NoRTEC
AGENDA
WIB AND GOVERNING BOARD
THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2002
10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M
OROVILLE TEEN CENTER
109 TABLE MOUNTAIN BLVD.
OROVILLE, CA 95965
Last Update 01/25/02 @1:20 p.m.

1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. WIB APPROVAL OF MINUTES, OCTOBER 25, 2001 (ACTION)

   The minutes from the October 25, 2001, meeting are attached: Minutes

   RECOMMENDED ACTION:

   WIB approval of the October 25, 2001, minutes, with revisions if needed, as mailed.

   Governing Board approval of the October 25, 2001, minutes, with revisions if needed, as mailed.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA (ACTION)

   RECOMMENDED ACTION:

   WIB approval of the agenda, with revisions if needed, as mailed.

   Governing Board approval of the agenda, with revisions if needed, as mailed.

5. PUBLIC COMMENT (INFORMATION)

   Members of the public will be invited to make brief comments regarding any aspect of NoRTEC business.

6. WIB APPOINTMENT (ACTION)

   There are currently five vacant seats on the NoRTEC WIB, with nominations for three of these vacancies:

   1. Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker - "At Large" - Mr. Jorge Lozano, Family Development Specialist for California Human Development Corporation, nominated by the California Human Development Corporation.
   2. Private Sector - Shasta County - Ginne Mistal, Owner, Bechelli Cleaners, nominated by the Greater Redding Chamber of Commerce
   3. Economic Development - Modoc County - Mark Steffek, Project Coordinator for the Cal-Neva Resource Conservation and Development Council, nominated by the Modoc County Planning and Economic Development Department
   4. Private Sector - Butte County
   5. Private Sector - Shasta County

   If appropriate nominations are received in time for the remaining private sector seats in Butte and Shasta Counties, they will be presented at the meeting.

   RECOMMENDED ACTION:

   Governing Board appointment of the above nominated individuals to serve on the NoRTEC WIB in the capacity indicated .

7. PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

   Michele Piller, Program Committee Chair, will present the Program Committee Report.

   1. Program Monitoring

      Programmatic monitoring visits have been scheduled as follows:

      Butte PIC - March 19-20, 2002
      Job Training Center of Tehama County - March 21-22, 2002
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Alturas Office) - March 25, 2002
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Susanville Office) - March 26-27, 2002
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Quincy Office) - March 28-29, 2002
      Shasta PIC - April 16-17, 2002
      Trinity Occupational Training - April 18-19, 2002
      Rural Human Services - April 22-23, 2002
      Siskiyou Training & Employment Program - May 14-15, 2002

   2. State Monitoring

      There are currently no official scheduled State monitoring visits on the horizon.

   3. Client Numbers
      1. One-Stop Centers - Job Seekers Accessing One-Stop Centers
      2. WIA Enrollments - Job Seekers Enrolled in the WIA Program
   4. Caregiver Training Initiative (CTI)

      NoRTEC was funded for a total of $2,690,210 under the Caregiver Training Initiative to develop and provide training opportunities to WIA and WtW eligible clients in a sixteen county region (Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, and Yuba Counties.) Approximately $1,200,000 is for NoRTEC County projects. The remaining $1,400,000 is for the other NCEN partners.

      The time frame for the project is March 1, 2001, through September 30, 2002. Please see the attached for summary information: CTI Summary

      Three other LWIAs have a contract with NoRTEC to spend CTI funding. Of the three, only one, Humboldt, seems to be on track. North Central Counties (NCC) and Mendocino are underspent, and have been sent requests for corrective action plans. Funding may need to be redistributed if local area plans are not working out. An update will be given at the meeting.

   5. Plant Closure Update

      There have been several plant closures in the nine county area of NoRTEC over the past 18 months. The following web site address is being updated as additional closures occur.

      Plant Closure Update

   6. Featured Community Coordinator Report

      Each meeting the Program Committee will select one of the quarterly Community Coordinator reports to feature. Following are direct links to the reports received for the quarter ending December 31, 2001 (Note: If the link does not take you directly to the report for the October-December quarter, look for a menu selection on the web page entitled Community Coordinator or Community Coordinator Reports.) :

      Butte PIC
      Rural Human Services (Del Norte)
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Lassen)
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Modoc)
      Alliance for Workforce Development (Plumas)
      Shasta PIC
      STEP (Siskiyou)
      Job Training Center of Tehama County
      Trinity Occupational Training (Trinity)

      The selection for Community Coordinator report of the quarter was (almost) unanimous this month. In addition, it was a tie! Program Committee members all voted for the reports from the Alliance for Workforce Development's Plumas County report and for the Job Training Center of Tehama County's report. (Most committee members said they could not choose between the two.).

      Both reports were full of information, lots of links, and great pictures (particularly those "terms of enrollment" photos on Tehama's report)....

      As has been mentioned at previous meetings, the Community Coordinator reports are all important and appreciated. Selecting one to highlight each quarter is for fun. It is exciting to see how much is being accomplished in all of NoRTEC's counties by these hard working individuals.

   7. Regional Community Coordinator Activities

      Community Coordinator January Agenda

      The "NCEN" Community Coordinators (from the 15 counties in the NoRTEC and NCCC consortiums) are routinely meeting every other month for a combination of in-service training and planning for activities that are of a regional interest. (Their meeting agendas are posted on the NoRTEC "meetings" page. Jeff Lucas is the facilitator.) At their January meeting, they discussed fund raising ideas for the annual "Economic & Demographic Profile Series" produced by the Center For Economic Development, applying for a "Technology" grant, examples of how to become an asset to local business, and a business assistance project underway in Tehama County. Craig Parrish, Assistant Director, and Kathy Garcia, Community Coordinator, Tehama Job Training Center, will provide a brief report.

   8. Business Report

      At the last meeting, the WIB and Governing Board adopted program policies and endorsed a program perspective that encourages the NoRTEC One Stops to assist local business as their primary customer. Local efforts to achieve this goal will be presented as a regular agenda item. This time, we will hear from

      1. Laird Crandall, Director, and Linda Moorecraft, Community Coordinator, Trinity Occupational Training, about business assistance efforts in Trinity County, and
      2. Jim Simpson, Deputy Director, Shasta PIC, and Dennis Maderios, Human Resources Manager, Chatsworth Products, Inc., about a business assistance project for Chatsworth.
   9. Butte County One Stop Report

      Each meeting a One Stop program will be asked to make a 10 - 15 minute presentation on some aspect of their program. Bill Finley, Director, Butte PIC will tell us about their Youth program. Additionally, we will take advantage of this opportunity to tour the newly opened Oroville Community Employment Center.

      RECOMMENDED ACTION:

      WIB approval of the First Quarter Program Committee Report.

      Governing Board approval of the First Quarter Program Committee Report.

8. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

   B. Hamby, Finance Committee Chair, will present the Finance Committee report.

   1. PY 2001/2002 Funding (INFORMATION)

      Currently, NoRTEC has $18,848,928 in available funds for the PY 2001/2002 Program Year. Another $1,000,000 has been requested. If all the requested funds are received, NoRTEC will have $19,848,928 available for the 2001/2002 program year.

      This represents a $17,299 decrease in total funding from the 2000/2001 program year. The receipt of additional special project funding, combined with a reduction in NoRTEC's allocated funds (Adult, Youth and Dislocated Worker), has put NoRTEC's total funding for the 2001/2002 program year at virtually the same level as the prior year.

      Project	Funds Available From July 1, 2001	Additional Funds Requested	Total
      Adult	$3,958,592	$0	$3,958,592
      Youth	$5,051,040	$0	$5,051,040
      Dislocated Worker	$3,210,146	$0	$3,210,146
      Rapid Response	$1,325,000	$0	$1,325,000
      Welfare-To-Work	$297,355	$0	$297,355
      Core & Intensive Project	$2,096,255	$0	$2,096,682
      Capacity Building	$16,720	$0	$16,720
      Incentive Funds	$107,322	$0	$107,322
      Youth Development	$282,541	$0	$282,541
      Plant Closure	$0	$1,000,000	$1,000,000
      Caregiver Training	$2,503,957	$0	$2,503,957
      Total	$18,848,928	$1,000,000	$19,848,928

   2. Approval of PY 2001/2002 Second Quarter Financial Reports (ACTION)
      1. PY 2001/2002 Contracts Summary

         This report shows the total amount of funding in contracts with the State, the source of that funding and its allocation within NoRTEC for the 2001/2002 program year. As of December 31, 2001, NoRTEC had a total of $18,848,928 allocated in contracts for the 2001/2002 program year. This report includes only amounts available in the current year. Amounts expended in prior years are not included.

      2. PY 2001/2002 Service Provider Contract Modifications

         This report shows the changes between October 1, 2001, and December 31, 2001, in the service provider contract amounts available for expenditure in the current program year. This report shows only contract amounts available in the current year. Contract amounts expended in prior years are not included.

         Service provider contract changes during the second quarter involved the award of additional funding based upon service provider application, demonstrated need and available funding. Butte received an additional $14,525 in Adult funds. Del Norte, AFWD (Lassen, Modoc and Plumas), and Shasta received an additional $41,000, $10,490, and $101,543 in Rapid Response funds, respectively. Shasta received an additional $124,793 in Core and Intensive funds.

      3. PY 2001/2002 Program Expenditure Report

         This report shows each subcontractor's total available balance for the program year (July 1, 2001, to June 30, 2002), their expenditures for the quarter ended December 31, 2001, and their remaining balance at December 31, 2001, for each specific funding title and program type. This report shows only contract amounts available in the current year. Contract amounts expended in a prior year are not included.

         NoRTEC service providers are generally required to spend 90% of each year's allocation by the end of the program year. For the convenience of monitoring, NoRTEC uses a 25% per quarter expenditure rate as a guide for assessing expenditures throughout the fiscal year (25% first quarter, 50% second quarter, 75% third quarter and 100% final quarter). A corrective action plan (an explanation from the service provider of how they intend to utilize the funds by the end of the funding period) is automatically required from a service provider if quarterly expenditures vary by more than 10% from the quarterly target rate. The required expenditure rates apply to regular funding titles only and do not apply to special projects.

         "Excess" funds may be voluntarily returned by a service provider or recaptured by NoRTEC if it appears that a service provider will not be able to effectively utilize them by the end of the funding period. These funds are then redistributed to other NoRTEC service providers demonstrating a greater need, or returned to the State if they cannot be effectively utilized within the consortium. Early detection and correction of expenditure problems is important because it allows time for the funds to be put to good use by service providers in other consortium counties. In addition, the effective use of funds directly affects NoRTEC's ability to secure additional funding in future years.

         The funding titles in bold italics are those titles in which a service provider is not within a 10% variance of the quarterly target rate (50% at December 31, 2001). For each of these titles, a corrective action plan has been requested.

         At December 31, 2001, overall service provider expenditures are lower than we would like. This year's uncertainty about funding levels has forced service providers to be conservative. Staff will review the corrective action plans and work with service providers to make sure that expenditure rates reach the required levels by June 30, 2002. There are no items of concern at this time.

      4. PY 2001/2002 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Expenditure Report

         This report shows the Administrative Entity (AE) expenditures against the annual line item budget for the quarter ending December 31, 2001. At December 31, 2001, the NoRTEC Administrative Entity had expended 40% of its Operating Budget, 36% of its Special Projects Budget, and 18% of its Capacity Building Budget.

         The primary budget expenditures are detailed in the attached line item report. There are no items of concern at this time.

      5. PY 2001/2002 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board Expenditure Report

         This report shows the WIB and Governing Board expenditures against the annual line item budget for the quarter ended December 31, 2001. At December 31, 2001, the WIB/GB had expended 19% of its total budget. There are no issues of concern at this time.

      WIB FINANCE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED ACTION:

      NoRTEC WIB approval of the PY 2001/2002 Second Quarter Finance Reports.

      Governing Board approval of the PY 2001/2002 Second Quarter Finance Reports.

9. STATUS OF FUNDING APPLICATIONS (UPDATE/ACTION)

   No News: We have a $978,000 NCEN application in the hopper for Governor's 15% funds to provide internet connectivity and upgrades as well as staff development. This is a long shot, attempting to build on the multiple area merger to form NoRTEC and the large rural area we serve.

   New Applications:

   1. We have an application for $1,000,000 to provide training and related services to workers laid off from the numerous plant closures in the NoRTEC workforce investment area.
   2. We are preparing an application for approximately $250,000 for a Technology Grant to provide internet training to local employers in the NCEN area. The plan is to utilize Chico State University to provide training in internet search and web page development, and to offer short term web hosting. Those who want to continue with their own web site after the initial trial period will be helped to transition to a private provider.

   RECOMMENDED ACTION:

   NoRTEC WIB approval of staff submitting an application for $1,000,000 to provide service to plant closure layoffs, and approximately $250,000 to provide internet training to employers located in the NCEN counties.

   NoRTEC GOVERNING BOARD approval of staff submitting an application for $1,000,000 to provide service to plant closure layoffs, and an application for approximately $250,000 to provide internet training to employers located in the NCEN counties.

10. WHAT'S HAPPENING? (DISCUSSION)
    1. The Governor has proposed a "consolidation" of Job Training Programs at the State level.

       Governor's Proposal

       1. (New) Labor Agency - Employment and Job Training

          Includes EDD Job Service, Workforce Investment Act, Rehabilitation, Aging, Conservation Corps, CalWORKS and Employment Training Panel

       2. Department of Industrial Relations - Apprenticeship Programs
       3. Community Colleges - Vocational and Adult Education

          Includes Community College Vocational Education, Regional Occupational Programs and Centers, Carl Perkins, Adult Education and School To Career

    2. California Workforce Investment Board - Local Area Workgroup

       C. Brown was invited to sit on an advisory group to the CWIB, to influence Board Policy that will be workable at the local level. One of the first issues will be the criteria to be used for local One Stop certification.

    3. NoRTEC Youth Council

       Staff is tentatively planning on a one to one and a half day in-service in the late spring, 2002, for the NoRTEC Youth Council and other interested WIB and Governing Board members.

    4. California Workforce Association - One Stop Community

       The CWA established a One Stop advisory group to help them develop positions on items of interest to the One Stop Operators and Partners. K. Suvia, Director, Siskiyou Training and Employment, was elected Chair of the Northern California chapter, which also gets her a seat on the CWA Board. (Congratulations Kathy.) Laird Crandall, Director, Trinity Occupational Training, will tell us what this group has been up to.

11. OLD BUSINESS (INFORMATION)

    Old Business Items may be brought up for discussion, at the pleasure of the NoRTEC WIB/Governing Board members.

12. NEW BUSINESS (DISCUSSION)
    1. WIB and Governing Board - Thursday, April 25, 2002, in Redding
    2. Additional New Business Items may be brought up for discussion, at the pleasure of the NoRTEC WIB/GB members.
13. ADJOURNMENT