NoRTEC
AGENDA
WIB AND GOVERNING BOARD
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2002
2:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M
KONOCTI HARBOR RESORT & SPA
8727 SODA BAY ROAD
KELSEYVILLE, CA

1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. WIB APPROVAL OF MINUTES, JULY 25, 2002 (ACTION)

   The minutes from the July 25, 2002, meeting are attached: Minutes

   RECOMMENDED ACTION:

   WIB approval of the July 25, 2002, minutes, with revisions if needed, as mailed.

   Governing Board approval of the July 25, 2002, 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 APPOINTMENTS (ACTION)

   There are currently two vacant seats on the NoRTEC WIB. One is a private industry seat in Trinity County, and the second is and At-Large seat for the Migrant and Seasonal Farworker program.

   A nomination has been received from the Trinity County Chamber of Commerce for Larry McCord to fill the private industry seat in Trinity County. Mr. McCord owns A Tule Creek Storage in Hayfork, and is involved in numerous local service organizations. (Application, Nomination Letter)

   A nomination has also been received from California Human Development Corporation (CHDC) for Alejandro Salazar to fill the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker seat. Mr. Salazar is a Familly Development Specialist/Program Manager for CHDC, and is housed in the One Stop Center in Chico. (Application, Nomination Letter)

   
   RECOMMENDED ACTION:

   Governing Board appointment of these two individuals to serve on the NoRTEC WIB in the capacity indicated .

7. YOUTH COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS (ACTION)

   Currently, there are three vacancies on the NoRTEC Youth Council. One representing private industry, one representing organized labor, and one representing an organization that has experience relating to WIA-like Youth Activities. (Current Youth Council Membership Roster)

   An application has been received from Barbara Hanstein to become a member of the Youth Council, representing Organized Labor. (Application)

   An application has been received from Janie Gaither to become a member of the Youth Council, representing an organization that has experience relating to WIA-Like Youth Activities. (Application)

   No application has been received from private industry.

   RECOMMENDED ACTION:

   WIB appointment of the Youth Council from among the applications received in time for this meeting.
   
   Governing Board concurrence with the WIB appointments to the Youth Council.

8. PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

   M. Piller will present the Program Committee Report.

   1. Program Monitoring

      No on-site program monitoring visits have been conducted since the last meeting. The annual programmatic monitoring will not be scheduled until after the January WIB/Governing Board meeting.

   2. State Monitoring

      There have been no on-site State program monitoring visits since the last meeting, and none are scheduled in the near future.

   3. Client Numbers
      1. One Stop Centers - Job Seekers Accessing One-Stop Centers
      2. WIA Enrollments - Job Seekers Enrolled in the WIA Program
      3. Client Exits* - Outcome Information On Customers Leaving The Programs
      4. Core Service* - One Stop Center Utilization Information

         * New reports open to the public. Click on "Reports" on the NoRTEC client tracking site.

   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 was March 1, 2001, through December 31, 2002. Please see the attached for participant information through 09/30/2002: CTI Participants

      Three other LWIAs have a contract with NoRTEC to spend CTI funding. The project is in the process of winding down, and it appears that all funding will be spent by the end of the project period.

   5. Plant Closure Update

      There have been several plant closures in the nine county area of NoRTEC over the past 2 1/2 years. The following web site address is being updated as additional closures occur. The Northern STARRS application was submitted to help us respond to these closures.

      Plant Closure Update

   6. Featured Community Coordinator Report

      Ordinarily, the Program Committee selects a report to be featured each quarter. Due to the preparations for the Konocti conference, the Committee members were not notified by NoRTEC staff in a timely manner that the reports were posted for their review. Therefore, it is up to staff to make the selection this time. (Note: The NoRTEC Program Operations Director, staff to the Committee, has been chastised for this oversight.)

      The big winner for this quarter is Rural Human Services, Del Norte County. The report is informative, easy to read, colorful, pleasant to look at, and fun. Shasta PIC could just as easily have been chosen, but they won last quarter. In fact, all the reports are winners, from presentation to content.

      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)

      Take a few minutes to read the reports from all nine counties. They are informative and fun. Our Community Coordinators are putting a lot of work into keeping you informed.

      (Note: If the link does not take you directly to the report for the July-September quarter, look for a menu selection on the web page entitled Community Coordinator or Community Coordinator Reports.)

   7. Business First Report

      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 and NoRTEC wide efforts to achieve this goal will be presented as a regular agenda item.

      1. Web site Technology Initiative (Update)

         The first round of the four hour "Put Your Business on the Internet Today" workshops were held in eight of the nine NoRTEC counties. They appear to have been very successful. We have 151 registered for their own web sites, and so far have ten published sites (open to the public). We just put one on for the Lake County businesses here at Konocti, and will hear from one of the attendees what they thought of it. Staff is gearing up for another round, hoping to expand the the utility of the training and the number of local businesses with their own active web sites.

         Here are ten that were produced from the first round:

         http://sevenagesstudio.bizland.com
         http://inspirationunlimited.bizland.com
         http://mtshastaballoon.bizland.com
         http://shastavalleyrcd.bizland.com
         http://mountainmorning.bizland.com
         http://trinitycountyrealty.bizland.com
         http://velocitytechnology.bizland.com
         http://lakeblvdcleaners.bizland.com
         http://whiskeytownbrewingco.bizland.com
         http://tbsmobileservices.com

      2. Entrepreneur Training (Update)

         At the July meeting, J. Lucas reported that a number of promising entrepreneurs/businesses had been identified as promising and will be moving into the next phase of preparing for venture capital. Mr. Lucas will provide another update at this meeting.

      3. Employee Recruitment (Information)

         A lot of attention is being put into assisting local employers with employee recruitment, screening, testing, job descriptions, etc. Trinity Occupational Training staff will provide a couple of recent examples from Trinity County.

   8. NoRTEC Youth Council Meeting, December 11, 2002, Redding (Information)

      The next NoRTEC Youth Council meeting will be in Redding at the Red Lion Inn on December 11, 2002. An agenda had not been prepared yet, but the focus will be on "mapping" local youth services. Two of the objectives of this exercise are to identify gaps in service and to develop a Youth Services Directory.

      RECOMMENDED ACTION:

      WIB approval of the First Quarter Program Committee Report.

      Governing Board approval of the First Quarter Program Committee Report.

9. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

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

   1. PY 2002/2003 Funding (INFORMATION)

      Currently, NoRTEC has $11,755,598 in available funds for the program year July 1, 2002, to June 30, 2003. An additional $5,061,967 has been requested. If all the requested funding is received, NoRTEC will have $16,817,565 in available funding for the 2002/2003 program year, a $3,032,863 decrease from the amount of funding available in PY 2001/2002. The decrease in funding is primarily due to congressional reductions in WIA funding (we received a 20% reduction in our Dislocated Worker allocation from last year) and reduced availability of special project funding from the State.

      Project	Funds Available From July 1, 2002	Additional Funds Requested	Total
      Adult	$3,500,803	$0	$3,500,803
      Youth	$4,030,041	$0	$4,030,041
      Dislocated Worker	$2,732,753	$0	$2,732,753
      Rapid Response	$512,033	$961,967	$1,474,000
      Core & Intensive Project	$50,285	$0	$50,285
      STARRS	$455,226	$2,000,000	$2,455,226
      Caregiver Training	$459,748	$0	$459,748
      Local Board Travel	$1,500	$0	$1,500
      Universal Access	$13,209	$0	$13,209
      Nurse's Workforce Initiative	$0	$2,100,000	$2,100,000
      Total	$11,755,598	$5,061,967	$16,817,565

   2. Approval of PY 2001/2002 Fourth Quarter Financial Reports (ACTION)
      
      Preliminary Fourth Quarter Financial Reports for PY 2001/2002 were presented at the July, 2002 WIB/GB meeting. The final reports presented for approval here include some minor changes, but the final reports are not substantively different than the preliminary reports. Any changes are briefly described.
      1. PY 2001/2002 Contracts Summary

         No changes.

      2. PY 2000/2001 Service Provider Contract Modification

         No Changes.

      3. PY 2001/2002 Program Expenditure Report

         Service Provider expenditures were adjusted to reflect final closeout expenditure reporting to NoRTEC. No significant changes.

      4. PY 2001/2002 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Expenditure Report

         Total AE expenditures decreased by $18,196 to a total of $797,451. The decrease resulted from the accrual of anticipated expenses at June 30, 2002 that were not incurred. Total expenditures were within the $839,600 budget. There are no items of concern.

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

         Total WIB/GB expenditures increased by $124 to a total of $42,619. There are no items of concern.

      RECOMMENDED ACTION:

      The WIB Finance Committee is recommending NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board approval of the PY 2001/2002 Fourth Quarter Final Finance Reports.

   3. Approval of PY 2002/2003 First Quarter Financial Reports (ACTION)
      
      
      1. PY 2002/2003 First Quarter 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 First Quarter of the 2002/2003 program year. As of September 30, 2002, NoRTEC had a total of $11,755,598 available in State contracts for PY 2002/2003. This report includes only amounts available in PY 2002/2003. Amounts expended in prior years and amounts carried forward from prior years are not included. There are no items of concern.
      2. PY 2002/2003 Service Provider First Quarter Contract Modifications

         This report shows the changes between July 1, 2002, and September 30, 2002, 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.

         The primary type of contract change was the addition of new WIA funding allocations for PY 2002/2003. These funding allocations include any unspent funds carried forward from the prior program year. There are no items of concern

      3. PY 2002/2003 First Quarter Program Expenditure Report

         This report shows each subcontractor's total available balance for the program year (July 1, 2002, to June 30, 2003), the cumulative expenditures for the twelve months ended June 30, 2002, and the remaining balance at June 30, 2002, 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.

         At September 30, 2002, NoRTEC Service Providers were within a 10% variance of the quarterly target rate (25% at September 30, 2002) in nearly all titles to which required expenditure rates apply. Titles which exceeded the 10% variance are italicized on the attached report. There are no items of concern at this time.
         
         Background:
         
         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 year.

      4. PY 2002/2003 NoRTEC Administrative Entity First Quarter Expenditure Report

         This report shows the Administrative Entity (AE) expenditures against the annual line item budget for the quarter ended September 30, 2002. AtSeptember 30, 2002, the NoRTEC Administrative Entity had expended 21% of its operating budget, 25% of its special projects budget, and 0% of its capacity building budget. There are no items of concern.

      5. PY 2002/2003 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board First Quarter Expenditure Report

         This report shows the WIB and Governing Board expenditures against the annual line item budget for the quarter endedSeptember 30, 2002. AtSeptember 30, 2002, the WIB/GB had expended 14% of its total budget. There are no items of concern.
         
         RECOMMENDED ACTION:

         The WIB Finance Committee is recommending NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board approval of the PY 2002/2003 First Quarter Finance Reports.

   4. State Monitoring of NoRTEC (INFORMATION)

      During June, NoRTEC received an on-site monitoring from EDD to review NoRTEC's fiscal and procurement systems for compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, regulations, and policies related to the WIA program. The monitor spent four days in the NoRTEC administrative office. The monitor also visited Alliance For Workforce Development (Lassen, Modoc and Plumas) for a couple of hours, and conducted a telephone interview with STEP (Siskiyou).

      We have received the final monitoring letter resulting from that visit. The EDD monitor concluded that NoRTEC is meeting the requirements of the WIA concerning financial management and procurement. The monitor did request minor changes to NoRTEC's procurement and debt collection policies, and those changes were approved at the last WIB/GB meeting. Copies of the monitoring letter are available for review by interested members.

      There are no outstanding issues or items of concern.

   5. Acceptance of PY 2000/2001 Single Audit Report (ACTION)

      NoRTEC has received its June 30, 2001, Single Audit Report. The audit was "clean," meaning that there were no findings, questioned costs, or recommendations resulting from the Audit. The WIB Finance Committee has reviewed the audit report and has recommended that the WIB accept the audit report.

      Copies of the Single Audit Report are available for review by interested members.

      RECOMMENDED ACTION: The WIB Finance Committee is recommending NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board acceptance of the June 30, 2001, Single Audit Report.

   6. Approval of Dislocated Worker To Adult Funding Transfer (ACTION)

      WIA regulations allow the voluntary transfer of funding between the Adult and Dislocated Worker titles of up to 20% of either allocation. The State requires that any transfer be approved by the WIB.

      Transferring funding from the Dislocated Worker funding title to the Adult funding title allows local programs additional flexibility to better match available funding levels with the eligible populations being served at the one-stop centers. The ability to transfer funds allows service providers the flexibility to tailor local services to meet local needs.

      The WIB Finance Committee is recommending that NoRTEC staff request a transfer of the maximum 20%, or $495,359, from the Dislocated Worker program to the Adult program.

      RECOMMENDED ACTION: The WIB Finance Committee is recommending NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board authorize NoRTEC staff to request a transfer of $495,359 of PY 2002/2003 funding from the Dislocated Worker Program to the Adult program.

10. STATUS OF FUNDING APPLICATIONS (UPDATE)
    1. Prior Approval:
       1. The two NCEN regional applications for "Incentive Funding" (Caregiver Training and Entrepreneurial Training) have not been funded. It appears no money was set aside in the State's Incentive Funds Budget, and no projects will be funded, although this is speculation.
       2. The application for a technology grant to provide internet training to local employers in the NCEN area has not been submitted. Staff are still thinking through program design.
       3. The NCEN regional North STARRS application for approximately $3,100,000 for One Stop Core and Intensive services and plant closures was funded, with $2,000,000 for NoRTEC and $1,100,000 for North Central. (Actually, we received part now and will get the rest after the first of the year, pending reasonable expenditure of the initial amount.)
       4. The NCEN regional Nurse Workforce Initiative was funded for $2,100,000, primarily for training LVNs and RNs in the 16 county area (NoRTEC, NCCC, Mendocino and Humboldt).
    2. New Applications:

       No new applications are ready for WIB and Governing Board Approval.

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, January 30, 2003, in Chico.
    2. Additional New Business Items may be brought up for discussion, at the pleasure of the NoRTEC WIB/GB members.
13. ADJOURNMENT