The goals are in two categories; the standard goals and a couple of additional annual goals that were set at the last annual evaluation. There will be an open discussion and an opportunity to assign new or additional goals for this upcoming year. This item will also present the opportunity to discuss the future direction of NoRTEC and any related questions or concerns.

The Executive Committee Chair will be asked to provide a brief report to the full WIB and Governing Board at their meeting on July 28, 2005.

1. Four standard goals - adequate funding, local business assistance programs, capacity building and enhanced automation. These are "standard" only in the sense that they have not changed over the past few years.

   1. Adequate Funding - Adequate (minimal) funding has been secured for this year and next. Funding continues to be a priority issue, however, with continual cuts at the Federal level and more competition within the State for scarce dollars. Minimal funding makes it difficult to provide adequate staff development for the program staff or implement special projects, and keeps the Administrative staff frozen at their current level.

   2. Local Business Assistance Programs - The implementation of business service programs, with a "Business First" approach to job development, has been very successful. Both our enrollments of job seekers and our job placements are up. Our positive impact on our business community is witnessed by the thousand plus signatures we got supporting our business service programs. Our Business Services program has also provided a focal point and an identity for NoRTEC.

   3. Capacity Building - NoRTEC sponsored a number of training events this past year for the program staff, from internal compliance, to working with the disabled, to working with local business, to implementing "cause related marketing." We assisted 40 program staff to prepare for and pass the exam for California Accredited Consultant (the total certified is 68). We would like to have sponsored program staff attendance at some of the better conferences, but lacked the funds to do so.

   4. Enhanced Automation - One of the critical factors in our success is our ability to take advantage of automation; specifically computers and the internet. This past year, not much new has been added. Just maintenance and many minor modifications to the client tracking system to meet program requests and correct bugs and mistakes.

2. Two Annual Goals - More involvement of NoRTEC in State decision making, and an "exit strategy," or planning for the eventual departure/replacement of the Director and other NoRTEC administrative staff from NoRTEC.
   1. Influencing State and Federal Policy - We have been busy enhancing NoRTEC's credibility and involvement, with a particular emphasis on our businesses services model. NoRTEC is cited as a model agency in the California Performance Review, and is noted as an (the only) example of providing a model small business services program in the State's workforce investment plan for the Department of Labor. NoRTEC is referenced as an example in the National Association of Workforce Board's training on the provision of Business Services. C. Brown is on the California Workforce Association's Executive Committee, and has been asked to help prepare State legislation that will encourage our Workforce Investment Act programs to provide "NoRTEC type" services to local businesses. NoRTEC, relying heavily on program staff, presented the NoRTEC Business Services model at three national conferences, and to a Bay Area association of four LWIAs. We have the written support of two US Congressmen (Doolittle and Herger), one State Assemblyman (LaMalfa), one State Senator (Aanestad), 14 local chambers of commerce, and over 1,000 local businesses.

   2. Transition Plan - What to do in the event of Administrative Staff turnover will be discussed.

The current working agreement can be found here: /cb/pgb/wib_gbagreement.html

Based on questions and comments from WIB and Governing Board members, the following additions to the current agreement are recommended. The Executive Committee will be asked to recommend these changes, or some modification of them, to the full NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board at their July 28, 2005 meeting.

1. Section Eight: Meetings Add two new items:

   Item F. Agendas

   1. All agendas must be available to the members in a timely manner. Staff will normally prepare the agendas and post them on the NoRTEC website, one week in advance of a regularly scheduled meeting of the WIB and Governing Board, and seventy two hours in advance of Standing Committee or special meetings.

   2. Staff will include routine business, information and decision items in the agenda for the various committees, special meetings and WIB and Governing Board meetings.

   3. Agenda items may be added to the WIB and Governing Board and any Committee agenda by the Chair of the WIB and/or the Chair of the Governing Board.

   4. Agenda items may be added to the respective NoRTEC committee agendas by the respective committee chairs.

   5. Any NoRTEC WIB or Governing Board member may submit additional agenda items to the WIB and/or Governing Board chairs or any of the NORTEC committees chairs for their consideration, either through staff or directly.

   6. Matters under the jurisdiction of the WIB and Governing Board, whether or not on the posted agenda, may be
      addressed by the general public or members of the WIB or Governing Board during the Public Comment opportunity time. No action may be taken or substantive discussion pursued on matters not on the posted agenda.

2. Item G. Conduct of Meetings
   1. The WIB and Governing Board Chairs are responsible for conducting their respective portions of the joint WIB and Governing Board meetings, with their respective memberships.

   2. Should either Chair request it, the members will discuss each agenda item separately, conducting business as independent bodies - one the WIB and one the Governing Board - as each agenda item is addressed sequentially and in turn by the respective bodies.

   3. On action items requiring Governing Board concurrence with a WIB recommendation, the WIB members will vote first.

   4. Committee Chairs are responsible for conducting the meetings of the committees they Chair.

NoRTEC staff have had a conversation with Peter Huebner, a Supervisor from Sierra County who is inquiring about the pros and cons of joining NoRTEC as an option to their current affiliation with the Golden Sierra Consortium. Here is the brief information staff provided: /cb/pgb/sierra_option_072805.html

Supervisor Huebner has been invited to attend our WIB and Governing Board meeting on July 28.

The Executive Committee will be asked to support this proposed expansion of NoRTEC to include Sierra County, or any county that wants to join NoRTEC under the same coinditions and expectations as the current member counties.