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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-28-2019 Minutes * CITY OF_. HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE �J w MINUTES WASHINGTON January 28, 2019 I. CALL TO ORDER The Human Services Committee meeting was called to order by Chair Jason Berry at 4:04 pm on Monday, January 28, 2019 at 1 East Main Street, Auburn, WA. Committee Members present: Jason Berry, Lela Brugger, Barbara Derda, Tammy Gourdine, Susan Miller, Shawn Paton, Dana Riel,JoAnne Walters Absent: Shanece Dedeaux Staff present: Director of Community Development Jeff Tate, Human Services Manager Joy Scott, Human Services Program Coordinator Emily Pearson Guest: Ghyrn Wakefield II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES • Member Barbara Derda moved to accept the November 26, 2018 meeting minutes; Member Lela Brugger seconded the motion. All committee members were in favor of adopting the minutes as amended. The November 26, 2018 meeting minutes were approved. III. MISCELLANEOUS • Introductions of new members All members and staff were asked to provide their name, how long they've been on the Committee, and what brought them to the Committee. Joy Scott asked the group for input on what priorities they had for the upcoming year. JoAnne Walters would like to visit agencies, and suggested new members go with members that have been through agency visits. She said she had no idea how hard agencies work to stretch their city grant funds until she'd been on a site visit, so it's beneficial for new members to experience this. Sue Miller wants to learn more about the application process, and asked if it was a difficult process for agencies this past cycle. Joy agreed that an overview of the entire application process would be a good idea for the group. Cities did not have control over the new Sharelapp format, which is hosted by WizeHive. We'll have more conversations about changes for the next cycle throughout the year, including additional opportunities for tech support. JoAnne explained that some applications were submitted late, and the Committee set all late applications aside in order to be fair and transparent. Barbara Derda said she'd like to see more money be allocated for Human Services; historically it seemed to represent about 1% of the general fund, but it's currently closer to .76%. Jason Berry said he'd like to continue building stronger relationships with the City Council. Lela Brugger would like for more Councilmembers to attend Committee meetings. Sue asked if the 1% was guaranteed, and Joy said that there's no written policy, resolution or ordinance stating an official allocation percentage. The recommendation process was especially tough this cycle as we received nearly $1.5 million in funding requests but an allocation of only$490,000. Emily Pearson distributed Conflict of Interest Policies to the group. This document is signed by all Committee and staff members at the first meeting of each year. The group discussed Committee structure and planning for 2019. Joy suggested an annual retreat, perhaps in the evening to accommodate schedules. Now that the group has been expanded Joy asked if they'd support a subcommittee structure. Subcommittees such as site visits, overview of quarterly reports, and community needs evaluation could be created. Subcommittee structure could be more flexible, even allowing for participation by phone if needed. The site visit group would be responsible for scheduling visits and generating reports to share with the Committee. The quarterly report overview group would be responsible for reading and evaluating all agency reimbursement requests, as they provide important data about and insight into our residents. The community needs group would participate in the needs assessment process as necessary. Rules of Procedure will be generated and adopted. Other advisory boards in the City have this document but currently the HSC does not. It will outline roles, responsibilities, and general rules to follow. A Vice Chair position could be created in addition to Chair as well as guidelines for electing such positions. Joy added that a call for nominations could take place as early as February's meeting. • Upcoming Needs Assessment Joy distributed samples of other South King County Cities' Request for Proposals (RFPs), including Renton and SeaTac. As priorities were re-evaluated and revised this cycle, this would be a good time to conduct a Human Services Needs Assessment. The Committee wanted to adjust the decades-old priorities, which were initially United Way priorities. City Councilmembers also wanted to update the funding priorities. Joy explained the difference between the two sets and how we were able to combine them. A Human Services Needs Assessment will give us data to see where the gaps in services are, emerging trends, and to hear our residents' points of view on what they feel are the most pressing needs in the community. The information generated from the assessment will be a powerful tool to show the need for increased Human Services funding, how funding is prioritized, and to identify current trends. Barb asked how much it will cost, and Joy said $20,000 was set aside in the budget for the implementation of the assessment. Renton's RFP was broader and included a housing assessment in addition to Human Services needs. Joy asked the group to review the samples and provide feedback at the February meeting. Tentatively, the needs assessment RFP could be ready in February; a consultant chosen in March; the consultant brought to City Council at an April meeting; assessment work conducted in April, May, and June; a draft ready in July; and a finished report presented at a meeting in September. Barb asked how the data will be collected, and Joy said that information will be provided in the applicants' proposals. Jason asked about input from City Council and how it might be measured as part of an assessment. Joy announced that the Special Focus Area subcommittee formerly known as Health and Human Services is now known as Community Wellness. Councilmember Trout-Manuel is the Chair and Councilmember DaCorsi is the Vice Chair. Sue asked why we'd lost funding for the last cycle. Joy explained that Council decides on and approves the allocation as part of the biennial budget process, and although there's been a common practice of a 1% allocation in years past, it's never been formalized; Human Services funding was simply allocated at the same amount as the last budget cycle which was $490.000. IV. ANNOUNCEMENTS • The next regular Human Services Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 25, 2019 at 4:00 pm. V. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 4:56 p.m. APPROVED THE Zs-day of , 2019 — Jas n Berry, Human ices ommittee Chair Jeff;a , t vof ommunity Development