NoRTEC
AGENDA
WIB AND GOVERNING BOARD
THURSDAY, JANUARY 27
10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M.
HOLIDAY INN
CHICO, CA

1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES, OCTOBER 29, 2004 (ACTION)

   The minutes from the October 29, 2004, meeting are attached: Minutes

   Recommended Action:

   WIB approval of the October 29, 2004, minutes, with revisions if needed, as posted.

   Governing Board approval of the October 29, 2004, minutes, with revisions if needed, as posted.

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. GOVERNING BOARD APPOINTMENTS TO THE WIB (ACTION)

   W. David Pelham, Ed.D. has been nominated to sit on the NoRTEC WIB, to represent Community Colleges in an "at large" position.

   Nomination Letter, Application

   Recommended Action:

   Governing Board appointment of W. David Pelham to the NoRTEC WIB, to fill the At-Large Community College seat.

   The following WIB seats are still vacant, awaiting nomination from appropriate entities:

   Title IV Older Worker Programs, At Large
   Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers, At Large

6. PUBLIC COMMENT (INFORMATION)
   1. Members of the public will be invited to make brief comments regarding any aspect of NoRTEC business.

   2. Jo Giessner, long time representative of EDD on the NoRTEC WIB (and the NoRTEC PIC before that), will be retiring from EDD on March 31, 2005. This will be her last NoRTEC meeting.

   3. Kathryn Schmitz, Executive Director of the Tehama County Job Training Center, will be recognized for her 25 years of service.

   4. Jack Reese, chair of the NoRTEC Governing Board for the past 12 years, did not run for re-election on the Board of Supervisors. Staff will show a brief slide show presented at his retirement party.

7. PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

   M. Piller will present the Program Committee Report.

   1. Program Monitoring

      There have been no program monitoring visits to Service Provider offices since the last meeting. The next visits will not be scheduled until Spring of 2005.

   2. State Monitoring

      1. The State conducted a program monitoring visit on October 18-22, 2004. The Adult and Nurse Workforce Initiative programs were reviewed. The monitors selected the Butte PIC, the Shasta PIC, the Job Training Center of Tehama County, and STEP. They reviewed participant file documentation, conducted participant interviews, and reviewed direct client expenditure information. While a "final" report has not been issued, the State came up with two observations and two findings:

         Observations: (1) In the NWI participant files, the case managers needed to do a better job of documenting the fact that a particular client was not eligible for a PELL or BOGG grant; and (2) Grievance and Complaint Procedures for users of the One-Stops were not posted in a place conspicuous enough for all to see.

         Both of these issues have been discussed with the programs, and steps have been taken to assure compliance. NoRTEC will verify compliance during its next on-site review which will be scheduled in the Spring 2005.

         Findings: (1) NoRTEC administration was not performing annual on-site monitoring visits of the three other LWIA offices that received NWI funding; and (2) while NoRTEC has a Youth Council, it is not meeting frequently enough and performing its oversight duties.

         NoRTEC will perform on-site reviews in the three LWIAs in the Spring, and the Youth Council is meeting prior to this meeting.

      2. A State review was conducted on November 18, 2004, to "validate participant data." The State is required (by the Department of Labor) to validate the participant outcomes NoRTEC reports in its MIS, and to review the hard copy of the participant files to assure that the participants enrolled were eligible and were reported correctly to the State. A random sample of 22 adult files from various programs throughout the consortium were reviewed. Everything was in order, and there were no findings.

   3. Client Numbers
      1. One Stop Centers - Visits to 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
   4. Contract Performance - WIA Service Providers

      Contract performance for both services to participants and business services will be reviewed:

      1. WIA Service Provider Contract Performance - Contract Performance

         As agreed, NoRTEC has not focused a lot of attention on the details of participant performance since WIA was implemented. Initially because we were operating under too many unknowns, and were not sure what to expect. Then we switched from a focus on the job seeker to a focus on meeting local business needs. This is the second year we are looking at individual program performance involving participants (those actually enrolled in the WIA program).

         The first and second quarter performance reports are usually information purposes only, as it is usually too early to gauge the successes or potential problems with any accuracy. Most of the programs are close to being in line with all performance standards, with the exception of the cost per enrollment standard (particularly in the youth program). It is expected that the cost per enrollment figures will be high at this time of the year, however, as the programs are measured against enrollment figures projected for the entire year.

         Each of the programs are aware of their present status, and NoRTEC will monitor the situation via desk review throughout the next three months of the program.

      2. WIA Business Services Performance - Market All

         This is a new report showing raw number of services provided in each of the nine categories of business services, and market share. It will be interesting to compare one year with the next to see if services and market share increase over time. There is a companion report called "Market Each" that details each business per county that received service, as well as the businesses identified for each county that have not received service. Since this involves thousands of businesses, it is slow to load, and is meant primarily for the programs to track their own progress as well as identify specific unserved businesses.

   5. 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.

      This report shows the award by county and Local Workforce Investment Area, the number of enrollments, and placement information:

      NWI

   6. 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

   7. Community Coordinator Reports

      Following are direct links to the reports received for the quarter ending December 31, 2004:
      (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)

      Butte County - A Park Project is underway in downtown Oroville. This project will bring much needed commercial sites with a new hotel and restaurant being the primary additions. The project will bridge Riverbend Park and Bedrock Park which will link several river-related recreation destinations.

      Del Norte County - The Del Norte Business and Resource Center continues to hold workshops on how to encourage business growth in their community. Since October, they have held seven Pre-Venture workshops and Website Design and Marketing Basics workshops.

      Modoc County - The Modoc Employment Center will be hosting and presenting a series of monthly workshops during 2005. These workshops will cover topics such as: Labor Law, Worker's Compensation, Employee Handbook Basics, How to Keep Good Employees and other topics relevant to businesses in Modoc County.

      Plumas County - In recognition of Customer Service Week in October, Plumas Bank and the Alliance for Workforce Development, Inc. (AFWD) offered no-charge training in customer service specifically designed for business owners and managers. These fun, informative workshops were offered in Alturas, Susanville, and Quincy during National Customer Service Week giving attendees practical ideas and tips for improving front line performance, recharging employee attitudes, reducing turnover and having fun on the job. The workshops were a huge success.

      Shasta County - The Smart Business Resource Center has been instrumental in marketing and promoting the hiring tax credit program to new and existing businesses. Throughout the year, they have continued to provide information and technical assistance to businesses in the Enterprise Zone. In 2005, they hit an all time high of processing 1,086 Enterprise Zone hiring tax credit voucher request, which resulted in 792 vouchers. If fully utilized, last year's vouchers will result in over $25 million worth of tax credit benefit to the businesses in Shasta County.

      Siskiyou County - Joan Smith was honored on Tuesday, December 14, 2004. It was Joan Smith Day in Siskiyou County with the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors, county employees, and her consituents giving her a special recognition on her last day as supervisor. Joan did not run for re-election, and retired from the Board of Supervisors. Fortunately, for NoRTEC, she will remain as a representative, but will move from the Governing Board and become an Economic Development representative on the NoRTEC WIB.

      Tehama County - Home Depot is the latest in a slew of new businesses to open in Tehama County. On January 13th, the Home Depot opened its doors in Red Bluff. The Job Training Center and Business One Stop Services worked with Home Depot, providing interview and training space and planning and hosting a massive Job Fair held on November 23rd from noon-8pm. A steady crowd kept staff and Home Depot managers busy the entire day. Over 580 people attended. Home Depot opened its doors with 125 employees in place.

      Trinity County - Business 1st hosted a website design seminar on Wednesday, December 1.There were five participants and all of them published their websites before leaving. The fee for the seminar and workshop was $69, which included an e-mail address, a domain name and three months of website hosting. Participants also took home a 150-page workbook that will walk them through the process step by step when they update or expand their website in the future. The evaluations were very complimentary, grading the training team at Very Good," the highest rating.

      Please 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. We like to let them know how much we appreciate their efforts.

   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)

         The total number of local business websites developed from our ongoing Website Initiative now total 159.

         Website Initiative 2004: http://www.websiteinitiative.org/

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

         Trinity has added the most recent websites with five. That brings the total for their county to 35, second to Shasta, with 41.

      2. One Stop Business Services (Information)

         NoRTEC has a number of websites addressing business services:

         1. /business_services/home.html. An overview of the NoRTEC Business Services program.

            The following counties have developed local business services websites (Shasta and Trinity's sites are the most fully developed):

            1. Shasta - http://www.shastabrc.com/

            2. Siskiyou - http://www.siskiyouwc.org/ercFramset.html

            3. Tehama - http://www.jobtrainingcenter.org/kathy/employers.htm

            4. Trinity - http://www.trinitybusiness1st.com/

            5. Lassen/Modoc/Plumas - /business_services/home.html

         2. /cb/nortec_public.html. This website has training opportunities for local business (Website Initiative, Internet Classroom), and a number of reports on business service usage, events and outcomes (Business Services Usage, Internet Learning Usage, Business Websites, the Community Coordinator Reports, and the most recent Market All showing number of services and market share).

         3. NoRTEC Business Service Presentations:
            1. Business Closure - Bill Finley will introduce Amy Thurman, former Sales and Service Representative (and Vice President of the employee's union) of the SBC in Chico that recently laid off 45 employees.

            2. Business Expansion - Kathryn Schmitz will introduce Jay and Sharon Wazny, Ceramic Tile Installers, Inc.

         4. Return on Investment (ROI) A reasonable question to ask of any endeavor is: "Is it worth it?" We have gone further than most with our business services. Is this a good use of resources? Anna Brassart (Shasta) will provide a brief review of the financial measures developed to date for the "Return on Investment" for our business services. Our point of view is the value to our business customers.

      3. Staff Training

         NoRTEC has 45 staff registered to take the California Accredited Consultant (CAC) exam. With the 28 already certified, this will bring NoRTEC's total to 73 (assuming everybody passes).

      4. Open For Business - A Short Film NoRTEC is a partner in the development of a Small Business film series for PBS called "Open For Business." The idea is to feature local businesses that have "made it," and to highlight how they did it. Dan Ripke, Director of the Center For Economic Development, will preview the accomplishment to date on the first segment.

         Recommended Action:

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

         WIB approval of the Second Quarter Program Committee Report.

         Governing Board approval of the Second Quarter Program Committee Report.

8. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

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

   1. PY 2004/2005 Funding (Information) NoRTEC currently has $11,227,746 in available funds for the PY 2004/2005 Program Year. Another $3,875,000 has been requested. If all the requested funds are received, NoRTEC will have $15,102,746 available for the 2004/2005 program year.

      This would be a $657,604 increase in total NoRTEC funding from the PY 2003/2004 program year. Allocated funding has remained flat compared to the prior year, so any increase in total funding this year will be due to additional special project funding.

      Project	Funds Available from July 1, 2004	Additional Funds Requested	Total
      Adult	$3,739,918	$0	$3,739,918
      Youth	$3,060,831	$0	$3,060,831
      Dislocated Worker	$1,544,471	$0	$1,544,471
      Rapid Response	$656,687	$0	$656,687
      Small Employer Outreach	$0	$250,000	$250,000
      MCLAUS II	$800,000	$0	$800,000
      MCLAUS III	$0	$2,000,000	$2,000,000
      Nurse Workforce Initiative	$730,916	$0	$730,916
      North STARRS II	$505,361	$0	$505,361
      Incentive Funds	$13,562	$0	$13,562
      Disability Navigator	$106,000	$0	$106,000
      HCE Youth	$70,000	$0	$70,000
      Federal NCNTP	$0	$825,000	$825,000
      State NCNTP	$0	$800,000	$800,000
      TOTAL	$11,227,746	$3,875,000	$15,102,746

   2. Approval of PY 2004/2005 Second Quarter Financial Reports (Action)
      1. PY 2004/2005 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 2004/2005 program year. As of December 31, 2004, NoRTEC had a total of $11,227,746 available in State contracts for the 2004/2005 program year. This report includes only amounts available in the 2004/2005 program year. Amounts expended in prior years are not included.

      2.  PY 2004/2005 Service Provider Contract Modifications

         This report shows the changes between September 30, 2004, and December 31 2004, 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. These amounts include any unspent funds carried forward from the prior year. See report for detail.

         The primary contract modifications during this period were the addition $7,875 per county for Del Norte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity for the High Concentration of Eligible Youth (HCE Youth) project, and $48,000 each to Del Norte and Shasta to train staff to work with disabled participants.

      3. PY 2004/2005 Program Expenditure Report

         This report shows each subcontractor's total available balance for the program year (July 1, 2004, to June 30, 2005), the cumulative expenditures for the six months ended December 31, 2004, and the remaining balance at December 31, 2004, 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.

         The expenditures in italics are funding titles where the service provider is not in compliance with NoRTEC's required expenditure rate at December 31, 2004. At the end of quarter, all projects were within NoRTEC expenditure rate requirements except that Butte was over expended in the Youth Program and Del Norte was over expended in the Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs. Staff has reviewed the required Corrective Action Plans for these three programs and it appears that Butte and Del Nortec have sufficient plans in place to assure that funds will be available to provide services through the end of the program year. NoRTEC staff will continue to monitor the situation. There are no other items of concern.

         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 2004/2005 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Expenditure Report

         This report shows the Administrative Entity (AE) expenditures against the annual line item budget for the six months ended December 31, 2004. At December 31, 2004, the NoRTEC Administrative Entity had expended 44% of its Operating budget, 36% of its Special Projects budget, and 39% of its Capacity Building budget. The budget expenditures are detailed in the attached line item report.

         There are no items of concern.

      5. PY 2004/2005 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, 2004. At December 31, 2004, the WIB/Governing Board expended 41% of its total budget.

         There are no items of concern.

         Recommended Action:

         The Finance Committee recommends approval of the Second Quarter Finance Committee Report.

         WIB approval of the Second Quarter Finance Committee Report.

         Governing Board approval of the Second Quarter Finance Committee Report.

9. POLICY UPDATE (ACTION)

   In order to serve Registered nurses, and perhaps others in the Health Care field, NoRTEC needs to modify its "self sufficiency" policy. The current policy reads:

   Self Sufficiency shall be defined as: Per hour earned wages, including regular overtime, that is at or above the self sufficiency threshold of $15 per hour for full time employment, which is defined as at least 35 hours per week. (This is to be applied to the individual person who is applying for services, not the family.)

   Suggested additional statement: In recognition of the urgent need for health care workers, and NoRTEC's need to provide training for Health Care workers, NoRTEC waives the self sufficiency upper income limit for training Health Care workers.

   Recommended Action:

   WIB approval of the addition to the NoRTEC self sufficiency Policy to waive the upper income limit on self sufficiency for Health Care Workers.

   Governing Board approval of the addition to the NoRTEC self sufficiency Policy to waive the upper income limit on self sufficiency for Health Care Workers.

10. STATUS OF FUNDING APPLICATIONS (UPDATE) Prior Approval

    W.K. Kellogg Foundation Entrepreneurship Development Systems for Rural America Project - This application for $2,000,000 to implement innovative economic development projects in rural areas was not funded.

    Innovative Transitions Youth Grant - The Shasta PIC's application was funded for $560,000 over a five year period

    Navigator Project - This project was funded for $83,000 to assist with job placement and retention for disabled persons in Del Norte and Shasta Counties.

    Marketing Project - This application for $250,000 to provide staff training to the programs on marketing their programs on a shoestring, pay for staff time and materials to implement, and a follow-up "best practices" seminar, is still awaiting a response.

    High Risk Youth Additional Funding - Because of our "high risk" status for youth, NoRTEC received $70,000 in additional funds to augment the NoRTEC Youth program.

    New Applications

    Federal NCNTP (Northern California Nurse Training Program) This application for $825,000 will provide nurse training in five of NoRTEC's counties (Butte, Lassen, Plumas, Siskiyou, and Tehama Counties).

    State NCNTP (Northern California Nurse Training Program) This application for $800,000 will provide nurse training in six of NoRTEC's counties (Butte, Del Norte, Lassen, Plumas, Siskiyou, and Tehama Counties).

    Business Services Demonstration Project Staff would like to submit an unsolicited application for $2,000,000 to the Department of Labor for a business services demonstration project. The "demonstration" will be that the business services provided by the NoRTEC programs assist with the local business bottom line, and lead to enhanced employment opportunities.

    Recommended Action:

    WIB approval for NoRTEC to submit applications for:

    (1) $825,000 for the Federal application for nurse training, and
    (2) $800,000 for the State application for nurse training, and
    (3) $2,000,000 for the unsolicited application to the Department of Labor for a business services demonstration project.

    Governing Board approval for NoRTEC to submit applications for:

    (1) $825,000 for the Federal application for nurse training, and
    (2) $800,000 for the State application for nurse training, and
    (3) $2,000,000 for the unsolicited application to the Department of Labor for a business services demonstration project.

11. REPORT OF THE SUNSHINE COMMITTEE (DISCUSSION)

    At the annual NoRTEC planning and orientation meeting this past October, it was suggested that Jack Reese head up a legislative committee. The general purpose of this committee would be to provide information and education to our State and Federal legislative representatives about NoRTEC needs and accomplishments.

    1. Jack Reese - Jack will provide a update on legislative contacts. Briefly, C. Brown met with Doug LaMalfa (Assembly District 2), Steve Thompson of Rick Keene's staff (Assembly District 3), and electronically communicated with Nadine Bailey of Sam Aanestad's staff (Senate District 4). The discussions were about what NoRTEC is, and funding concerns, particularly the financial disincentives for merging independent areas, like NoRTEC did with Shasta and Butte.

    2. Ginne Mistal - Ginne will provide an update on Small Business California, the entity started by Scott Hauge to help address and resolve small business concerns. Based on an informal email survey of their members, the initial priorities are workers comp and health insurance.

12. OLD BUSINESS (INFORMATION)

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

13. NEW BUSINESS (DISCUSSION)
    1. WIB and Governing Board - Thursday, April 28, 2005, in Redding.
    2. Additional New Business items may be brought up for discussion, at the pleasure of the NoRTEC WIB/Governing Board members.
14. ADJOURNMENT