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County of Volusia
Children and Families Advisory Board Minutes
Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 5:15 p.m.
Thomas C. Kelly Administration Center
County Council Chambers
123 West Indiana Avenue
DeLand, FL

Call to Order
Carrie Baird called the meeting to order. 

Roll Call
Donna Lamison
It was determined that a quorum was present. 

Item 1 – Approval of minutes of the Children and Families Advisory Board
Minutes of the January 22, 2008 CFAB meeting – Carrie Baird noted that Item 4, Funding Request from Great Kids Explorer Club, final paragraph, last sentence, should be corrected to read:  ‘Carrie Baird and David Kerr opposed.’ Dr. Willie Kimmons motioned and Deborah Denys seconded approval of minutes with correction. Motion approved. 

Approve meeting schedule for July, 2008

Item 2: Meeting dates for the remainder of the calendar year need to be established. 

Staff recommendation:  Set July 22, 2008 5:15pm for CFAB Board meeting to approve budget sub-committee recommendations. 

Deborah Denys moved to approve and David Kerr seconded the motion. So approved.

Approve summer camp providers

Item 3 - Carrie Baird opened the item for public hearing. No public participation. 

Staff Report – Diana Phillips: There is a change on this item. At the time we did this agenda we thought we had all of the additional information for the City of Daytona Beach, God’s Covenant and Strong Tower Mission. However, upon further review we have discovered that God’s Covenant Mission Center was not re-inspected by the deadline. The City of Daytona Beach provided inspection reports, however all of them were over a year old with the exception of the Dickerson Center. The Dickerson center does have a valid fire report. We did receive both the insurance and the fire inspection report for Strong Tower Mission. 

Board Discussion: Carrie Baird noted that God’s Covenant Mission Center did not meet the second deadline that was extended. Diana Phillips stated that she did speak with the Executive Director and she reported that she did not receive approval of her board in time to get the needed inspections done.  

Dr. Willie Kimmons moved to approve the City of Daytona Beach Leisure Services Dickerson Center and Strong Tower Mission Center as summer camp providers. Dave Evans seconded the motion. Motion approved.  

Carrie Baird welcomed new board member Dee Jarrard and all members introduced themselves. 

Approve allocation of all unencumbered funds to summer camp. 

Item 4 - Carrie Baird opened the item for public hearing. No public participation.

Staff Report – Diana Phillips: At our last meeting this item was tabled. I believe Dave Evans had concerns that by moving the funds too quickly, monies may not be available for other needs that may arise. So the item is back up for discussion.

Board Discussion: Dave Evans said that his feelings have not changed. He feels that it is too early in the fiscal year to commit all funds. Susan Caplan agreed. Alex Carmichel and Carrie Baird expressed hesitation in locking up those funds this early in the fiscal year. 

Peggy Johnson suggested tabling the item and presenting it for discussion at the beginning of the April 22 meeting. 

Alex Carmichel moved to approve tabling of the item until the April 22, 2008 meeting. Dr. Willie Kimmons seconded. So moved. 

2008-2009 Application from the American Heart Association 

Item 5 - Carrie Baird opened the item for public hearing. No public participation. 

Staff Report – Diana Phillips: We did receive an application for 08-09 funding from the American Heart Association (AHA). As the board directed, we informed all the agencies applying for funding that they must attend one of the workshops regarding how to fill out the application. No staff from the AHA was present at any of the workshops as confirmed by their Executive Director. Therefore, in keeping with our policy, staff is requesting approval to deny their application for 08/09.

Board Discussion/Action: David Kerr expressed his appreciation of everyone’s agreement on upholding the established policies. 

Dr. Willie Kimmons moved to support staff’s recommendation to deny 08/09 funding to the American Heart Association. Susan Caplan seconded. So moved. 

Chair’s Report:  Discussion of CFAB action plan and 2008 goals 

Item 6 - Carrie Baird opened the item for public hearing. No public participation. 

Board Report – Carrie Baird: Carrie Baird reviewed the materials presented. She explained that although the data was flawed, it demonstrated some important overall information. Of the 99 total programs that have applied for funding, the majority were for $10K or under. It also demonstrates the non-standardization of information being presented. Volusia County funding represents 10% of total monies available for social services. 

Lengthy board discussion ensued regarding best methods, cost-effectiveness, determining and prioritizing community needs and other issues that must be resolved as the board matures and moves forward in defining its funding processes.  

Carrie Baird asked board members how they would like to proceed in trying to create a better system. Alex Carmichel suggested that a special meeting be called following the current grant cycle to focus solely on this issue.  

In preparation for that meeting, Carrie Baird, Diana Phillips and Peggy Johnson will develop a list of categories and sub-categories to be reviewed by all board members, together with individual board member responses to the questions for discussion and e-mail their responses to staff. Staff will then collate the information for review by the full board. Alex Carmichel suggested that the Children’s Cabinet model being used by various other counties might be a good model to explore.  

All agreed that this information would be collected for review and focused discussion at a special board meeting to be held on May 27, 2008 at 5:15 p.m. in Council Chambers. Dr. Willie Kimmons so moved and Alex Carmichel seconded. Motion was unanimously approved. 

Discussion by board members of matters not on the agenda.

Alex Carmichel reported that March 31 to April 3, 2008 is Children’s Week in Tallahassee and this would be a good opportunity to remind folks about Volusia County. Carrie Baird stated that there will be a celebration of Children’s Week on March 20 in the rotunda. Jack Levine will be present. CFAB is to be an integral part of that celebration. The board will send relevant information to staff and ask that they share the information with the County Council members.  

Deborah Denys shared that she attended a monitoring session with Peggy Johnson. She encouraged other board members to do the same. She stated that Peggy was well-prepared, did a tremendous job and described her as “grace under pressure.”  

Susan Caplan and Dr. Willie Kimmons requested that the monitoring schedule be re-e-mailed to all board members. 

Susan Caplan thanked Gail Camputaro for bringing the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform information to the board. 

Discussion by staff of matters not on the agenda: None. 

Public Participation
Gail Camputaro, Executive Director of the Council on Aging, introduced herself and thanked the board for their support. She shared that her organization has relinquished two grants:  (1) The retired senior volunteer grant ($60,000) and (2) The foster grandparent grant ($450,000). There were multiple reasons for doing so. First and foremost was the need for the agency to focus on core services. The number of seniors is growing at a rate of 4-to-1 over the number of children. The agency has a waiting list of 4,000 seniors at this point. There are no new federal or state funds.

Dave Evans asked staff if the foster grand parent program was not ending, simply the sponsorship by the Council on Aging, would the dollars would still be available for another agency to sponsor the program?  Diana Phillips responded that once the contract with the Council on Aging ends, the funds would be transferred out of that account and anyone else applying for those funds would have to meet the established criteria.

Carrie Baird introduced Steve Sally, Executive Director of The House Next Door, who offered that there is an ad-hoc committee formed by the United Way that would be a good reference point to share knowledge. He also requested that when looking at priorities in terms of funding, the board look at applications that are attempting to re-establish priorities internally to determine where the program monies are allocated and how they might have bigger impact on the community. He believes it is a time of real change in the non-profit service world.

Suzanne Dewees commended the work of The House Next Door, stating that they make a real difference.

Adjournment
Carrie Baird adjourned the meeting at 6:35 p.m.

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