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