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HomeMy WebLinkAbout26.06.26 - Minutes, Local Management BoardWas],wngtcunty OFFICE 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 Meetin Virtual Meeting Minutes June 26, 2026 Members present via zoom: Tiffany Rexrode - Vice -Chair, Melanie Graves, Kelli Tencer, Deena Holder, Nedra Wingate -Dix, Sarah Nadeau, Gerry Kendle, Susan Buchanan, and Gerry McCarney, Alternates present via zoom: Jeremy Jakoby — Chair, Brooke Kerbs, Kwema Ledbetter, and Linda Yale Staff present via zoom: 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. Also in attendance were Amy Hammerle and Anshi Patel with Sustainable Schooling. II. Approval of Minutes — May 15, 2026 A motion was made by Kelli Tencer, seconded by Susan Buchanan to approve the May 15, 2026, Local Management Board minutes as written. motion approved. III. Staff Report — Richard Lesh, Grant Manager GOC - CCIF Funding: The Governor's Office for Children announced an additional $2 million in FY27 funding through the Children's Cabinet Interagency Fund (CCIF). Washington County will receive $74,581 as part of this allocation. The funding distribution recommended by the CPAR Committee was included in the meeting packet for review. The committee recommended dividing the allocation between two programs, LMB dues, and administration cost: 100 West Washington Street, Suite 1601 Hagerstown, MD 21740-4885 240.313.2040 7-1-1 WWW.WASHCO-MD.NET ➢ S37,000 to the Family Center at the Department of Social Services. ➢ $37,000 to the school -Based Mental Health Program operated by Brook Lane. ➢ $500 for Local Management Board (LMB) dues. ➢ $81 for administrative costs. These allocations will help offset significant FY27 funding losses experienced by both programs due to reductions in funding from other sources. Staff will resubmit the CCIF application by the June 30 deadline. FY27 Capacity Building application: Staff provided an overview of the proposed use of the Capacity Building Grant funds. The grant is intended to strengthen the Local Management Board's (LMB) capacity to support organizations and programs serving children and families throughout Washington County. As outlined in the Strategic Plan, significant community engagement and data collection identified opportunities to improve coordination among service providers, reduce duplication of services, and ensure future funding decisions are based on documented community needs rather than existing programs. To support implementation of the Strategic Plan, staff recommended using the Capacity Building Grant to retain a consultant who will assist with coordinating workgroups, collecting and analyzing data, and establishing processes to monitor progress toward the plan's goals. This work will help position the LMB as the lead convener and coordinator of children's and family services in Washington County. Staff noted that building internal capacity over the next year will strengthen the LMB's ability to support partner organizations, improve funding decisions, and enhance collaboration across agencies serving children and families. Staff will be submitting the FY27 Capacity Building Funding application by the June 30 deadline. • Healthy Families Home Visiting Grant application update: Staff reported that the Healthy Families grant application was submitted at the end of May. To date, no award notification has been received. Staff noted that funding will be rewarded through a competitive application process rather than by formula allocation, the amount of funding is currently unknown. Staff will provide an update once award decisions have been announced. IV. Finance Report — Richard Lesh, Grant Manager • FY26 Expenditure Report: The Expenditure Report was included in the email packet distributed to all committee members. Staff reported that the matching funds from the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) for Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) were received and subsequently disbursed to BBBS. The Healthy Families program experienced significant staff turnover during the fiscal year, two employees accepted other positions, and one retired. As a result, the program did not have sufficient staffing capacity to fully utilize its awarded funding and is expected to end the fiscal year with an unspent balance. Staff expressed hope that the FY27 Healthy Families grant award will be announced before the current year's unspent balance is considered. Staff also noted that several June invoices are expected to be submitted, which should increase reimbursement requests and help maximize the use of the current year's awarded funds. V. Local Care Team Report (LCT): KTA Advising Group, Kwema Ledbetter and Nedra Wingate -Dix Kwema reported that the Local Care Team (LCT) managed seven active cases and facilitated two family meetings during the reporting period. Staff continued to provide case coordination, connect families with community resources, and noted an increase in hotline calls, many of which were resolved without the need for a formal LCT meeting. She highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen LCT operations through the development of performance metrics, expanded early intervention strategies, and increased community outreach, including participation in school open houses and the creation of informational materials. Kwema also reported that staff are working with the Department of Social Services to prepare for legislative changes effective October 1 that will affect the Voluntary Placement Agreement (VPA) process and LCT operations. Additional updates included new community partnerships, support for the Big Brothers Big Sisters expansion initiative, improvements to data reporting thru the Compyle system, and distributing the second quarterly LCT presentation to 32 partner agencies, with follow-up presentations planned for July. Nedra reported an increase in hotline calls over the past 30 to 60 days. Many of the callers required care coordination and assistance connecting with appropriate community resources rather than a formal Local Care Team (LCT) meeting. LCT staffs focus is on helping families identify next steps and access available services, emphasizing early intervention and resource connection whenever possible. She concluded by reaffirming the LCT's commitment to supporting Washington County families and encouraged Board members to share feedback and priorities VI. Sub -Committee Report — Richard Lesh, Grant Manager Community Planning, & Review (CPAR): Richard reported that the primary topic of the May 13 meeting was the FY2027 funding distribution, which would be presented later in the meeting for Board consideration and approval. He also noted that the Local Management Board had received its award notification and that its share of the additional $2 million in statewide funding totaled $74,581. VII. Old Business — Richard Lesh, Grant Manager • By-laws update: Each committee member received an email packet containing the June 2026 draft of the bylaws, along with staff notes and explanations of the proposed revisions for review. Following a brief discussion, there were no additional questions or comments. The proposed bylaw revisions require approval by the Local Management Board (LMB) before being submitted to Legal Counsel for review. Upon completion of the legal review, the proposed bylaws will be submitted to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) for consideration during a closed session. If no additional changes are recommended, the BOCC will approve the by-laws during a subsequent open session. A motion was made by Linda Yale to approve the by-laws revisions as presented in the June 2026 Revision. The motion was seconded by Susan Buchanan. unanimous vote: motion approved • Sustainable Schooling Presentation - An interactive presentation was provided by Amy Hammerale, assisted by analyst Anshi Patel. The session engaged Local Management Board (LMB) members in discussion regarding substance use trends and related challenges impacting school -aged youth. The presentation highlighted current prevention and intervention efforts and emphasized collaboration between schools and community partners. LMB members participated in discussion throughout the session, contributing feedback and engaging with the material presented. The meeting concluded with interest in exploring the development of a nonprofit hub, a speaker's bureau, and increased community engagement. The strategic planning process will continue through additional surveys and the development of draft priorities in the coming weeks. A motion was made by Susan Buchanan to accept the Strategic Plan as presented. The motion was seconded by Linda Yale. unanimous vote: motion approved VIII. New Business — Richard Lesh, Grant Manager • Board Vote Required: • GOC FY27 Adjusted Funding Allocation A motion was made by Susan Buchanan to accept the adjusted GOC FY27 funding allocation as presented by staff. The motion was seconded by Deena Holder; motion approved Sara Nadeau, Washington County Free Library, abstained from voting. ■ FY27 Capacity Building Funding A motion was made by Susan Buchanan to accept the FY27 Capacity Building funding as presented. The motion was seconded by Deena Holder; motion approved. Kelli Tencer, United Way of Washington County, abstained from voting. Approval of Community Representatives Applications A motion was made by Linda Yale to approve Dr. David Shuster and Phil Scolaro as new Community Representatives to the LMB Board. The motion was seconded by Susan Buchanan. unanimous vote; motion approved • FY27 Election of Officers Prior to the meeting, Tiffany Rexrode accepted the nomination for Local Management Board (LMB) Chair, and Susan Buchanan accepted the nomination for LMB Vice Chair. No additional nominations were received from the committee. Kwema Ledbetter made a motion to approve the nominees for Chair and Vice Chair. The motion was seconded by Linda Yale. The motion carried unanimously among the remaining voting members. Tiffany Rexrode and Susan Buchanan each abstained from voting on their respective nominations. The motion carried unanimously among the remaining. IX. Roundtable'- Members present were asked to share any updates. X. Adjournment A motion was made by Susan Buchanan; seconded by Deena Hoder for adjournment at10:47 a.m. Next Meeting — September 18, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Submitted by: Ea �c J M eret Seni r Office Associate Date: Reviewed by: Date: l i 20� b Maria amer, Director Grant Management Appr S •• ��� Date: Tiffany Rexrode, LMB Chair