Minutes. Advisory Board Members Absent: LaToya Black and LaTarro Traylor

Transcription

1 Kent County Community Action Agency Advisory Governing Board Meeting 121 Franklin S.E. Suite 110, Grand Rapids, MI Multipurpose A Thursday, January 18, :00 PM Minutes Advisory Board Members Present: Jessica White-Hatinger, James Geisen, Commissioner Ruth Kelly, Tracie Coffman, Judy Knapp, Benjamin Escalante, Wende Randall, Christina Swiney, Tom Oosterbaan, Catherine Aldridge, Hattie Patterson, Reyna Quintino (teleconference), and Kendrick Heinlein. Advisory Board Alternate Members Present: Samarhia Giffel Advisory Board Members Absent: LaToya Black and LaTarro Traylor KCCA Staff Present: Susan Cervantes, Sherrie Gillespie, Darrell Singleton II, Amanda Nixon, Brenna Kotchka, and Sarah Miller Guests Present: Matthew Van Zetten (Kent County Administrator s Office) 1. Call to Order - at 12:15 pm. Quorum obtained. Introductions around the room. Ms. Cervantes introduced Michelle Stuart a new KCCA cook, and announced additional positions filled as; a full-time driver, a contracted driver, and a part-time cook. The Board Quorum is in compliance with Organizational Standard Election of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson Action Item Tom Oosterbaan nominated Chairperson Motion: James Geisen Second: Judy Knapp

2 2. Election of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson (Cont.) Action Item LaTarro Traylor nominated Vice Chairperson Motion: Commissioner Ruth Kelly Second: Ben Escalante 3. Approval of September 21, 2017 Minutes Action Item Motion: Judy Knapp Second: Christina Swiney 4. Board Membership and Structure Information Item Matthew Van Zetten, Assistant County Administrator Ms. Cervantes welcomed the appointments to the new KCCA Advisory Governing Board and thanked them for attending the Kent County Orientation that was held on January 11, Mr. Cervantes reported that an incorrect meeting schedule was presented at the orientation. Ms. Cervantes confirmed to the Board that it will maintain the customary scheduling continuing to meet on the third Thursdays of alternating months (pg. 12). Calendar invites and Board packets with a RSVP will be ed by Sarah Miller in advance of the meetings. Ms. Cervantes referred to the KCCA Governance Visual (pg. 13). The visual displays the main responsibilities and relationships of the four Boards. The major roles of the KCCA Advisory Governing Board are advising on all KCCA programs and fulfilling the ground work that will be advanced for approval. Ms. Cervantes noted the Kent County Housing Commission fulfills the necessary ground work for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, but the KCCA Advisory Governing Board advises the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. I. After approval by the KCCA Advisory Governing Board and/or Kent County Housing Commission action items are presented to the KCCA Governing Board. This Board meets bi-monthly (alternate months of the KCCA Advisory Governing Board). II. Final approval (if needed) is executed by the Kent County Board of Commissioners.

3 4. Board Membership and Structure (Cont.) Information Item Matthew Van Zetten, Assistant County Administrator Ms. Cervantes referred to the KCCA Advisory Governing Board Current Appointments chart (pg. 14). The chart shows the tri-partite Board consisting of three sectors; Consumer, Private, and Public. There are currently five appointments per sector with 1-3 year terms assigned on a lottery basis. The staggering of terms keeps experience and knowledge on the Board continually. Appointments will be notified of expiring term dates by KCCA and Kent County. Mr. Van Zetten explained the Kent County Board process. In August/September expiring terms will be contacted by the County to complete an application. After a Board of Commissioners review, appointments will be awarded. Appointments will receive a confirmation letter with their sector information and term date the first week of January. Ms. Cervantes referred to the KCCA Advisory Governing Board Membership Chart (pg. 15). The chart illustrates the tri-partite board, guests, and alternates. Ms. Cervantes would like appointments to their alternates by the March 15, 2018 meeting. It KCCA s responsibility to inform the alternate of their duties and forward the meeting invite and Board packet. Alternates count as quorum and can vote in meetings. The Board Membership and Structure is in compliance with Organizational Standard By-laws Review, Ad-hoc committee Action Item Ms. Cervantes asked for 2 volunteers to review the KCCA Advisory Governing Board Bylaws. The volunteers will meet once before March 2018 to read through the By-laws and suggest revisions. The proposed By-laws will be reviewed by the staff attorney before adopting them at the March 15, 2018 meeting. Jessica White-Hatinger and Wende Randall volunteered for the By-law Ad-hoc Committee and will be joined by Susan Cervantes, Sherrie Gillespie, and Amanda Nixon. Ms. Cervantes will an electronic version of the By-laws with a date for the committee review. The By-laws Review is in compliance with Organizational Standards 5.2 & 5.4.

4 6. Grand Rapids Individual Circuit Breaker Program Action Item Ms. Cervantes referred to the City of Grand Rapids Funding for Water/Sewer Assistance Memorandum. The 3-year contract with City of Grand Rapids for the Grand Rapids Individual Circuit Breaker Program (ICBAP) ended on December 31, KCCA is requesting approval to receive funding for a new 2-year contract in the amount of $151,183 plus an additional $80,000 funds should the funding be exhausted prior to the end date. If approved, the funding will be officially appropriated on January 31, 2018 by the Board of Commissioners. Ms. Cervantes referred to the ASCET-ICB CONTRACT City of Grand Rapids Memorandum in which the Utility Advisory Board of the City of Grand Rapids approved the contract continuation on December 21, A copy of the 18-page contract is available upon request. Samarhia Giffel handed out a chart showing historical data ranging from 2007 to 2017 for KCCA and ICBAP (pg. 16). This chart shows fiscal information, demographic summaries, and jurisdiction summaries. The income guidelines for this program are 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, although 10% can be utilized for households to 250% of the Federal Poverty Level. At this time, Kent County Community Action requests a motion to approve reception of the new 2-year contract and funding with City of Grand Rapids in regard to the Grand Rapids Individual Circuit Break Program. Motion: Christina Swiney Second: Kendrick Heinlein

5 7. Administrative Policies and Assurances Action Item Amanda Nixon, Continuous Quality Improvement Specialist Due to the transition into Kent County, Ms. Nixon presented four Policies and/or Assurances that KCCA would like to request formal adoption of. a. Commodity Supplemental Food Program Appeal Procedure Ms. Nixon referred to the Revisions to the KCCA Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Appeals Procedure Memorandum and the attached Appeals Procedure. Ms. Nixon explained the proposed highlighted revisions which include the agency s name, governing body, and Ms. Cervantes job title. At this time, Kent County Community Action requests a motion to approve the proposed revisions to the Commodity Supplemental Food Program Appeal Procedure and formally adopt this procedure. Motion: Ruth Kelly Second: Judy Knapp b. HIPPA Policy Ms. Nixon referred to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPAA) Memorandum. Ms. Nixon explained that the HIPPA Assurance is written into contracts, specifically the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG). The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Bureau of Community Action and Economic Opportunity (BCAEO) has requested this assurance to be in place. At this time, Kent County Community Action requests a motion to approve formal acknowledgment of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPAA) Assurance.

6 b. HIPPA Policy (Cont.) Motion: Jessica White-Hatinger Second: Tracie Coffman c. Conflict of Interest Policy Ms. Nixon referred to the Conflict of Interest Policy Memorandum. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Bureau of Community Action and Economic Opportunity (BCAEO) has requested this policy to be in place. At this time, Kent County Community Action requests a motion to approve formal acknowledgment of the Conflict of Interest Policy and Conflict of Interest Statement. The Conflict of Interest Policy is in compliance with Organizational Standard 5.6. Motion: Jessica White-Hatinger Second: Benjamin Escalante i. Report on Assistance Activities Information Item Ms. Cervantes referred to the Conflict of Interest Related Activities Memorandum. Moving forward, Conflict of Interest Related Activities will be a standing informational item on the agenda, when necessary. Ms. Cervantes, now accredited as a Certified Community Action Professional, reported that it is in the Community Action s Standards of Excellence Best Practices that Agencies be transparent with its Board regarding services rendered to relations of employees and/or Board members. Ms. Cervantes referred to the form completed by the Board member or employee titled Notice of Employee or Board Relation Application File Review. Once completed, this form remains in the client file. Ms. Cervantes clarified that at no time may the employee be involved with the intake process for the relation.

7 i. Report on Assistance Activities (Cont.) Information Item Ms. Cervantes reported for the first quarter, October 1 through December 31, 2017 the following services provided to employee and/or Board relations. The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) provided services for an employee s mother-in-law, a Board member, and an employee s fiancé was a landlord. For Homeless Prevention programs; rental assistance was provided to an employee, an employee s cousin and water assistance was provided to an employee. For Outreach and Assistance two nieces of an employee were assisted. d. Human Resources Policies and Procedure Manual Ms. Nixon referred to the Kent County Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual Memorandum. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Bureau of Community Action and Economic Opportunity (BCAEO) has requested the following policies to be in place: Equal Employment Opportunity and Conflict of Interest Policy (for employees). These two policies exist within the Kent County Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual. At this time, Kent County Community Action requests a motion to approve formal acknowledgment of Kent County s Equal Employment Opportunity and Conflict of Interest Policy (for employees) located in the Kent County Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual. Motion: Hattie Patterson Second: Catherine Aldridge

8 8. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Loan Forgiveness Policy Darrell Singleton II, Programs Manager Information Item Ms. Cervantes referred to the Community Development Block grant (CBDG) Moderate Homeowner Rehabilitation Lien Forgiveness Policy Memorandum. The Homeowner Rehabilitation Program provides homeowners of low to moderate income the funding to rehab their homes. Some of the items this program addresses are roofs, foundation repairs, sewer, and energy efficiencies. The current loan is at 0% deferred interest with a no end period. The lack of the end period raises an issue of finding a way to measure when a loan can be forgiven. Ms. Cervantes researched similar rehabilitation loan forgiveness policies with the City of Wyoming, City of Grand Rapids and County of Kent and found differing forgiveness policies but they all have lien periods and specific forgiveness criteria in common. KCCA will not subordinate for an increased interest rate or allow more debt to accumulate on a home. Mr. Van Zetten clarified that the intention of the loan is not to incur income, and if this does happen as a result of the current housing market than the profit is put back into the program to help additional residents of Kent County. Ms. Cervantes gave an example of a current situation in October 2017 that has prompted this discussion and possible future action on a Loan Forgiveness Policy. A client who took out a rehabilitation loan in 1993 had a lien of approximately $30,000 on their home. The loan included a new roof with shingles warrantied for 20 years, so the loan has superseded the warranty on the materials. Ms. Cervantes opened the floor to discuss options for the Loan Forgiveness Policy. A discussion on loan forgiveness included repayment options, a lifetime of materials clause, a possible $ appraisal fee for refinancing, a market-based policy, and pro-ration with an equity factor.

9 8. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) (Cont.) Loan Forgiveness Policy Darrell Singleton II, Programs Manager Information Item Ms. Cervantes would like the Board to locally design a loan forgiveness policy. Ms. Cervantes agreed to have several policy proposals before the next meeting on March 15 th. The proposals should include administrative costs to maintain the policy, loan size, and the terms of the loan. The final policy will be retro-active to the first date of receiving CDBG funding. Mr. Van Zetten suggested upholding consistency to the existing policies for The City of Grand Rapids, The City of Wyoming, and the County of Kent. In addition, this consistency would benefit marketing strategies. Ms. Cervantes and Mr. Singleton will research a market-based formula and present their findings at the next meeting. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Loan Forgiveness Policy will be tabled until the next meeting March 15 th. 9. Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) 2017 Monitoring Report Information Item Ms. Cervantes shared a MDHHS-Bureau of Community Action & Economic Development monitoring letter with the Board. The letter dated for January 4, 2018 reported Zero (0) Findings and (3) Administrative Recommendations based on a programmatic desk monitoring review from June 13 - July 17, The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) 2017 Monitoring Report is in compliance with Organizational Standard 8.9.

10 10. Customer Satisfaction Survey Results Information Item Amanda Nixon, Continuous Quality Improvement Specialist Ms. Nixon referred to the now 2-page Customer Satisfaction Survey Results summary that is a compilation of the CSBG program year (10/1/2016 9/30/2017). The new survey includes similar questions that have been revised to ease customer usage. Ms. Nixon has added a section on the second page of the report which is called What KCCA customers are saying, which includes direct customer quotes. Customer Satisfaction Survey Results will continue to be a quarterly informational item on the standing agenda. Mr. Van Zetten commented that there is an annual Kent County Performance Management Program which presents their achievements to the County s Legislative Committee. Customer Service has been an on-going issue that needs to be addressed at the annual presentations. The Customer Satisfaction Survey can be a valuable tool for KCCA s presentation and will allow the agency to become a leader in customer service. The Customer Satisfaction Survey Results is in compliance with Organizational Standard Fiscal Report Information Item Brenna Kotchka, Financial Analyst Ms. Kotchka referred to the KCCA Agency Budget as of January 10, 2018 (additionally available as a larger format handout). Ms. Kotchka explained the report will now display fiscal information for all KCCA grants, including the Community Development grants received as part of the transition into Kent County. Funds are divided as Administrative funds, Support funds, and Direct Assistance. There is also an Other column which is for donations, cost shares, and commodities which may not translate fiscally. Beginning at the March 15 th meeting, the Fiscal Report will include the percent in which a grant is in relative to its term. The report will also include the percent of which a grant is expended relative to its grand total for Administrative funds, Support funds, and Direct Assistance. Lastly, the report will include a percentage that compares revenue/resources received versus a projection to track financial goals. The Fiscal Report is in compliance with Organizational Standard 8.7.

11 12. Other Business a. Walk for Warmth Information Item Sherrie Gillespie, Programs Manager Ms. Gillespie announced that the annual event Walk for Warmth will be held at 121 Franklin Street SE on Saturday, February 24, Registration will begin at 8:30 am and the walk will begin at 9:00 am. Donations will be accepted for to create awareness for the need of heating fuel assistance for households of low income in Kent County. There will be a media announcement during the first week of February. In addition, there will be a Battle of the Bowls soup cook-off event on Friday, February 23 rd at 121 Franklin Street SE in Multi-Purpose Room A with all proceeds going to direct assistance. 13. Public Comment 14. Adjournment 1:29pm Next KCCA Advisory Governing Board Meeting: Thursday, March 15, :00 Noon ACSET Multipurpose Room A