining NoRTEC and wanted to know if this would be acceptable to NoRTEC. He said the State's recent decision to not accept any form of "alternative entity" for the WIBs was a deciding factor. Basically, they were concerned that they would not be able to appropriately meet the new WIB requirements (separation from the One Stop and from direct service provision), and operate on the limited administrative funding available under the WIA.

    The general consensus was that the addition of Shasta to the NoRTEC consortium would be good for the North State.

    C. Brown said that since the State was not allowing "alternative entities," the current eight county WIB membership needed two additional seats; one economic development and one older worker (Title V). He said NoRTEC also received a request from the President of Butte Community College, Sandra Acebo, to become a member of the NoRTEC WIB.

    The general consensus was to postpone a decision on filling any more WIB seats until finding out whether Shasta was going to join NoRTEC or not.

    A motion by B. Maffett, seconded by L. Wright, for the WIB approval of staff pursuing the addition of Shasta to the NoRTEC consortium, and assigning the details and authorities for accomplishing this to the NoRTEC WIA Transition Committee, passed the WIB unanimously.

    A motion by E. McCain, seconded by B. Reiss, for Governing Board concurrence with the WIB motion, passed the Governing Board unanimously.

15. COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

    There was a brief discussion of the NoRTEC Committee structure (Executive, Program and Finance), and the desirability for every member of the WIB to participate. WIB members are asked to let either C. Brown or J. Madden know their preferences.

16. STATUS OF FUNDING APPLICATIONS

    NoRTEC has no outstanding funding applications for this Program Year.

17. OLD BUSINESS

    No Old Business items were brought up for discussion.

18. NEW BUSINESS

    Upcoming Meeting Schedule

    1. WIA Transition Committee - May 25, 2000
    2. WIB and Governing Board - July 27, 2000
    3. WIB and Governing Board - October 26, 2000 (24 - 27, Konocti)
19. ADJOURNMENT

    There being no further Old or New business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:10 PM.