NoRTEC
MINUTES
WIB AND GOVERNING BOARD
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2006
REDDING, CA

1. CALL TO ORDER

   The meeting was called to order by T. Cochran, WIB Vice-Chair, and B. Dennison, Governing Board Chair, at 10:03 a.m.

2. ROLL CALL

   There was a quorum of both the WIB and the Governing Board. Roster

3. WIB APPROVAL OF MINUTES, OCTOBER 28, 2005

   A motion by B. Maffett, seconded by L. Wright, for WIB approval of the October 28, 2005, minutes as posted, passed the WIB unanimously.
   
   A motion by W. Reiss, seconded by J. Chapman, for Governing Board approval of the October 28, 2005, minutes as posted, passed the Governing Board unanimously.

   G. Mistal wanted it noted by the Board Members that the Shasta PIC had changed its name and was now the Shasta SMART.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

   A motion by G. Mistal, seconded by B. Maffett, for WIB approval of the January 26, 2006, agenda as posted, passed unanimously.
   
   A motion by W. Reiss, seconded by S. Sampels, for Governing Board approval of the January 26, 2006, agenda as posted, passed unanimously.

5. WIB APPOINTMENTS

   Charles Braun, Redding EDD Office Manager, was nominated to fill the WIB Public Employment seat vacancy.

   A motion by J. Chapman, seconded by W. Reiss, to appoint Charles Braun to fill the Public Employment seat on the NoRTEC WIB, passed unanimously.

   The members noted that several WIB terms would be expiring on June 30, 2006, and they acknowledged the process if they wished to seek renomination.

6. PUBLIC COMMENT

   Charles Brown read a letter from the State of Mississippi addressed to Rene Quintana, a member of the staff at Rural Human Services, thanking him for providing assistance to people with disabilities that survived Hurrican Katrina. A certificate of appreciation was also presented.

   Brown also announced that the NoRTEC WIB was the Grand Prize Winner of the Theodore E. Small Workforce Partnership Award. Brown said the award would be presented at the National Association of Workforce Board (NAWB) annual meeting in Washington D.C. on February 26, 2006. Brown acknowledged the work done by Kathryn Schmitz, Director of the Job Training Center of Tehama County, for her submission of the application, and he praised the local programs for the work they were doing with local business, which was the main reason the award was given to the NoRTEC WIB.

7. PROGRAM COMMITTEE REPORT

   M. Piller presented the Program Committee Report.

   1. NoRTEC Monitoring

      M. Piller noted there had been no program monitoring visits by NoRTEC since the last WIB/Governing Board meeting, and that the next round of monitoring would take place in the Spring of 2006.

   2. State Monitoring

      M. Piller noted there had been no State monitoring visits since the last meeting, nor were any planned in the near future.

   3. 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
      - Outcome Information On Customers Leaving The Programs
      - One Stop Center Utilization Information
      - One Stop Center Employer Service Information

   4. Contract Performance

      The members reviewed contract performance. There were no concerns.

   5. Counties Declared "Disaster Areas" by the Governor

      The members noted that six of NoRTEC's nine counties were declared "disaster areas" by the Governor. T. Brown reported that staff were working closely with the programs to put together a temporary job creation project to help public agencies clean up the damage. The members viewed photos of the damage posted on a website (see agenda for link to photos).

   6. Plant Closure Update

      The members reviewed the business closures that had taken place since the last meeting (see agenda for link to report).

   7. Community Coordinator Reports

      Each of the programs in NoRTEC were asked to share some aspect of their program with the WIB and Governing Board.

      Butte County (Butte PIC) - No report given.

      Del Norte County (Rural Human Services) - As a new Executive Director had just been hired at Rural Human Services, there was no report given. The new Director, Larry Lakes, introducted himself to the WIB and Governing Board.

      Lassen/Modoc/Plumas Counties (Alliance for Workforce Development) - The layoffs at Lear Siegler and the Sierra Army Depot in Herlong and AFWD's response to the layoff were presented and discussed.

      Siskiyou County (Siskiyou Training & Employment Program) - STEP staff presented their cooperative work experience program for youth which they coordinate with Yreka High School, the recruitment and hiring services they provided to the City of Weed, and their work on a task force aimed at helping the Happy Camp community combat a drug problem in their area.

      Tehama County (Job Training Center of Tehama County) - JTCTC presented their plan to generate more revenue by enhancing their Business Services program with "Career Coaching."

      Trinity County (Trinity Occupational Training) - TOT presented their performance in the Northern California Nurse Training Program that was scheduled to end in March 2007. TOT had already trained and placed two phlebotomists, two cardiological technicians, two RNs, and three LVNs. They also planned to place six-eight CNAs that would be completing training soon.

      M. Piller thanked the programs for their brief presentations. She also encouraged the WIB and Governing Board members to read the "regular" quarterly Community Coordinator reports via the links contained in the agenda.

   8. Web Site Technology Initiative

      M. Piller reported the total number of local business websites on the new North State Directory was 193. (See agenda for link.)

   9. One Stop Business Services

      The members noted the websites addressing business services throughout the program. (See agenda for links.)

      There were two business services presentations:

      Scott Kelly, Manager, Hampton Inn & Suites talked about the assistance he received from the Job Training Center of Tehama County. JTCTC helped him hire 15 new employees, and helped him "hold it all together" until he had a chance to assemble a management team. Mr. Kelly said he will continue to use JTCTC for his employee needs, and is tapping into some of the employee training modules that JTCTC offers.

      Diane Guhy, Owner, Shasta Creations (full-sevice custom screen printing and embroidering company) talked about the assistance her business had received from the SMART center. She accessed hiring and OJT services and was very pleased with the services.

   10. Staff Training

       M. Piller reported that there had been no NoRTEC sponsored staff training sessions since the last meeting.

   11. Youth Council Report

       M. Piller reported there was no Youth Council meeting this quarter to report on.

   A motion made by J. Smith, and seconded by G. Mistal, for WIB approval of the Second Quarter Program Committee Report, passed unanimously.
   
   A motion made by W. Reiss, and seconded by S. Sampels, for Governing Board approval of the Second Quarter Program Committee Report, passed unanimously.

8. FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT

   B. Hamby, Finance Committee Chair, presented the Finance Committee Report.

   1. PY 2005/2006 Funding

      B. Hamby reported NoRTEC currently has $13,489,418 in available funds for the PY 2005/2006 Program Year. He said another $2,400,000 has been requested. If it is received, NoRTEC will have $15,889,418 in available funding for the 2005/2006 program year. This would be a $521,510 increase from the total amount of funding available during the 2004/2005 program year. Hamby said it was not likely, however, that NoRTEC would receive the additional $2.4 million for the WIRED grant staff had applied for.

   2. Approval of the PY 2005/2006 Second Quarter Financial Reports

      Second quarter financial reports for PY 2005/2006 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 2005/2006 Contracts Summary
      - PY 2005/2006 Service Provider Contract Modifications
      - PY 2005/2006 Program Expenditure Report
      - PY 2005/2006 Administrative Entity Expenditure Report
      - PY 2005/2006 NoRTEC WIB and Governing Board Expenditure Report
      
      The members engaged in a brief discussion of each of the reports.

      A motion made by B. Hamby, and seconded by B. Maffett, for WIB approval of the PY 2005/2006 Second Quarter expenditure reports passed unanimously.

      A motion made by J. Chapman, and seconded by S. Sampels, for Governing Board approval of the PY 2005/2006 Second Quarter expenditure reports passed unanimously.

   A motion made by J. Smith, and seconded by G. Mistal, for WIB approval of the Second Quarter Finance Committee Report passed unanimously.
   
   A motion made by W. Reiss, and seconded by S. Sampels, for Governing Board approval of the Second Quarter Finance Committee Report passed unanimously.

9. STATUS OF FUNDING APPLICATIONS
   1. Prior Approval

      C. Brown reported the application for $800,000 of State Project funds to provide LVN to RN upgrade training in Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties was funded.

   2. New Applications

      C. Brown requested permission for staff to submit four applications, the details of which were presented in the agenda:

      > WIRED Application - $5,000,000 a year for up to three years.
      > Incentive Funds Application - $75,000
      > EDD Compensation Application - Amount to be determined after working with local NoRTEC programs.
      > Temporary Job Creation Application - Amount to be determined after assessing damage in "disaster counties."

      A motion made by C. Martin, and seconded by B. Maffett, for WIB approval of NoRTEC submitting a $5 million a year, for up to three years, WIRED application, a $75,000 Incentive Funds application, an EDD Compensation application for an amount to be determined at a later date, and a Temporary Job Creation project on behalf of all NoRTEC Counties that are included in the "disaster designation" for an amount to be determined at a later date passed unanimously.
      
      A motion made by W. Reiss, and seconded by M. Cibula, for Governing Board approval of NoRTEC submitting a $5 million a year, for up to three years, WIRED application, a $75,000 Incentive Funds application, an EDD Compensation application for an amount to be determined at a later date, and a Temporary Job Creation project on behalf of all NoRTEC Counties that are included in the "disaster designation" for an amount to be determined at a later date passed unanimously.

10. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT (DISCUSSION/ACTION)

    C. Brown reported the NoRTEC application to the State for redesignation to include Sierra County is on the California Workforce Investment Board's March 30, 2006, agenda. He said he did not anticipate any problems.

11. REPORT OF THE EDUCATIONAL/LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE

    G. Mistal gave a brief update on Small Business California. She asked small business owners to take part in a survey and to become a member of Small Business California. She said the organization was currently focusing on the worker's compensation issue.

12. OLD BUSINESS (INFORMATION)

    No Old Business was discussed.

13. NEW BUSINESS (DISCUSSION)

    The members noted the next meeting would be held on Thursday, April 27, 2006, in Chico.

    J. Chapman commented on how "unfriendly" the NoRTEC website was for non-NoRTEC users, and requested that a name and contaact number for NoRTEC be listed on the home page of NoRTEC's website.

    Linda Wright said she wanted to revisit the idea of having a conference in October for all the partners, like NoRTEC used to sponsor in Konocti. She said she thought the partners would be interested in doing this and paying their own way. C. Brown said he would check into the feasibility of this.

14. ADJOURNMENT

    There being no further Old or New Business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:02 p.m.