Social Services & Community Development Committee

Summary

Meeting Overview

The Social Services & Community Development Committee met on October 21, 2014, at 11:00 a.m., with Ford presiding as Chair. During the meeting, the committee addressed five agenda items, all of which were approved. The committee took 10 motions and votes and heard 6 public comments.

The approved agenda items included the Committee Summary, the Partner Agency Funding Process for FY16 with a program name change, BGADD Membership and an audit response regarding the Homecare Program Match, a Workforce Investment & Training Interlocal Agreement, and Items Referred to Committee.

Attendance

The following individuals were present at the meeting on October 21, 2014:

• Ford
• Akers
• Ellinger
• Kay
• Lawless
• Stinnett
• Scutchfield
• Myers
• Beard
• Lane

No absences or late arrivals were recorded.

Votes and Decisions

Motion to approve 25% of extended social resource program funding allocation to emergency shelters 44:07 Moved by Stinnett, seconded by Ellinger. Passed by voice vote. All nine members voted in favor: Ford, Akers, Ellinger, Kay, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, Beard, and Lane.

Motion to approve ESR grant target amount based on 1% of prior year's actual revenues 59:01 Moved by Akers, seconded by Ellinger. Passed by voice vote. All nine members voted in favor: Ford, Akers, Ellinger, Kay, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, Beard, and Lane.

Motion to approve biennial funding process for ESR grants 1:00:17 Moved by Kaye, seconded by Ellinger. Passed by roll call vote, 4-3. Voting in favor: Ford, Akers, Ellinger, Stinnett. Voting against: Kay, Scutchfield, Myers. This motion will be reconsidered by full council.

Motion to approve announcement of total ESR grant amount in mayor's budget address 1:02:57 Moved by Stinnett, seconded by Ellinger. Passed by voice vote. All nine members voted in favor: Ford, Akers, Ellinger, Kay, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, Beard, and Lane.

Motion to approve December 15th deadline for letters of intent 1:04:05 Moved by Stinnett, seconded by Ellinger. Passed by voice vote. All nine members voted in favor: Ford, Akers, Ellinger, Kay, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, Beard, and Lane.

Motion to amend bonus points recommendation to 5 points for collaboration and 5 for innovation 1:06:46 Moved by Akers, seconded by Reniger. Failed by roll call vote, 4-3. Voting in favor: Ford, Akers, Ellinger, Stinnett. Voting against: Kay, Scutchfield, Myers.

Motion to approve 5 bonus points for collaborative applications and 5 for innovation 1:11:14 Moved by Kaye, seconded by Ellinger. Passed by roll call vote, 4-3. Voting in favor: Ford, Akers, Ellinger, Stinnett. Voting against: Kay, Scutchfield, Myers.

Motion to limit budget link process to department staff and work group 1:12:22 Moved by Akers, seconded by Beard. Passed by voice vote. All nine members voted in favor: Ford, Akers, Ellinger, Kay, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, Beard, and Lane.

Motion to separate PSA for BGADD dues and Homecare match 1:15:07 Moved by Kay, seconded by Akers. Passed by voice vote. All nine members voted in favor: Ford, Akers, Ellinger, Kay, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, Beard, and Lane.

Resolution 0073-26: Motion regarding amended interlocal cooperative agreement 1:32:01 Moved by Ford, seconded by Ellinger. Passed by voice vote. All nine members voted in favor: Ford, Akers, Ellinger, Kay, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, Beard, and Lane. The resolution recommends that the mayor not sign the proposed amended interlocal cooperative agreement and that the urban county government take steps to declare Lexington-Fayette County a workforce investment area.

Budget and Financial Actions

The meeting addressed two significant financial allocations:

Emergency Shelter Programs Grant

A grant of $700,000 was approved under Resolution 0073-26 to fund emergency shelter programs. This funding is to be transferred to the Office of Homeless Prevention and Intervention for administration and implementation.

Extended Social Resource Agencies Appropriation

An appropriation of $3,200,000 was designated for Extended Social Resource Agencies. This target amount was established based on 1% of the prior year's actual revenues.

Public Comment

Several council members raised concerns and offered perspectives on funding allocation and workforce development during the meeting.

Council Member Kay addressed a fundamental issue regarding the council's funding priorities 23:01. Kay emphasized the need for clarity on whether the council intends to fund only innovative programs or also ongoing services.

Council Member Lane questioned the emergency shelter funding allocation 44:07. Lane expressed concern about allocating 25% of ESR funds to emergency shelters and noted the lack of data supporting this figure.

Council Member Stinnett raised concerns about the biennial funding process 1:02:57. Stinnett expressed worry that a two-year funding cycle could create instability due to annual budget changes and voted against the motion.

Council Member Akers proposed an amendment regarding collaboration incentives 1:06:16. Akers suggested increasing bonus points for collaboration to 10, arguing that collaboration is more important than innovation. The amendment failed.

Council Member Clark voiced support for the resolution on workforce development 1:28:52. Clark stated it is time for Fayette County to take control of workforce training and indicated the issue deserves full council discussion.

Council Member Stinnett offered additional perspective on workforce development 1:30:29. Stinnett argued that the resolution represents only a small part of a larger need to reestablish a workforce development department within the government.

Contested Items

Three items generated significant disagreement during the meeting.

Biennial Funding Process

The body voted on a motion to adopt a biennial funding cycle, which passed 4-3. The close vote reflected member concerns about the impact of annual budget changes on long-term program planning. [timestamp data not provided]

Collaborative Application Bonus Points

An amendment to increase collaboration bonus points from 5 to 10 failed 4-3. Members debated whether such a high incentive might encourage artificial partnerships rather than genuine collaborative efforts. [timestamp data not provided]

Workforce Investment Area Resolution

The resolution to reject the amended interlocal agreement prompted heated discussion. The disagreement centered on whether the committee should allow BGADD additional time to reform or take a firm stance by rejecting the agreement. [timestamp data not provided]

Committee Summary

The committee approved the summary of the September 23, 2014 meeting during this agenda item 4:35. The discussion included a review of the previous meeting's actions and updates on ongoing matters.

Key Participants

The following committee members participated in this discussion: Ford, Ellinger, Kay, Stinnett, Scutchfield, Myers, and Beard.

Outcome

The committee approved the meeting summary.

Partner Agency Funding Process (FY16) / Change Name of Program

5:06

Commissioner Beth Mills presented recommendations for rebranding and restructuring the partner agency funding process. The presentation outlined several key changes to the program's operations and administration.

Proposed Changes

The primary recommendation was to rebrand the partner agency funding process as Extended Social Resource (ESR) Grants. Additional proposals included:

• Moving emergency shelter funds to the Office of Homeless Prevention and Intervention
• Adopting a biennial funding cycle for the program
• Introducing collaborative application incentives to encourage partnerships among agencies

Discussion and Speakers

The agenda item involved discussion among multiple commissioners and staff members, including Mills, Maynard, Kay, Akers, Stinnett, and Clark. The presentation format allowed for examination of the proposed structural and naming changes to the funding mechanism.

Outcome

The recommendations were approved by the body. The decision to rebrand the program as ESR Grants and implement the accompanying operational changes moved forward following the presentation and discussion.

BGADD Membership, Audit Response – Homecare Program Match

1:14:01

The committee discussed a recommendation to separate the Professional Services Agreement (PSA) for BGADD dues and Homecare match funding. Key speakers in this discussion included Bencz, Kay, Akers, Beard, and Lane.

The primary recommendation under consideration was to move Homecare match funds into the Department of Social Services budget. The committee supported this approach, with the rationale that allocating these funds through the Department of Social Services budget would ensure more timely allocation of the Homecare match resources.

The discussion centered on improving the administrative process for managing these two distinct funding streams. By separating the PSA and moving the Homecare match into the Department of Social Services budget, the committee sought to address timing and allocation efficiency concerns.

Outcome: The item was approved.

Workforce Investment & Training – Interlocal Agreement

1:15:44

The committee reviewed a proposed amended interlocal agreement for the Bluegrass Workforce Investment Board during this agenda item.

Key Speakers and Discussion

The presentation and discussion involved Ford, Akers, Ellinger, Kay, Stinnett, and Clark.

Issues Raised

The committee identified several concerns regarding the agreement:

• Governance issues
• Conflict of interest matters
• Fiscal agent independence

Outcome

The committee approved a recommendation to not sign the agreement as presented.

Items Referred to Committee

1:32:32

The committee discussed pending items referred from other council members during this agenda item. The discussion centered on two primary matters: increasing commitment to partner agency funding and the proposed reorganization of the Office of Homeless Prevention.

Key speakers during this discussion included Ford, Myers, Akers, Ellinger, and Kay. While the specific details of their individual positions and arguments are not available from the meeting record, these five members actively participated in deliberating the referred items.

The committee ultimately approved the items referred to committee. This approval concluded the discussion on both the partner agency funding commitment and the Office of Homeless Prevention reorganization proposal.