Greater Nashville Regional Council 501 Union Street, 6 th Floor Nashville, Tennessee 37219-1705 Executive Committee Meeting Wednesday, November 18, 2015 10:45 a.m. Music City Central 400 Charlotte Avenue Nashville, Tennessee Those in Attendance: Rogers Anderson Howard Bradley Ernest Burgess Patti Carroll Sam Childs Philip Craighead JoAnn Graves Wayne Hall Anthony Holt Randall Hutto Gary Jaeckel Rick Johnson Jerry Kirkman Amber Locke Kim McMillan Denise McBride Ken Moore Jeff Peach Jessie Wallace Ken Wilber Tauna Blaisdell Sam Edwards Amanda Evilcizer Taylor Hollars Angie Hutchison Hope Jackson Jovia King Norma Powell Tim Roach Matt Von Lunen MINUTES Williamson County Robertson County Rutherford County Fairview Coopertown Lebanon Transit Alliance of Middle TN Fairview Sumner County Wilson County UT - MTAS Ashland City Westmoreland Cheatham County Clarksville THDA Franklin Town of Smyrna Humphreys County Portland Call to Order President Randall Hutto called the Executive Committee Meeting to order at approximately 11:05 a.m. on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at the Music City Central Station, 400 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville, Tennessee. President Hutto welcomed any new members and guests.
Page 2 of 5 ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION PHG Energy Chris Koczaja, Vice President of Implementation and Engineering, stated PHG Energy provides P&D, manufacturing, design, installation and clean energy conservation through Gasification. This is not incineration. Gasification is a sequential, co-current flow, gravity-assisted, thermo-chemical phase change reactor or, more simply put, a revolution in biomass gasification. It creates a synthetic fuel called Producer Gas. It utilizes a wide range of renewable and readily-available biomass, such as wood chips, processed municipal solid waste, agricultural waste, construction waste, and other waste or purpose-grown feedstock to yield the clean-burning Producer Gas. PHG Energy has three projects in progress in Covington, Lebanon and Pigeon Forge. A positive economic impact is essential for every project. Area Agency on Aging and Disability (AAAD) Norma Powell, Deputy Executive Director of AAAD, reported that Information & Assistance (I&A) staff had 702 calls in October alone and an additional 182 screenings. The SHIP program had 500 hours in volunteer hours. The Quality Assurance team is working on consumer satisfaction surveys for consumers. Under TCAD policy, we are required to assess whether not the clients are satisfied with the services they receive. Part of the Tenncare/CHOICES contract requires satisfaction surveys for the Tenncare/CHOICES constituents. The goal is to have the surveys completed by the end of this year. Contracts Sam Edwards, Executive Director and Chief Legal Counsel, reported that he has been sitting through the contract template procurement office for state contracts for several months. The template are something state agencies use to base their contracts on. was able to ask for a change on one of the items in the template dealing with the Department of Revenue. There was another item in the template that stated that we would charge no fees or receive no money from the people we were serving. does receive money from cities and counties for the local dues. If that clause stays, Sam stayed that will be in breach of the contract. We have been able to remove that clause from all the contracts except one. TCAD refuses to remove that clause. We cannot sign the contract until it is removed. is going to take other provisions to try to get TCAD to remove it. Research, Planning and Development Tim Roach, Deputy Executive Director of Research, Planning and Development, reported that none of the grants for CDBG were funded. is in the process of preparing 3 more grants. Since the incomes and unemployment rates are better here than other areas of the state, it puts our region in less of a competitive advantage. We will continue to work with ECD on their requirements. In the past, the higher the LMI percentage the better your application was. That is no longer the case. As long as you get to 51%, all other items are equal. Audit Letter Tauna Blaisdell, Deputy Executive Director of Administration and Operations and Chief Fiscal Officer, presented a letter from Jobe, Hastings & Associates, s external auditors. The letter details the scope of the audit. She also reported that the audit field work is finished and there are no findings yet. The audit report will be out by the end of the year. Finance and Personal Committee Report Hope Jackson, Deputy Executive Director of Human Resources and Chief Legal Counsel, reported on the process for filling Executive Director s position. will post the job advertisement on Center for Non-Profit Management website (www.cnm.org), in-house at s office, on s website along with job description (www.gnrc.org), in newspapers of general circulation-the Tennessean, El Crucero de Tennessee (Latino) and Nashville Pride (black). All advertisements will be posted on December 1 (except El Crucero and Pride will print Dec. 3 and 4 respectively). The HR staff will receive applications and forward them to an outside panel (consisting of one member each from the following: CTAS, MTAS, TCAD, County Mayor's Association, Mid-Cumberland HRA). The panel will recommend the top 3-5 candidates to the Finance & Personnel Committee. The Finance &
Page 3 of 5 Personnel Committee will recommend top candidate(s) to full Executive Committee. Full Executive Committee will vote to hire preferred candidate. The applicant will shadow Sam for the month of April (one month of dual salaries). ACTION ITEMS Approval of Minutes President Randall Hutto called for corrections or additions to the minutes of the October 21, 2015 Executive Committee meeting. Robertson County Mayor Howard Bradley made a motion to approve the minutes as presented. Lebanon Mayor Philip Craighead seconded the motion. There being no discussion, a vote was taken and the minutes were unanimously approved. Financial Report Tauna Blaisdell, Deputy Executive Director of Administration/Operations and Chief Fiscal Officer, presented the financial report for the month ending October 31, 2015. The total expenditures for the month of October were $640,130.84 with $5,911.40 in pass through. The year-to-date expenditures were $2,730,645.22. The total revenues were $1,801,708.17. The total pass through were $1,109,235.14. Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson made a motion to approve the finance report as presented. Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously passed. Project Review Tim Roach, Deputy Executive Director of Research, Planning and Development, presented four (4) new projects that were reviewed this reporting period. Staff found no conflict with existing or planned activities and recommended approval. Two were EPA projects and two were USDA projects. Clarksville Mayor Kim McMillan made a motion to approve the projects as submitted. Franklin Mayor Ken Moore seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously passed. Resolution 2016-02 Tauna Blaisdell, Deputy Executive Director of Administration/Operations and Chief Fiscal Officer, presented Resolution 2016-02: A Resolution Revising the FY 2016 Budget of the FY 2016 Annual Work Program. Patty Cavanah will be a consultant for TACIR from January to June so we moved money around for TACIR. Angie Hutchison will receive a raise for her additional responsibilities so we added a one-step raise for her. We moved more money to the travel budget. Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson made a motion to approve Resolution 2016-02 as presented. Humphreys County Mayor Jessie Wallace seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously passed. Resolution 2016-03 Jovia King, Deputy Fiscal Officer, presented Resolution 2016-03: A Resolution for the Revolving Loan Fund Plan. This certification is required semi-annually by EDA. Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt made a motion to approve Resolution 2016-03 as presented. Humphreys County Mayor Jessie Wallace seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously passed.
Page 4 of 5 Legislative Agenda Sam Edwards, Executive Director and Chief Legal Counsel, reported that a legislative agenda meeting took place on October 30 th. Two bills have been drafted so far. There is a watch list so if we need to move on any items. Mayor Kim McMillan requested to reword the pass no education legislation phrase under education on the legislative agenda. Lebanon Mayor Philip Craighead made a motion to approve legislative agenda. Franklin Mayor Ken Moore seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously passed. Other Business Philip Trauernichet with ECD passed away recently. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned. The Executive Committee went into a closed executive session to hear a report on potential legal issues from the defense counsel. A regular open Executive Committee meeting was called back to order. Three motions were brought forward for consideration upon advice of s defense counsel, Mr. Bill Bates, of the Farrar and Bates Law Firm. Motion 1 was to bring in an outside, independent investigator to investigate the personnel complaint filed by Patty Cavanah against Tim Roach. The motion passed. Defense counsel has received staff referrals for MTAS and CTAS employment attorneys who may consider serving as independent investigators on behalf of in this matter. The investigator will have 30 days after their appointment to conclude their investigation and issue their findings to the Executive Committee. Portland Mayor Ken Wilber made a motion to approve motion 1 as presented. Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt seconded the motion. There being no discussion, a vote was taken and the motion was unanimously approved. Motion 2 was to place Sam Edwards, Executive Director/Chief Legal Counsel and Tim Roach, Deputy Executive Director of Research, Planning and Development, on paid administrative leave pending the conclusion of the investigation of this matter. The motion passed. Mr. Edwards and Mr. Roach have been informed that they are on paid administrative leave effective immediately. Neither Mr. Edwards nor Mr. Roach will be allowed in the office during office hours until the matter is concluded. They will continue to receive their salaries through electronic deposit and all other employment benefits will continue as usual until the matter is concluded. They will not have access to their work email, but may receive phone calls from their staff to answer questions. Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt made a motion to approve motion 2 as presented. Rutherford County Mayor Ernest Burgess seconded the motion. There being no discussion, a vote was taken and the motion was unanimously approved. Motion 3 was that the Executive Committee appoint an Interim Executive Director, pending the conclusion of this matter. The motion passed. The Executive Committee voted unanimously to name Norma Powell Interim Executive Director. Hope Jackson will assist her in her duties. Ms. Powell has accepted the position and has been instructed not to make any decisions regarding hiring or firing of employees or other matters of import without first seeking approval of the Executive Committee. Ms. Powell has agreed to forego a salary increase if her term as Interim Director is in the range of 30-45 days. If her term as Interim Director becomes longer she has indicated that she would ask for a salary increase. Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt made a motion to approve motion 3 as presented. Portland Mayor Ken Wilber seconded the motion. There being no discussion, a vote was taken and the motion was unanimously approved.
Page 5 of 5 The meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Angie Hutchison Recording Secretary Administrative Support Specialist NLP/adh & hj Adminwrk\ \Board Meetings\ Minutes\2015-1118 Minutes.doc