NoRTEC
AGENDA
WIB AND GOVERNING BOARD
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2005
9:00 A.M. - 11:00 A.M.
HOLIDAY INN
645 MAZANITA COURT
CHICO, CA

1. CALL TO ORDER
2. ROLL CALL
3. WIB APPROVAL OF MINUTES, JULY 28, 2005 (ACTION)

   The minutes from the July 28, 2005 meeting are attached: Minutes

   Recommended Action:

   WIB approval of the July 28, 2005, minutes, with revisions if needed, as posted.

   Governing Board approval of the July 28, 2005, 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. WIB APPOINTMENTS (ACTION)

   There are no vacancies on the NoRTEC WIB.

6. PUBLIC COMMENT (INFORMATION)

   Members of the public will be invited to make brief comments regarding any aspect of NoRTEC business.

7. PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

   M. Piller will present the Program Committee Report.

   1. Program Monitoring

      There have been no program monitoring visits since the last WIB/Governing Board meeting. The next round of monitoring will take place in Spring 2006.

   2. State Monitoring

      A state programmatic monitoring visit took place during the week of October 17-21, 2005. The monitor reviewed the Adult and Dislocated Worker programs. He visited the administrative office, and the Service Providers in Butte, Shasta, and Siskiyou Counties.

      During an exit conference, the monitor indicated there would be one finding. The monitor believes the Operational MOUs in most of the nine counties within NoRTEC should be updated, since EDD is no longer located in most of the One-Stops. Charles Brown does not agree it is necessary to update the MOUs. More information will be provided at the meeting.

   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

   4. Contract Performance
      1. WIA Service Provider Contract Performance

         As agreed, NoRTEC has not focused a lot of attention on the details of participant performance since WIA was implemented, choosing instead to focus on meeting local business needs. Staff do, however, monitor service provider performance against objectives written into the contracts (on a quarterly basis), including cost per enrollment, placement rates, and a variety of program quality measures including average wage at placement and credential attainment measures. Generally, if a service provider is not meeting contract objectives at the end of a quarter, they are required to submit a corrective action plan. NoRTEC, does not, however, require corrective action plans at the end of the first quarter. Performance after only three months of operation is not generally a reliable indicator of how the remainder of the year will progress.

         The performance report also includes information on MCLAUS II/III, MCLAUS IV (special project funding for Dislocated Workers), and the Northern California Nurse Training Project (NCNTP). These projects began prior to July 1, 2005, and will end March 31, 2006, August 31, 2006, and March 31, 2007, respectively. The performance under these contracts is measured for the full term of the contract, not on an annual basis. There are no areas of concern at this time, and NoRTEC staff will continue to monitor the situation via desk review.

         The NWI program (Nurse Workforce Initiative) is winding down. It began in October of 2002, and will end December 31, 2005. A final report will be presented at the January 2006 meeting.

      2. Final NoRTEC Performance for PY 2004/2005 - The State issued final performance reports for LWIAs in Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs for PY 2004/2005. NoRTEC met all State performance standards. The State's report on all LWIA's in California can be viewed at: State Report

         Note: This is a PDF file, and in order to view NoRTEC performance, you will have to scroll to Page 23.

      3. WIA Business Services Performance

         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).

   5. Plant Closure Update

      There have been several plant closures in the nine county area of NoRTEC over the past several 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.

      Plant Closure Update

   6. Community Coordinator Reports

      Following are direct links to the reports received for the quarter ending September 30, 2005:
      (Note: If the link does not take you directly to the report for the April-June 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)

      A few highlights from this quarter's reports are:

      • Butte County - California Shake & Shingle has opened a branch in Oroville, bringing with it eight new jobs for the community.

      • Del Norte County - Home Depot is opening in February 2006 in Crescent City, and with the company comes about 200 jobs. Rural Human Services has been in contact with the HR Manager, and they will assist with recruitment, screening, and hiring, which is set to begin around the end of December 2005.

      • Lassen County - Community Coordinator is ill. Report not completed in time for posting of this agenda.

      • Modoc County - The largest business start-up in recent memory in Modoc County will be opening its doors on October 24. Construction on the new Rite Aid store on Main Street in Alturas has been going on for months, as has recruitment for 24 positions. Modoc Employment Center staff worked closely with Rite Aid management to develop their applicant pool, collect applications, schedule interviews, and provide meeting space. On September 30, 2005, the newly hired staff attended their first orientation to their new jobs at the Modoc Employment Center.

        The Employment Center received a nice accolade from Store Manager Terry McChesney. He said, "The Modoc Employment Center has made our lives easier by assisting with every phase of recruitment and hiring. They have saved us more than a week's worth of staff time as we prepare to open the Alturas Rite Aid."

      • Plumas County - Twelve new LVNs, enrolled in the WIA program and Feather River College's LVN training program, graduated in August. The are local residents who have families and plan to stay and work in the area. This is just one example of the success of the Nurse Workforce Initiative (NWI) special project in the NoRTEC consortium.

      • Shasta County - The Smart Business Resource Center is now offering online training to job seekers and local businesses in the areas of Office Productivity, Computer Professional, and Business Skills. Instructor-led courses or interactive self-paced classes are available. For a cost of $15 per person per class, job seekers can upgrade their skills to be competitive in today's job market and businesses can educate their employees in a timely and cost-effective manner.

      • Siskiyou County - The Siskiyou County Economic Development Council (SCEDC) and the Workforce Connection are the lead partner agencies for the promotion and vouchering for the Shasta Valley Enterprise Zone. The SCEDC staff and Workforce Connection staff perform the actual vouchering, and in turn charge a fee for the service.

      • Tehama County - National Customer Service Week is celebrated the first week of October. For the second year, Tehama County joined the celebration in hopes of rallying service providers to be their best. This year's Customer Service Week was sponsored by the Red Bluff Daily News, Business One Stop Services, the Job Training Center, and the Chambers of Commerce from Los Molinos, Corning and Red Bluff. Local businesses were honored for exemplary customer service, determined by a panel of "Secret Shoppers." Ballots printed by the local newspaper were tallied as readers voted for their favorite business in several different categories. Training sessions were provided for local businesses in customer service, and to wrap up a successful week, over 100 guests enjoyed a great dinner, awards program, and entertainment.

      • Trinity County - Trinity Occupational Training has partnered with the County Grants Office to deliver revolving loan funds through the Community Development Block Grant(CDBG). The county will be responsible for administration and a TOT employee will serve as the Loan Officer. Together they will market and screen for targeted income eligibility. Businesses obtaining loans must create one position for a "low income employee" for each $35,000 of loan money. CDBG and a local loan committee will approve loan packages. As loans are repaid the money may be used to create new loans. This program will hopefully spur local economic development by providing more avenues for funding business startups and business expansion.

      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.

   7. Web Site Technology Initiative (Update)

      We have a total of 168 websites transferred to the new North State Directory (www.northstatedirectory.com); 23 for Del Norte, 4 for Lassen, 7 for Modoc, 4 for Plumas, 67 for Shasta, 28 for Siskiyou, and 55 for Trinity. The new site organizes the websites by topic, like "Lodging," and "Real Estate." We still have some bugs to work out (too many categories, graphics take too long to load, etc.), but we think this new site will provide a better marketing service to the businesses featured on the site than the former listings by County.

   8. One Stop Business Services
      1. Business Service Web Sites - NoRTEC has a number of websites addressing business services:
         NoRTEC Business Services - An overview of the NoRTEC Business Services program.

         The following counties have developed local business services websites that detail their local business services program:

         Del Norte	Plumas	Tehama
         Lassen	Shasta	Trinity
         Modoc	Siskiyou

      2. NoRTEC Business Service Presentations - There will be no Business Service Presentations at this meeting.

   9. Staff Training (Information)

      Sixty-nine individuals representing a cross-section of positions (Business/HR Consultants, Career Counselors, Administrative Support, Managers, etc.) from throughout NoRTEC attended NoRTEC's annual staff retreat held on September 20-21, in Blairsden. The overall theme of the two day affair was Reengineering for Business Services and included discussion of NoRTEC's vision for Business Services, a best practices presentation, and two half-day workshops which focused on managing change, and how to best integrate business and job services in a business first model. Feedback from those who attended was very positive!

   10. Youth Council Report (Information)

       There is no Youth Council meeting this quarter.

   11. EDD Veteran's Services (Information)

       Robert Hansen, EDD, will provide a brief report on veteran's services available in Butte County though EDD.

   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.

8. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT (ACTION)

   D. Beeson, Finance Committee member, will present the Finance Committee report.

   1. PY 2005/2006 Funding (Information)

      NoRTEC currently has $12,689,418 in available funds for the PY 2005/2006 Program Year. Another $800,000 has been requested. If all the requested funds are received, NoRTEC will have $13,489,418 available for the 2005/2006 program year.

      This would be a $1,878,490 decrease from the total amount of funding available during the 2004/2005 program year. This decrease is primarily due to flat allocated funding and variable special project funding.

      Project	Funds Available from July 1, 2005	Additional Funds Requested	Total
      Adult	$2,926,667	$0	$2,926,667
      Youth	$3,126,503	$0	$3,126,503
      Dislocated Worker	$1,899,616	$0	$1,899,616
      Rapid Response	$612,225	$0	$612,225
      MCLAUS II/III	$1,671,195	$0	$1,671,195
      MCLAUS IV	$1,347,131	$0	$1,347,131
      Nurse Workforce Initiative	$246,544	$0	$246,544
      NCNTP	$766,304	$0	$766,304
      LVN To RN	$0	$800,000	$800,000
      Disability Navigator	$75,870	$0	$75,870
      Incentive Funds	$17,363	$0	$17,363
      TOTAL	$12,689,418	$800,000	$13,489,418

   2. Approval of Final PY 2004/2005 Fourth Quarter Financial Reports (Action)

      Preliminary Fourth Quarter Financial Reports for PY 2004/2005 were presented at the July 2005 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.

      1. PY 2004/2005 Contracts Summary

         No changes.

      2. PY 2004/2005 Service Provider Contract Modifications

         No changes.

      3. PY 2004/2005 Program Expenditure Report

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

      4. PY 2004/2005 NoRTEC Administrative Entity Expenditure Report

         Minor changes to individual line-items with total expenditures remaining within budgeted amounts.

      5. PY 2004/2005 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board Expenditure Report

         No changes.

      Recommended Action:

      The Finance Committee recommends approval of the Final PY 2004/2005 Fourth Quarter Finance Reports

      WIB approval of the final PY 2004/2005 Fourth Quarter Finance Reports.

      Governing Board approval of the final PY 2004/2005 Fourth Quarter Finance Reports.

   3.  Approval of PY 2005/2006 First Quarter Financial Reports (Action)

      1. PY 2005/2006 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 2005/2006 program year. As of September 30, 2005, NoRTEC had a total of $12,689,418 available in State contracts for the 2005/2006 program year. This report includes only amounts available in the 2005/2006 program year. Amounts expended in prior years are not included.

      2. PY 2005/2006 Service Provider Contract Modifications

         This report shows the changes between June 30, 2005, and September 30, 2005, 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 2005/2006 program year funding. These amounts include any unspent funds carried forward from the prior year. See report for detail.

      3. PY 2005/2006 Program Expenditure Report

         This report shows each subcontractor's total available balance for the program year (July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2006), the cumulative expenditures for the quarter ended September 30, 2005, and the remaining balance at September 30, 2005, 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 represent funding titles where the service provider's expenditures vary by more than 10% from the quarterly target expenditure rate. Currently, Butte and Siskiyou are overspent in the Adult program, and RHS is under spent in the Dislocated Worker program.

         Because we are only at the end of the first quarter, the expenditure variances do not appear to pose a problem at this time. However, NoRTEC staff will continue to monitor the situation.

         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 2005/2006 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, 2005. At September 30, 2005, the NoRTEC Administrative Entity had expended 23% of its Operating budget, 25% of its Special Projects budget, and 28% of its Capacity Building budget. The budget expenditures are detailed in the attached line item report.

         There are no items of concern.

      5. PY 2005/2006 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 September 30, 2005. At September 30, 2005, the WIB/Governing Board expended 18% of its total budget.

         There are no items of concern.

      Recommended Action:

      The Finance Committee recommends approval of the PY 2005/2006 First Quarter Finance Reports.

      WIB approval of the PY 2005/2006 First Quarter Finance Reports.

      Governing Board approval of the PY 2005/2006 First Quarter Finance Reports.

   4. Acceptance of June 30, 2004, Single Audit Report (Action)

      The NoRTEC Administrative Entity has received its June 30, 2004, 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 Finance Committee recommends acceptance of the June 30, 2004, Single Audit Report.

      NoRTEC WIB acceptance of the June 30, 2004, Single Audit Report.

      NoRTEC Governing Board acceptance of the June 30, 2004, Single Audit Report.

   Recommended Action:

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

   WIB approval of the First Quarter Finance Committee Report.

   Governing Board approval of the First Quarter Finance Committee Report.

9. STATUS OF FUNDING APPLICATIONS (UPDATE)
   1. Prior Approval

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

      Business Services Demonstration Project - Staff have not yet submitted this unsolicited application for $2,000,000 to the Department of Labor for a business services demonstration project.

      Youth Construction Project - Staff have not yet submitted this unsolicited application for $500,000 for a youth construction project that will combine remedial education with construction skill training leading to job placement with the private sector.

   2. New Applications

      Staff is requesting permission to submit an application for $800,000 of State Special Project funds to provide LVN to RN upgrade training in Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties.

      Recommended Action:

      WIB approval for NoRTEC to submit an application for $800,000 for an LVN to RN upgrade training project.

      Governing Board approval for NoRTEC to submit an application for $800,000 for an LVN to RN upgrade training project.

10. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT (DISCUSSION/ACTION)

    At the July meeting, the Executive Committee reported that they had discussed the possibility of Sierra and Nevada Counties joining NoRTEC. T. Cochran said the Executive Committee was unanimously in favor of this proposal. Since there was uncertainty about whether either or both would join, T. Cochran said they agreed on a more general statement that NoRTEC approve additional counties joining the consortium and becoming formal members of the Joint Powers agreement, as long as they agreed to join and abide under the same terms and conditions as the current NoRTEC members.

    The consensus was to make this an action item at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board.

    Recommended Action:

    WIB approval of adding additional counties to the consortium and the Joint Powers agreement, as long as they agree to join and abide under the same terms and conditions as the current NoRTEC members.

    Governing Board approval of adding additional counties to the consortium and the Joint Powers agreement, as long as they agree to join and abide under the same terms and conditions as the current NoRTEC members.

    NOTE: Public Comment will be heard prior to voting on the recommended action to make Sierra County a part of NoRTEC.

    Copy of Application

    Recommended Action:

    WIB approval of the NoRTEC application to add Sierra County to the NoRTEC Local Workforce Investment Area.

    Governing Board approval of the NoRTEC application to add Sierra County to the NoRTEC Local Workforce Investment Area.

11. REPORT OF THE EDUCATIONAL/LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE (INFORMATION)

    The Committee has not met since the last WIB/Governing Board meeting.

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. The next WIB and Governing Board meeting will be held on Thursday, January 26, 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