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HomeMy WebLinkAbout25.05.16 - Minutes, Local Management BoardOFFICE OF GRANT MANAGEMENT DIVISION OF BUDGET & FINANCE Washington County Office of Grant Management 100 W. Washington Street, Room 1601 Hagerstown, MD 21740 Local Management Board Meeting Virtual Meeting Minutes May 16, 2025 Members present via zoom: Deena Holder, Kelli Tencer, Susan Buchanan, Sarah Nadeau, Commissioner Jeff Cline Alternates present via zoom: Jeremy Jakoby -Chair, Heather Guessford, Brooke Kerbs, Linda Yale, Jared Blakeslee, Kwema Ledbetter, Sarah Mollett-Gaumer and Damien Myers Staff present via zoom, Maria Kramer -Director, Carsten Ahrens -Sr. Grant Manager, Richard Lesh -Grant Manager, and Julie Mackereth I. Opening -Welcome • Jeremy Jakoby, Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:02 a.m. He welcomed everyone. II. Approval of Minutes-March 21, 2025 A motion was made by Susan Buchanan, seconded by Kelli Tencer to approve the March 21, 2025, Local Management Board minutes as written. motion approved. III. Staff Report -Richard Lesh, Grant Manager • LMB Director's Meeting update-Staff will be attending (via zoom) the directors meeting with the GOC today at 2:00 p.m. IV. Finance Report -Richard Lesh, Grant Manager • FY25 Expenditure Report -current report was included in the meeting invitation email packet. 100 West Washington Street, Suite 1601 I Hagerstown, MD 21740-4885 I P: 240.313.2040 I Hearing Impaired: 7-1-1 WWW.WASH CO-MD.NET o Healthy Families (WC Health Department) were asked how they were going to spend down the remaining funding balance. Staff were advised that May's invoice will be over $32,000 and the approbations for June's invoice are over $35,000. This puts them up over 95% of allocations spent. V. Local Care Team Report (LCT)-KTA Advising Group, Kwema Ledbetter, shared: Staff recorded 17 referrals for FY24. Kwema and Nedra met with Maria (OGM) and Carsten (Sr. Grant Manager) to clarify and expand the vision for the LCT. The focus is now on increasing referrals from a broader range of community resources. The LCT will be stationed in Hagerstown once a week to become more familiar with available local resources, which will enhance the quality of support and information shared with families. The LCT has expressed a desire for more direct interaction with families. They attended a peer group meeting that included LCT coordinators from other counties. A recent meeting with the Governor's Office for Children (GOC) reinforced the importance of alignment with the State Coordinating Council. The state plans to implement a new data tracking tool, "Compile," to support referral tracking and service coordination. Going into the next fiscal year, the LCT will be conducting proactive outreach efforts to strengthen engagement and improve service access for families. VI. Sub-Committee Report • Community Planning & Review (CPAR) -Damien Myers, Sub-Committee Chair, reported that the WMC Summer Youth "Intake" Program is currently open for sign-ups youth ages 14 to 24. New businesses are joining the program daily, indicating strong community engagement and interest. There are currently over 180 youth on the waiting list, reflecting high demand for participation. The registration deadline is May 30th. VII. Old Business • CCIF Funding Application update -Application Timeline Overview. April 25th: Original application submitted. May 12th: Notification received regarding two deficiencies. May 13th : Three revised documents submitted to address the deficiencies. May 16th: Deadline for corrections. June 6th: Award letters to be sent out. • SBHC Grant update -the grant application has been submitted • and forwarded for approval. Staff are currently awaiting final approval notification. Capacity Building Grant -Carsten Ahrens, Sr. Grant Manager Grant Extension -A 90-day extension was approved, extending the grant's spending deadline from end of June to end of September. The first invoice from Horizon Goodwill has been received. They have hired a staff member with strong data collection experience, along with an intern from UV A to assist with information gathering. The grant targets high-poverty census tracts, where over 80% of school-age children live in poverty. A two-page list of data points will be used by Horizon Goodwill to collect data on community resources and conduct direct population surveys. Funds have been set aside to hire an external, objective analyst to evaluate the data ensuring an unbiased approach that supports an action plan for eliminating childhood poverty in these areas. VIII. New Business -Richard Lesh -Grant Manager • Home Visiting (Healthy Families) Grant update -A check-in meeting was held last week with Nicholas Miller from the State. o Key update: This year's grant will be a competitive bid, rather than a fixed state allocation. o The total funding amount will remain unchanged. o A discussion was held with the Washington County Health Department regarding how to proceed once the application is available. Quote from Nicholas Miller (State): "It is essential to maintain fiscal and programmatic efficiency. The appropriate and effective use of the grant funds will be key to meeting the project's goals within the established timeline and in accordance with the mandatory grant provisions and signed assurances." A payment history document for the Healthy Families program was shared to highlight the program's strong track record. Based on performance and reporting, there is confidence in the program's standing. The team has consistently received positive evaluations. The program director, Lone, demonstrated exceptional preparedness and knowledge during a recent state review meeting. The Health Department plans to request increased funding, noting that allocations have remained static for the past 15 years. • Capacity Building Grant Update -Carsten Ahrens -Sr. Grant Manger A 90-day extension has been granted for the Capacity Building Grant, allowing the team to utilize funds through September, rather than the original June deadline. The first invoice from Horizon Goodwill has been received. They have hired a specialist with extensive experience in data collection and analysis. They have also recruited an intern from the UV A to assist with gathering community-level information. The Capacity Building Grant supports efforts to deeply assess and address poverty in high-need census tracts, where 80% or more of school-aged children live below the poverty line. A comprehensive two-page list of data points has been developed. This guide will help Horizon Goodwill with collecting data across key areas, including Community resources and direct surveys of Washington County residents. Funds have also been designated to encourage community participation in surveys ( e.g., gift cards or small gifts). Additional funds are reserved to contract with an external data analysis firm. This ensures the interpretation of findings is objective and free from local biases, allowing for a clearer strategy in developing solutions to eliminate childhood poverty in the identified census tracts. • FY26 Slate of Officers discussion 1. Board Chair -Jeremy willing to continue for a second term 2. Board Vice chair -Tiffany willing to continue for second term 3. CPAR Chair -Daminen willing to continue his 1 year left on his term If anyone else would like to nominate someone -or nominate themselves -please notify Richard Lesh -Grant Manger so names can be included for voting at our next meeting. After a vote was taken, Richard confirmed the FY26th full board meetings will remain as they are and will continue to be held via Zoom on the third Friday of each month from September through June, unless a holiday falls on a scheduled meeting Friday. IX. Community Roundtable -Members present shared their updates. X. Adjournment A motion was made by Linda Yale; seconded by Deena Holder for adjournment at 9:40 a.m. Next Meeting-June 20, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Election of Officers Submitted by: Reviewed by: ~~ Date: 6~~Z-> -------------------------------Richard Lesh, Grant Manager Approved by: J E Digitally signed by Jeremy E. Jakoby ere my • ON: cn=Jeremy E. Jakoby, o=Washington County Public Schools, ou=Student Jakob Services, emai1=jakobjer@wcps.k12.md.us, c=us Date: ------Oate.i!Oi!S.06.2515.2?.17 &4100' Jeremy Jakoby, Chair