BE Meeting 02-27-14 Minutes



OREGON COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND535 SE 12th Ave. (Portland office)ELECTED COMMITTEE (regular meeting)Thursday, February 27, 2014 3:30 PMConference call: (712) 432-1500Participant code: 312353#AGENDACALLED TO ORDER- Chairman YoungRoll call- Lewanda MirandaDisposition of minutes (Feb. 6, 2014)- Chairman YoungFINANCIAL REPORT- Director MorrisTRAINING & EDUCATIONSagebrush update- Tessa Brown/Director MorrisBEI training for elected committee- Ken GerlitzSpring In-service- Ken GerlitzFuture plans for training- Ken GerlitzCommittee reports- Art Stevenson/Lewanda MirandaNEW BUSINESSGovernors food drive- Chairman YoungPartial relocations of buildings- Chairman YoungOtherOLD BUSINESSWhite City updateEdith Green Bldg. updateTop 3 pending issues- Director MorrisOtherOPEN DISCUSSIONDIRECTOR’S COMMENTSNEXT MEETINGADJOURNMENTMINUTESCALLED TO ORDER- Chairman Young.Roll call- Lewanda MirandaIn attendance: Randy Hauth, Harold Young, Lewanda Miranda, Art Stevenson, Char Mckinzie, Lin Jaynes, Derrick Stevenson, Cathy Colley-Dominique, Gordon Smith, Ken Gerlitz, Tessa Brown, Jerry Bird, Ann Wright, Steve Jackson. BE Staff: Eric Morris. Absent: Salvador Barraza, Steve Jackson, Steve Gordon. Disposition of minutes (Feb. 6, 2014)- Chairman YoungYoung made a motion that the minutes for the February 6th meeting be accepted as recorded. Art Stevenson seconded it. The Elected Committee voted on it and the motion passed. FINANCIAL REPORT- Director MorrisMorris said that he sent out a spreadsheet to the Elected Committee members that reports on the fourth quarter of 2013. He reported on total sales for that period and reported a 14% average profitability percentage. Morris explained more about how the federal RSA 15 report is calculated. He said that report calculates average income based on the number of vendor years that a vendor has worked. The average income based on 16 managers is around $32,700. Morris said that right now there were five managers above the average income. Morris also said that the program is over budget through the end of the year about 18%. He also reported on set-aside numbers and said that he’ll report on past-due set-aside soon. In the spreadsheet he emailed to everyone, there’s a list of profitability for each facility broken down by the October through November time period. Art Stevenson recommended that Morris send these financial reports to all the blind licensed managers so that the managers can ask the Elected Committee their questions before the meetings. Morris answered a question from Stevenson about why we were over budget. Morris said that on first glance, he thinks it’s a combination of the Confluence Center activities and the AG fees. Hauth said that he agrees with Stevenson about everyone receiving the financial reports. He said that he thinks part of the reason we’re over budget is because of the Chemeketa Community College arbitration costs. Gerlitz wondered why we don’t just raise the budget for the AG fees. Morris said that the Agency would like the AG budget to be low. Derrick Stevenson wondered what the average income was of the group who is below the average income. Morris said he’d think of a way to get that information together. Bird commented that information about units’ income should not be private information. Art Stevenson said that the Compliance Committee can discuss this issue of financial information in their next meeting. TRAINING & EDUCATIONSagebrush update- Tessa Brown/Director MorrisMorris gave a report on his attendance at the Sagebrush Conference. He learned that they’re going to be hiring a new RSA representative to replace Dan Frye soon. One of the topics at Sagebrush was the RSA buying group. He talked about some other meetings and training sessions he attended. BEI training for elected committee- Ken GerlitzGerlitz said that the Elected Committee is considering not having a Spring In-Service and instead using that money to apply to sponsoring members who want to attend the BLAST training. Morris said that the group is only required to have one In-Service per year. The Fall In-Service is the one when elections are held, so that would be the one to retain. Gerlitz said that BE managers should think about whether or not to have a Spring In-Service. He also commented that he thinks the BE member to Elected Committee member ratio is high, so he would like the group to consider the possibility of only having three Elected Committee members instead of six.Art Stevenson made a motion that there be no Spring In-Service and the money for the In-Service be distributed equally to all blind licensed managers in Oregon who want to attend the BLAST conference. However, there was no second to the motion. Gerlitz suggested that the Agency be asked to offset the cost for those who are interested and can attend BLAST. There was more discussion about sponsorship to BLAST. Morris said that he’ll do more checking on the costs of sending someone to BLAST. Young asked Art Stevenson to put his motion on hold for now. Colley-Dominique had to leave the meeting at this point because her ride had come. Tessa Brown also joined the meeting by phone at this point. Future plans for training- Ken GerlitzNot addressed specifically as an agenda mittee reports- Art Stevenson/Lewanda MirandaMiranda gave an update on the Unassigned Vending Committee. She said that they haven’t met yet, but they were scheduled to have a meeting the next day. Derrick Stevenson gave an update on the Budget Committee. He said that they met with Eric and Dacia and covered the budget process. Art Stevenson added that Dacia Johnson felt that the State of Oregon should be contributing more to the BE Program. They also discussed writing grants and other ways of bringing in more funding. Art Stevenson then gave an update about the Compliance and By-Laws Committee. He said that the Committee is discussing the number of Elected Committee members and looking that the By-Laws relating to that. They want to make the by-laws clearer and more workable. NEW BUSINESSGovernor’s food drive- Chairman YoungYoung said that each February is the Governor’s Food Drive. State employees bring in food that they sell and then give the money to the Food Drive. Young asked for ideas from the other BE managers about how to deal with the slowdown in business during the Food Drive. Art Stevenson suggested that the BE managers talk to Duke Shepard, the liaison to the Governor. Wright added that during the Toy Drive in December, the buildings also did fundraisers and her business was slow then, too. Partial relocations of buildings- Chairman YoungYoung recapped recent discussions around what happens to BE manager’s businesses when populations move out of a building (for example, the recent move of employees from the Fish and Wildlife Building on Cherry Avenue in Salem). Gerlitz suggested that the total number of people in the building is the important factor, meaning that people will move in to replace the ones who left the building. Mckinzie gave her perspective on the situation because she used to have vending at the Fish and Wildlife building. She’s not sure who’s getting the vending from that building now. Wright suggested she call Canteen and ask them about the vending there. Morris commented that BE managers are connected to facilities (i.e. buildings), not the population of that building. Art Stevenson suggested that the compliance committee come up with some ideas around this issue. OtherHauth said that he wants to access the recorded meetings on the website that’s associated with the conference call service the Elected Committee uses. Miranda said they’re locked after the minutes are adopted, but she can unlock them again. Hauth said that he had concerns about the content of the February 19th Compliance By-Laws Meeting as related to him. Hauth and Art Stevenson discussed comments regarding a public records request and about the Port of Portland. OLD BUSINESSWhite City updateMorris said that the letter to White City hasn’t yet gone out from the AG’s office, even though he has been requesting it from them. Gerlitz stated that he thought the AG was “putting us off” and he was tired of their delays. Gerlitz requested support from the Agency in getting the AG to respond in a timelier manner. Edith Green Bldg. updateMorris said that the Commission gave the go-ahead to file for arbitration on this. It hasn’t been done yet, but it’s on the list of 3 pending issues- Director MorrisMorris said that Bonneville Dam is one of his top three issues. He’s trying to get good communication established with their counsel and trying to get the permit finalized. Morris talked with the BPA Cafeteria last week and they agreed that the Randolph-Sheppard priority would apply in this case. BPA Cafeteria expects to issue their RFP process in the next month or so. The last priority on the list is to figure out what the training program is going to look like and how he’s going to facilitate it. Art Stevenson said that the Dean of the Washington School for the Blind would be happy to work with the training team on ideas. OtherBrown reported on her experience at Sagebrush. Hauth asked for an update on Mount Hood Community College, SWOCC, and U of O. Morris said he’s in discussion with SWOCC and Mount Hood Community College now. He has not heard anything from U of O. Hauth asked if Morris had received notice of vending opportunity at Columbia Gorge Community College. Morris said he did and that we have an IGA with them now. OPEN DISCUSSIONNone.DIRECTOR’S COMMENTSNone.NEXT MEETINGYoung said that the next meeting will be the last Thursday of April.Brown said that she thinks it would be a good idea to have a BEP Facebook page. Miranda and Young think that might be a good idea and it will be discussed later.ADJOURNMENT ................
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