NoRTEC
AGENDA
WIB AND GOVERNING BOARD
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2003
9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M.
MT. SHASTA RESORT
1000 SISKIYOU LAKE BLVD.
MT. SHASTA, CA
Last Updated October 23, 2003, @4:00 p.m.

1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. WIB APPROVAL OF MINUTES, JULY 31, 2003 (ACTION)

   The minutes from the July 31, 2003 meeting are attached: Minutes

   RECOMMENDED ACTION:

   WIB approval of the July 31, 2003, minutes, with revisions if needed, as mailed.

   Governing Board approval of the July 31, 2003, 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 (INFORMATION)

   There are two vacancies on the NoRTEC WIB.

   1. No nominations have been received for the vacant seat representing Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers. Staff expect a nomination by the next meeting.
   2. The at-large seat for Education is still open. This seat was vacated by Sandra Acebo, who resigned effective June 30, 2003, coincidental with her retirement as the President of Butte Community College. Staff are contacting the Community Colleges in the NoRTEC area to see if Sandra's nomination of David Pelham, President, Siskiyou Community College, is supported by them.

   There will be no expiring terms for the currently filled seats until June 30, 2004.

7. PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

   M. Piller will present the Program Committee Report.

   1. Program Monitoring

      Spring monitoring visits were conducted in May and June and reported on at the last meeting. No additional visits will be scheduled until Spring of 2004.

   2. State Monitoring

      There were no programmatic monitoring visits performed by the State since the last meeting. The rumors we heard of a cycle of programmatic monitoring to begin in October are apparently true, but we (NoRTEC) will not be considered as a site to visit until the Spring or Summer of 2004.

   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
         
         
      5. Employer Service* - One Stop Center Employer Service Information

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

   4. NWI (Nurse Workforce Initiative)

      The sixteen county region of NCEN (NoRTEC's nine counties, plus Colusa, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sutter, and Yuba Counties) was awarded $2.1 million dollars to provide Registered Nurse (RN) and Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) training to northern California residents. The contract will be effective from October 1, 2002, through December 31, 2005.

      Following is a report showing the award by county and Local Workforce Investment Area, and the number of enrollments so far. NWI

   5. Plant Closure Update

      There have been several plant closures in the nine county area of NoRTEC over the past three years. The following web site address is being updated as additional closures occur. Items in red are those additions since the last regularly scheduled WIB and Governing Board meeting.

      Humboldt and Mendocino County closures are now listed on the website, as they are now a part of our regional NCEN special project funding requests.

      Plant Closure Update

   6. Featured Community Coordinator Report

      Each meeting the Program Committee selects one of the quarterly Community Coordinator reports to feature. Following are direct links to the reports received for the quarter ending September 30, 2003:
      
      (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.)
      
      Butte PIC (no link provided)
      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)
      
      At the last meeting, the Committee decided that in order to "feature" a report, they needed to develop a new set of criteria, as the reports from the Coordinators were all so good. Criteria have not yet been developed, but the reports are still getting better! A few highlights from this quarter's reports are:

      • Rural Human Services held a website design workshop in Crescent City and assisted more than 20 individuals get jobs at Fred Meyer. This was a welcome project after dealing with so many plant closures over the previous six months.
      • AFWD in Lassen County reported on a successful website design workshop, and on the "flood clean-up" efforts in their Lassen office. Members that have the time should download the Power Point presentation (link provided on the Community Coordinator Report) and view the photos for themselves.
      • AFWD in Modoc County also hosted a successful website design workshop, and graduated two LVN candidates from the CTI/NWI program.
      • AFWD in Plumas County just helped nine LVN candidates graduate from the CTI/NWI program, and also landed their first substantial "fee for service" contract. They will be providing customer service training to the employees of Diamond Mountain Casino.
      • The Shasta PIC just completed a "holiday recruitment" effort for Costco. More than 600 individuals applied, hoping for a seasonal job that starts at $10 an hour. Of the 600 applicants, around 300 received interviews. As Costco frequently hires a few individuals for full-time work after the holiday season is over, this is a great opportunity for individuals to get their "foot in the door." The Shasta PIC is happy to be a part of this recruitment effort.
      • STEP highlights the addition of a bottled water plant in McCloud (Nestle Waters North America). The plant would not be granted water rights from the natural springs north of McCloud, but would instead become a McCloud Community Services District customer which is projected to provide over $300,000 worth of revenue after ten years of operation. In addition, a community enhancement fund provided by the company would likely contribute another $100,000 by the tenth year that would be utilized for parks, libraries, schools, and emergency services.
      • The Job Training Center of Tehama County has provided monthly informative workshops for employers. Their August, September, and October offerings were on OSHA requirements, Unemployment Insurance, and Worker's Compensation (How does a Business Manage Their Costs?). The workshops were well received by the local employer community. JTC also provided Telephone Etiquette Training to two local businesses. This is noteworthy because staff put together a training curriculum in about two days to meet the employer's needs. It was well received and interest has developed from other employers in the community. JTC hopes to provide this as a fee for service workshop/training in the future.
      • Trinity Occupational Training is continuing to provide business services to their local employers. They ran a successful website design workshop in September, and on October 22, held a business seminar entitled, "Your Money, Your Business: Financial Basics for Small Business."

   Take 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.

8. 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)

      After the second round of "Website Initiative 2003," we have 103 websites developed through our one day website workshops. So far, at 25, Trinity County is the hands down winner for most local websites.

      Website Initiative 2003: http://www.websiteinitiative.org/

      Websites by County: /cb/pgb/business_websites.html

   2. Entrepreneur Training (Update)

      Background
      We funded a pilot project a year ago to see if we could discover companies/entrepreneurs with fast-growth concepts/potential in the NoRTEC area. If yes, were any Venture Capitalists or "Angel Investors" willing to invest in our area? So far, none of the attendees of the two primary workshops we offered have made it to the big time. But a couple of local companies have received Venture capital, which shows that the idea is sound.
      
      A Chico based wireless internet provider, Digital Path, has 50 employees, and is expected to double in size by the end of year. Another Chico company, AdExpedia, helps newspapers incorporate display ads and advertising inserts into their Web sites. It expedites ads. They have gone from three employees to 120 employees.
      
      With the cuts in funding, we had pretty much decided this was way down the maybe list for special project funding this year. But then we were notified by the State that we had received an incentive grant to fund an application we submitted a couple of years ago to implement this project. So . . . regular updates will be provided.
      
      Update
      The project is underway, under the direction of Golden Capital Network (GCN). A copy of the announcement for the upcoming "North State CEOs and Entrepreneurs Conference" was emailed to the NoRTEC members and affiliates. It is also on the NoRTEC News site; November 5, 2003, 1:007:00 PM, Butte Creek Country Club, 175 Estates Drive, Chico, General Admission: $45. This will be followed by a number of focused workshops and opportunities for additional presentations for Venture Capitol or Angel Investments.
      
      This October 9 and 10, GCN held a similar conference in Tahoe. The Tahoe Bonanza published a nice article about it: /cb/pgb/GSN_100903.html

   3. One Stop Business Services (Information)
      
      NoRTEC has put together a website that provides a comprehensive look at our full range of business services; /business_services/home.html. It is open to the public, but kind of hidden while we wait for the programs to develop websites of their own (so we have a place to refer folks to for local service delivery). So far, the best example of a local Business Services website is the Shasta website: http://www.shastabrc.com/
      
      Business Services Tracking - One of the features of the NoRTEC Business Services website is access to the list of local businesses utilizing the various types of business services offered. There is also a business services report open to the public on our "Public" site: /cb/nortec_public.html. The e_learning report is another one available to the public on the "Public" site.
      
      Business Service Presentations - Normally we invite a number of local businesses to provide feedback on the services they received from our local program. This will resume at our next regularly scheduled meeting.

9. Staff Planning Retreat (Information)

   NoRTEC hosted a NoRTEC Program staff retreat this October 15 and 16, 2003. The theme was "Integrating Business Services into all aspects of the One Stop's operations." The planning and discussion was facilitated by Sheila Crawford (Klamath, Oregon, WIA program) and Melanie Arthur, consultant. We had 99 program staff in attendance. By all accounts, the effort was a success. Everybody left energized and armed with practical guidance for the further development of their business services, and the better integration of all staff in the provision of these services.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

The Program Committee recommends approval of the First Quarter Program Committee Report

WIB approval of the First Quarter Program Committee Report.

Governing Board approval of the First Quarter Program Committee Report.

• FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

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

  1. PY 2003/2004 Funding (Information)

     NoRTEC currently has $11,523,647 in available funds for the PY 2003/2004 Program Year. Another $4,016,837 has been requested. If all the requested funds are received, NoRTEC will have $15,540,484 available for the 2003/2004 program year.

     This would be a $1,758,696 decrease in total NoRTEC funding from the PY 2002/2003 program year. The decrease in funding is primarily due to the 25% cut in allocated funding (Adult, Youth and Dislocated Worker) for 2003/2004 program year.

     Project	Funds Available from July 1, 2003	Additional Funds Requested	Total
     Adult	$3,687,947	$0	$3,687,947
     Youth	$3,604,747	$0	$3,604,747
     Dislocated Worker	$1,697,226	$0	$1,697,226
     Rapid Response	$558,746	$316,837	$875,583
     MCLAUS	$365,665	$600,000	$965,665
     Nurse Workforce Initiative	$1,229,062	$600,000	$1,829,062
     North STARRS II	$0	$2,500,000	$2,500,000
     Incentive Funds	$68,790	$0	$68,790
     Recission Replenishment	$253,474	$0	$253,474
     Groundfish	$57,990	$0	$57,990
     TOTAL	$11,523,647	$4,016,837	$15,540,484

  2. Approval of PY 2002/2003 Fourth Quarter Financial Reports (Action)
     
     Preliminary Fourth Quarter Financial Reports for PY 2002/2003 were presented at the July 2003 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 2002/2003 Contracts Summary
        
        No changes.
     2. PY 2002/2003 Service Provider Contract Modifications
        
        No changes.
     3. PY 2002/2003 Program Expenditure Report
        
        Service Provider expenditures were adjusted to reflect final closeout expenditure reporting to NoRTEC. No significant changes.
     4. PY 2002/2003 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Expenditure Report
        
        Total AE expenditures decreased by $290 to a total of $925,348. There are no items of concern.
     5. PY 2002/2003 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board Expenditure Report
        
        No changes.
        
        RECOMMENDED ACTION:

        The Finance Committee recommends approval of the PY 2003/2004 First Quarter Finance Reports.

        WIB approval of the PY 2003/2004 First Quarter Finance Report.

        Governing Board approval of the PY 2003/2004 First Quarter Finance Report.
        

  3. Approval of PY 2003/2004 First Quarter Financial Reports (Action)
     1. PY 2003/2004 Contracts Summary (Information)

        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 2003/2004 program year. As of September 30, 2003, NoRTEC had a total of $11,523,647 available in State contracts for the 2003/2004 program year. This report includes only amounts available in the 2003/2004 program year. Amounts expended in prior years are not included.

     2. PY 2003/2004 Service Provider Contract Modifications

        This report shows the changes between June 30, 2003, and September 30, 2003, 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 contract modifications during this period were the addition of new 2003/2004 program year funding. These amounts include any unspent funds carried forward from the prior year. See report for detail.

     3. PY 2003/2004 Program Expenditure Report

        This report shows each subcontractor's total available balance for the program year (July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2004), the cumulative expenditures for the quarter ended September 30, 2003, and the remaining balance at September 30, 2003, 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, 2003, NoRTEC Service Providers were in compliance with the required expenditure requirements. The small over expenditures in the MCLAUS project are a temporary State funding issue. The balance of the funding in this project is expected to be made available by the State within the next few weeks. There are no items of concern at this time.
        
        Background:

        NoRTEC service providers are generally required to spend 80% of each year's allocation by the end of the program year. For the convenience of monitoring, NoRTEC uses a 20% per quarter expenditure rate as a guide for assessing expenditures throughout the fiscal year (20% first quarter, 40% second quarter, 60% third quarter and 80% 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.

     4. PY 2003/2004 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Expenditure Report

        This report shows the Administrative Entity (AE) expenditures against the annual line item budget for the quarter ended September 30, 2003. At September 30, 2003, the NoRTEC Administrative Entity had expended 22% of its Operating budget, 23% of its Special Projects budget, 33% of its Capacity Building budget, and 35% of the Incentive Funds budget. The budget expenditures are detailed in the attached line item report.

        There are no items of concern at this time.

     5. PY 2003/2004 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 June 30, 2003. At September 30, 2003, the WIB/Governing Board expended 13% of its total budget.

        There are no items of concern at this time.

  RECOMMENDED ACTION:

  The Finance Committee recommends approval of the PY 2003/2004 First Quarter Finance Committee Report.

  WIB approval of the PY 2003/2004 First Quarter Finance Committee Report.

  Governing Board approval of the PY 2003/2004 First Quarter Finance Committee Report.

• STATUS OF FUNDING APPLICATIONS (UPDATE)
  1. Prior Approval:
     1. The North STARRS II application was submitted. Funding is pending approval of the Governor.
     2. The Work Incentive application (job coaching for disabled participants) submitted as part of a State WIB application was not funded.
     3. The Rapid Response application was submitted. We are being told it will be funded.
  2. New Applications:

     Nonew applications to present.

• OLD BUSINESS (INFORMATION)

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

• NEW BUSINESS (DISCUSSION)
  1. WIB and Governing Board - Thursday, January 29, 2004, in Chico.
  2. Additional New Business items may be brought up for discussion, at the pleasure of the NoRTEC WIB/Governing Board members.
• ADJOURNMENT