Joint Powers Board



Joint Powers BoardSeptember 19, 2016706 N. Victory DriveMankato, MN Commissioner Roper called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.Members Present:Kip Bruender, David Gliszinski, David Haack, Tom Mahoney, James Peterson, John Roper, Richard Seeboth and Kathleen SvallandStaff Present: Diane Halvorson and Heather GleasonI.Approval of AgendaCommissioner Roper called for the approval of the agenda. A motion to approve the agenda was made by Commissioner Bruender and seconded by Commissioner Mahoney. The motion carried. II.Approval of Minutes Commissioner Roper called for the approval of the June minutes. A motion to approve the minutes was made by Commissioner Haack and seconded by Commissioner Mahoney. The motion carried.III.South Central Local Plan RevisionsDiane Halvorson distributed and reviewed the response from the state to the local plan. Diane highlighted the updated response describing how the employer, workers and job seekers needs will be addressed. The needs of employers are met by providing qualified applicants with the basic skills and occupational skills required for employment. This is done through career counseling services. Business Services works with employers one-on-one to identify and address employment related issues. Needs are also met by employer participation on boards and committees where we hear about workforce needs and recommendations for program development. Services to employed individuals include training opportunities such as incumbent worker and customized training. Services to job seekers include classes offered at the WorkForce Centers, FastTRAC career pathway programming, providing labor market information, job search assistance and training assistance. Diane Halvorson also distributed and reviewed the response provided by DEED to services provided to veterans. A motion to approve the local plan revisions was made by Commissioner Seeboth and seconded by Commissioner Gliszinski. The motion carried.IV.State Response to Regional PlanDiane Halvorson reported that we received a letter from DEED in response to our regional plan. Diane reviewed the segment of the law that addresses what is required of regional planning. DEED has requested specific membership they would like to see on the regional board. There is concern that it would be adding another level of governance and the additional members seem more appropriate for the committees where their specific feedback is most needed. The DEED leadership will be coming to our area to discuss the regional plan with the Regional Leadership Team. Members were encouraged to attend. V.ReportsOperations Committee/Cost Allocation PlansDiane Halvorson reported that the Operations Committee discussed a follow-up to the safety training for staff, staff will participate in mystery shopping of WorkForce Center services, and the lease in the New Ulm office is being negotiated. Cost Allocation Plan are how the costs are separated between agencies. All three Workforce Centers were approved and agreed upon by partners.Business ServicesDiane Halvorson distributed and reviewed the Business Services update. There are 4,549 jobs listed in the 50 mile radius of Mankato. The unemployment rate for the region is 3.7%. The number of job seekers that visited a WorkForce Center during the year is 4,012.Veterans ServicesHeather Gleason shared a presentation by Barry Platt on Veterans Services at the Mankato WorkForce Center. The Veterans Services cover over 30 counties in Southern Minnesota. The labor shortage in Minnesota was highlighted including unemployment rates, job vacancies by industry and job seekers per opening. There are two representatives for Veteran’s Services including Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) Specialist that provides intensive services to veteran with significant barriers to employment and Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVER) that provide outreach to area business to assist veterans to get employment. Benefits of hiring a veterans such as soft skills, incentives like tax credits.Rural Career Counseling Coordinator UpdateDiane Halvorson reported that Carrie Bendix continues to work on the asset and gap analysis project. She has been visiting with local high schools and is working on developing some labor market information that is user friendly that can be shared with counselors, students, parents and teachers. Carrie has been meeting with the MSU Geography department to map student demographics. Staff UpdateHeather Gleason reported that over the summer on-site monitoring was completed at each of the county offices. Kathy Leiferman, Diane Halvorson and Heather Gleason review a sample of files for eligibility, documentation and services to participants. Overall, there was good documentation of contact and services. The Partners in Career Exploration program recruits interns from the student counseling program at Minnesota State University-Mankato to provide career exploration and guidance services to high school students. There will be 9 interns at 9 local school districts including: Cleveland, GFW, Lake Crystal-Wellcome-Memorial, Le Sueur-Henderson, Madelia, Sibley East, St. Clair, St. Peter and Tri-City United.The Tour of Manufacturing is scheduled for Thursday, October 6th from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. There are 17 locations on the tour including:1.Alumacraft Boat Company, Saint Peter2.American Artstone Company, New Ulm3.Ardent Mills, Mankato4.Brakebush Brothers, Inc., Wells5.Cambria, Le Sueur6.Crown Tonka, Winnebago7.Dotson Iron Castings, Mankato8.Imperial Plastics Incorporated, Mankato9.Johnson Outdoors, Mankato10.Jones Metal Inc., Mankato11.Navitor, Inc., North Mankato12.Nortech Systems, Mankato13.Parker Hannifan Corporation14.South Central College, North Mankato15.V-Tek, Inc., Mankato16.Wells Concrete, Wells17.Winegar, WasecaThe Construct Tomorrow is an interactive career fair for construction trades and is scheduled for October 26th. The event will from 9 – 2:30 for high school students but the public/job seekers can attend from 8-8:45 a.m.Diane Halvorson reported that DEED announced six equity grants to address economic disparities. There have been several local discussions and meetings about grant proposals which are due September 30th. Southwest, South Central, Southeast Minnesota and Winona County partnered to provide a professional networking conference for staff. A community action agency from Northwest Minnesota will be visiting MVAC and the Workforce Council to learn more about MVAC’s role as fiscal agent and provider. The Better Together partnership with libraries will be providing training beginning in September for partners to learn more about the services available at the WorkForce Center, Adult Basic Education and libraries. VI.Other BusinessAwardsDiane Halvorson reported that the South Central WorkForce Council received the partnership award from MVAC at their annual meeting. We also received the best practice award for the youth grant that serves communities of color at the MN WorkForce Council Association meeting. The next meeting of the Joint Powers Board is Monday, January 23, 2017 at 4:00 p.m. ................
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