Minutes - April 23, 2009
NoRTEC
MINUTES
WIB AND GOVERNING BOARD
THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2009
REDDING, CA
- CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by J. Madden, WIB Chair, and W. Reiss, Governing Board Chair, at 10:03 a.m.
- ROLL CALL
There was a quorum of both the WIB and the Governing Board. Roster
- WIB APPROVAL OF MINUTES, JANUARY 22, 2009
A motion by G. Mistal, seconded by T. Cochran, for WIB approval of the January 22, 2009, minutes as posted, passed the WIB unanimously.
A motion by P. Huebner, seconded by L. Baugh, for Governing Board approval of the January 22, 2009, minutes as posted, passed the Governing Board unanimously. - APPROVAL OF AGENDA
A motion by T. Cochran, seconded by G. Mistal, for WIB approval of the agenda as posted, passed the WIB unanimously.
A motion by P. Huebner, seconded by L. Baugh, for Governing Board approval of the agenda as posted, passed the Governing Board unanimously.
- WIB APPOINTMENTS
There were three vacancies on the NoRTEC WIB. Appropriate nominations were received for all three (see agenda for links to applications and nomination letters):
Private Industry (Nevada County): Sandy Frizzell
Private Industry (Nevada County): Lee Osborne
Organized Labor (At-Large): Larry RussellA motion by L. Baugh, seconded by J. Cook, for Governing Board appointment of the above three individuals to serve on the NoRTEC WIB, passed unanimously.
- PUBLIC COMMENT
Mike Donneley of the Butte County Economic Development Corporation introduced himself to the WIB and Governing Board members.
- PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT
M. Piller presented the Program Committee Report.
- NoRTEC Monitoring
The members noted the tentative program monitoring schedule as presented in the agenda.
- State Monitoring
- T. Brown reported the State monitored NoRTEC during the week of November 17, 2008, focusing primarily on the youth program. Brown said an official report had been received, and there were no findings.
- S. Knox reported the State had conducted a review of NoRTEC's WIRED program on March 24-25, 2009. Knox stated the State had returned the week of April 13 and spent several days in the office, but he had no news to report. He said there was a continual dialogue between NoRTEC and the EDD personnel conducting the monitoring. Members will be updated when there is news to report.
- Client Numbers
The following reports were reviewed and discussed. No problems were noted. (See agenda for links to reports.)
- Job Seekers Accessing One-Stop Centers
- Job Seekers Enrolled in the WIA Program - Contract Performance
The members reviewed contract performance. There were no concerns.
- Plant Closure Update
The members reviewed the business closures that had taken place since the last meeting (see agenda for link to report).
- "Headline" Program Reports
Each program in the consortium gave a brief report:
Bill Finley, Butte PIC, reported this program year was producing record numbers of job seekers coming to the One Stops in Butte County looking for assistance. He said staff are working dilligently to help these people get back on their feet in these desperate economic times. Finley also reported the Nevada County One Stop was up and operational, and they were seeing more than 100 people per day. He also reported a food service program for youth in Nevada County would be operational by the end of the month.
Tim Hoone, Rural Human Serivces, introduced Terri McCune Oostra, the new Executive Director of Rural Human Services. Hoone also reported more than 70 people had found jobs through the Workforce Center this program year, and their Hospitality 101 program was continuing to provide training to local residents. Hoone also stated RHS was in the process of opening a Business Resource Center for the local employer community set to open about two blocks from the One Stop Center in Crescent City.
Traci Holt, Alliance for Workforce Development, reported AFWD was very busy in their four county area. In Modoc, AFWD is planning a Youth Entrepreneurial Bootcamp to take place in early July and they had just learned they were to receive a $8,200 grant from the juvenile justice system to assist with tranporting participating youth to the camp. Holt reported Sierra Pacific Industrys in Quincy would be closing on April 30, and 150 workers would lose their jobs. AFWD staff were busy in Sierra County recruiting for the upcoming summer youth program.
Nancy Morris, Shasta SMART, reported on their third annual "Best Company to Work for in Shasta County" event. Morris said more than 800 people nominated various companies as the "best place to work," and more than 450 people attended the awards ceremony.
Renee Barr, STEP Vocational Services Coordinator, reported a recent collaboration with a local public television station. Barr said the station worked with STEP and Colelge of Siskiyous to produce a segment on how to look for a job. The station is also going to help STEP document their summer youth program and assist with the creation of a video.
Kathy Garcia, Job Training Center of Tehama County and Business One Stop Services, reported staff from JTCTC had traveled to visit One Stops in several other LWIAs--one in Sacramento, one in the Bay Area, and one in Modesto. Garcia said all of the centers had something positive to share, but JTCTC staff left feeling pretty good about the services they provided to their local employers and job seekers. Garcia also reported there were 21 graduates of the their first Pharmacy Technician training, a program developed after local employers voiced their need for trained Pharmacy Technicians.
Anna Bengttson, Trinity SMART, reported on recruitment for the summer youth program, and meetings with local community leaders (including the WIB's own Jesse Cox and Linda Wright) to explore the field of "renewable energy," broadband, and forest clean-up.
- WIRED Update
Stewart Knox gave a brief update on the WIRED program. He reported the program had over 650 enrollments and more than 80 businesses had been created or impacted. Knox also reported renewable energy was a focus of the program and NoRTEC was working with community colleges and the California Conservation Corp regarding training for this field as well as training in the allied health field.
Traci Holt, AFWD, introduced Brent Smith, of the Sierra Economic Development Corporation, and Penny Artz, a local business owner from Susanville. Smith and Artz briefly discussed SEDC's "Business is a Battlefield" program developed and delivered with WIRED funding. Artz was an attendee of the program and was enthusiastic about the assistance she and other small business owners (and prospective owners) had received.
Stewart Knox and Bill Finley also gave a brief presentation on other potential "green" projects including an energy farm proposed by the Butte PIC over a year ago (NoRTEC applied for federal "STEM" funding for this project, but it was not funded).
- Staff Training
B. Austin reported on staff training/development as outlined in the agenda.
- Youth Council Report
Kathy Garcia gave an update on Youth Council activities. Garcia said the E-Clubs (Entrepreneur Clubs) were in full swing at Corning and Red Bluff High Schools (Los Molinos High School was "getting there"). On April 29, the E-Clubs were sponsoring a "Business Plan Challenge" competition between the high schools, with $1,500 in prizes. Local business people were going to judge the competition. Garcia also reported JTCTC had scheduled another Youth Entrepreneurial Boot Camp to be held June 22-26, 2009, in Red Bluff.
A motion made by G. Mistal, and seconded by L. Wright, for WIB approval of the Third Quarter Program Committee Report, passed unanimously.
A motion made by L. Baugh, and seconded by J. Cook, for Governing Board approval of the Third Quarter Program Committee Report, passed unanimously. - NoRTEC Monitoring
- FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT
B. Hamby, Finance Committee Chair, presented the Finance Committee Report.
- PY 2008/2009 Funding
B. Hamby reported NoRTEC has $26,012,871 in available funds for the PY 2008/2009 Program Year.
- Approval of PY 2008/2009 Second Quarter Financial Reports
Third quarter financial reports for PY 2008/2009 were presented to the members for approval. Hamby reported there were no areas of concern from the Finance Committee (see agenda for link to reports):
- PY 2007/2008 Contracts Summary
- PY 2007/2008 Service Provider Contract Modifications
- PY 2007/2008 Program Expenditure Report
- PY 2007/2008 Administrative Entity Expenditure Report
- PY 2007/2008 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board Expenditure Report
The members engaged in a brief discussion of each of the reports. W. Reiss asked if the stimulus funds could be carried over into PY 2010/2011. M. Cross, NoRTEC Finance Director, said they could, but the programs had been encouraged to appropriately spend as much as possible by June 30, 2010, to quickly get the money into the local economy.A motion made by B. Maffett, and seconded by T. Cochran, for WIB approval of the PY 2008/2009 Third Quarter expenditure reports passed unanimously.
A motion made by P. Huebner, and seconded by J. Bullock, for Governing Board approval of the PY 2008/2009 Third Quarter expenditure reports passed unanimously.
- PY 2009/2010 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Budget
The members discussed the proposed Administrative Entity budget as presented in the agenda. L. Baugh commented he was impressed to see such a small amount of the overall funding being spent on administration.
A motion made by T. Cochran, and seconded by R. Sandler, for WIB approval of the PY 2009/2010 NoRTEC Administrative Entity budget as presented in the agenda, passed unanimously.
A motion made by P. Huebner, and seconded by J. Bullock, for Governing Board approval of the PY 2009/2010 NoRTEC Administrative Entity budget as presented in the agenda, passed unanimously.
- PY 2009/2010 WIB/Governing Board Budget
The members discussed the proposed WIB/Governing Board budget as presented in the agenda. L Wright asked if there would be funding available to resume NoRTEC's annual partnership conference. She said she knew it probably would not be as big as former conferences held at Konocti in Lake County, but she hoped something could be put together on a smaller scale. M. Cross said the possibility was being discussed by staff.
A motion made by T. Cochran, and seconded by J. Madden, for WIB approval of the PY 2009/2010 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board budget as presented in the agenda, passed unanimously.
A motion made by L. Baugh, and seconded by P. Huebner, for Governing Board prooval of the PY 2009/2010 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board budget as presented in the agenda, passed unanimously.
- Acceptance of the June 30, 2009, Single Audit Report
The members noted the "clean" audit of NoRTEC for the 2008/2009 Program Year.
A motion made by T. Cochran, and seconded by D. Beeson, for WIB acceptance of the June 30, 2008, Single Audit Report passed unanimously.
A motion made by J. Bullock, and seconded by P. Huebner, for Governing Board acceptance of the June 30, 2008, Single Audit Report passed unanimously.
- Fiscal Monitoring
M. Cross reported no fiscal monitorings of the service provider providers by NoRTEC had been conducted since the last meeting. He said fiscal monitoring of the service providers would be conducted in May and June.
- State Fiscal and Procurement Monitoring of NoRTEC
M. Cross reported the State had conducted a monitoring of the WIRED program during the week of March 23, 2009. He said the results of the monitoring would be reported to the members when it was received.
Cross also reported a fiscal monitoring of NoRTEC by the State would be conducted the week of May 4, 2009.
A motion made by M Piller, and seconded by B. Maffett, for WIB approval of the Third Quarter Finance Committee Report passed unanimously.
A motion made by P. Huebner, and seconded by J. Bullock, for Governing Board approval of the Third Quarter Finance Committee Report passed unanimously. - PY 2008/2009 Funding
- STATUS OF FUNDING APPLICATIONS
- Prior Approval
S. Knox noted the Community Based Job Training Grant and the California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention (CalGRIP) Initiative were not funded. The MCLAUS VII application was funded for $2,000,000.
- New Applications
S. Knox requested the WIB/Governing Board approval to submit the following applications (see agenda for more details):
- Wal-Mart - A $245,000 application to conduct outreach to businesses in the region through multi-sources to create awareness of a North State Green Jobs Initiative.
- Butte College - A $24,000 application for the development of a team of CEOs that will meet quarterly with NoRTEC and Butte College staff to design and articulate courses around green jobs/renewable energy programs.
- USDA Rural Enterprise Grant - A $150,000 grant to use CEO Roundtables, workshops and outreach to identify 10-15 small and emerging businesses that are creating new green technolgoies or products and provide them with in-depth assistance.
A motion made by G. Mistal, and seconded by T. Cochran for WIB approval for NoRTEC Staff to submit an application to Wal-Mart for $245,000, to Butte College for $24,000, and to the United States Department of Agriculture for $150,000 for the purposes outlined in the agenda passed unanimously.
A motion made by L. Baugh, and seconded by J. Cook, for Governing Board approval for NoRTEC Staff to submit an application to Wal-Mart for $245,000, to Butte College for $24,000, and to the United States Department of Agriculture for $150,000 for the purposes outlined in the agenda passed unanimously.
- Prior Approval
- EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT
Executive Committee Chair, T. Cochran, gave the report. Minutes from the April 22, 2009, meeting can be accessed at: /wgb/meetings/minutes/ecm_0409.html
- Health Insurance Coverage for NoRTEC Retirees
T. Cochran reported the Executive Committee was in favor of approving staff's proposal for health insurance coverage for retirees (see agenda for details). The members discussed the Executive Committee's recommendation. R. Sandler said he wanted a cap on the cost and the ability to revoke the benefit if it became a financial burden. W. Reiss reported Supervisor Chapman (Lassen County), who was unable to attend the meeting, asked her to tell the Governing Board that he was not in support of staff's recommendation. Supervisor Baugh stated he believed the request was reasonable, and there seemed to be sufficient funding to cover the cost.
A motion made by M. Harrington, and seconded by M. Piller, for WIB approval for NoRTEC to pay 50% of the cost of health insurance coverage for employees who have provided 15 years of continuous service, and are at least 55 years old at the time of retirement passed unanimously. This coverage shall begin on the date of retirement and continue until the employee is eligible for Medicare coverage. This agreement may be revoked or altered by a majority vote of the WIB and Governing Board at any regularly scheduled meeting.
A motion made by L. Baugh, and seconded by J. Cook, for Governing Board approval for NoRTEC to pay 50% of the cost of health insurance coverage for employees who have provided 15 years of continuous service, and are at least 55 years old at the time of retirement passed unanimously. This coverage shall begin on the date of retirement and continue until the employee is eligible for Medicare coverage. This agreement may be revoked or altered by a majority vote of the WIB and Governing Board at any regularly scheduled meeting.
- Executive Director Succession Plan
T. Cochran reported the Executive Committee was in favor of hiring Stewart Knox as the NoRTEC Executive Director, effective when Charles Brown, the current Executive Director steps down.
A motion made by J. Madden, and seconded by L. Osborne, for WIB approval to hire Stewart Knox as the NoRTEC Executive Director, at the same pay and benefits as the current Executive Director, effective when the current Executive Director steps down passed unanimously.
A motion made by L. Baugh, and seconded by J. Cook, for Governing Board approval to hire Stewart Knox as the NoRTEC Executive Director, at the same pay and benefits as the current Executive Director, effective when the current Executive Director steps down passed unanimously.
- Service Provider Proposals for the NoRTEC Workforce Investment Area
T. Cochran reported only one proposal for each county had been received to provide WIA programs and services. He said the Executive Committee reviewed the proposals and agreed with staff recommendations.
A motion made by M. Piller, and seconded by G. Mistal, for WIB selection of the following Community Based Organizations to serve the NoRTEC service area passed unanimously:
> Butte County Private Industry Council - Butte and Nevada Counties
> Rural Human Services - Del Norte County
> Alliance for Workforce Development - Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, and Sierra Counties
> Shasta County Private Industry Council - Shasta and Trinity Counties
> Siskiyou Training & Employment Program - Siskiyou County
> Job Training Center of Tehama County - Tehama CountyA motion made by P. Huebner, and seconded by J. Cook, for Governing Board selection of the following Community Based Organizations to serve the NoRTEC service area passed unanimously:
> Butte County Private Industry Council - Butte and Nevada Counties
> Rural Human Services - Del Norte County
> Alliance for Workforce Development - Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, and Sierra Counties
> Shasta County Private Industry Council - Shasta and Trinity Counties
> Siskiyou Training & Employment Program - Siskiyou County
> Job Training Center of Tehama County - Tehama County - Planning for Stimulus Projects
S. Knox gave a brief overview of the funding opportunities that would enhance NoRTEC's service to its employers and job seekers (see agenda for details).
A motion made by J. Madden, and seconded by G. Mistal, for WIB approval of NoRTEC staff pursuing stimulus funding that is expected to enhance NoRTEC's ability to provide job training, business assistance, job creation and employment opportunities passed unanimously.
A motion made by P. Huebner, and seconded by J. Bullock, for Governing Board approval of NoRTEC staff pursuing stimulus funding that is expected to enhance NoRTEC's ability to provide job training, business assistance, job creation and employment opportunities passed unanimously.
- Butte County Request to Change the NoRTEC Meeting Day
T. Cochran reported the Butte County Board of Supervisors requested NoRTEC consider changing its quarterly meeting date from the fourth Thursday of the month following the end of each quarter. He said the Executive Committee had discussed the issue, and were not in favor of changing the date. Further discussion ensued. Bill Finley, the Butte and Nevada County service provider, asked for the members to consider changing the date so the Butte County representative could attend the meetings. Sally Martin stated NoRTEC did not select this date lightly, and everyone on the both boards knew this was a once a quarter meeting and tried to schedule all of their other local meetings around this schedule. Jeff Bullock stated Modoc County changes its meetings, when necessary, to allow the Modoc County representative to attend the NoRTEC meeting. Les Baugh stated if NoRTEC shifted the meeting to accommodate Butte County's schedule, it would likely create scheduling problems in the other ten counties that were a part of NoRTEC. Wendy Reiss stated NoRTEC only met quarterly, and the meeting dates should remain the way they were currently scheduled.
A motion made by M. Piller, and seconded by C. Barton, for WIB approval to continue meeting on the fourth Thursday in January, April, July and October passed with a majority vote. M. Harrington voted no.
A motion made by P. Huebner, and seconded by J. Bullock, for Governing Board approval to continue meeting on the fourth Thursday in January, April, July and October passed unanimously.
- Health Insurance Coverage for NoRTEC Retirees
- SMALL BUSINESS UPDATE
G. Mistal gave a brief update. She shared her experience at a national conference regarding stimulus funding and stated it appeared NoRTEC and its programs were ready for stimulus funding and would spend it rapidly and appropriately. She said this did not seem to be the case for several other LWIAs throughout the nation. She also discussed a zoomerang survey being conducted by Small Business California.
- OLD BUSINESS
No Old Business items were discussed by the WIB and Governing Board.
- NEW BUSINESS
The members noted the next WIB and Governing Board meeting would be held in Chico or Oroville on Thursday, April 23, 2009.
- ADJOURNMENT
There being no further Old or New Business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:37 p.m.