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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997 04-02 HHSCMINUTES OF THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION MEETING Administration Building Conference Room 1001 N. Idaho Road, Apache Junction, AZ April 2,1997 6:33 p.m. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: ED BARKER JENNIE BENNETT CAROL CRANMER COMMISSIONER ABSENT: CARMEN HUERTA, CHAIRMAN 1.Call to Order/Attendance. STAFF PRESENT: KATHLEEN CONNELLY, CITY CLERK OTHERS PRESENT COUNCILMEMBER URICH COUNCILMEMBER SURRA Commissioner Barker called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m.City Clerk Kathy Connelly called the roll call and advised there was a quorum present.Commissioner Barker welcomed new Commissioner Carol Cranmer to the Commission. 2.Discussion of FY 1997-98 funding applications and procedure for reviewing applications. Commissioner Barker stated the first order of business was the discussion on 1997-98 Fiscal Year funding applications.He stated all the applications were there along with a list of all the applicants and what they were asking for, with the exception of St. George's Catholic Church.This was because they make a reference to $40,000 in their package but they do not specifically ask for that.Commissioner Barker asked if they provide a service new to the community or have taken over a service that was in the community before and run by someone else.City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated it looks like they are taking over the services run by the Salvation Army in the past. The people not served by the Salvation Army last year went to St. George's, where they provided food boxes, utility assistance, transportation and medical assistance. Commissioner Barker stated they have some new applicants:the Boys & Girls Club and Central Arizona Shelter Services.Commissioner Barker asked if the lack of funding applications were due to the ordinance prohibiting the funding.City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated the Boys & Girls Club had come to them before as the Abuse HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION MEETING APRIL 2,1997 PAGE 1 OF 5 Prevention Council, and in the past year they have merged and are now going under the title of the Boys & Girls Club of Apache Junction, merging with the teen center. The application is from Kathy Wilson, who would have submitted for the teen center before. Commissioner Barker asked about Central Arizona Shelter Services.City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated they are a homeless shelter in Phoenix.They have applied before but always at the wrong time of year.This year they got the application in on time, however,they cannot confirm city residency.Commissioner Barker stated that appears to eliminate them, and City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated they may want to meet with them to confirm that.Commissioner Cranmer asked if they were a referral source for homeless people here.City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated they run a shelter and provide job opportunities. Commissioner Cranmer asked if those job opportunities were from here.City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated that was undetermined, and the ordinance states that all human services funding shall be used for the benefit of city residents. Commissioner Barker stated it is hard for the agencies to meet the residency requirement because so many of the citizens being helped are homeless and therefore it is hard to confirm an Apache Junction residence as they have no "residence".City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated one also does not know if it is in the city or in the Maricopa County portions.Commissioner Cranmer stated she could understand if a referral was done into the shelter, and she was advised the city does not do that. Commissioner Barker moved on to say Community Action Human Resources Agency is familiar to them, but the East Valley Addiction Council is new.City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated she has no information on them, other than they do receive funds from PGBHA.It appears they will not provide the city with verification of residency as they consider that confidential information.She is not aware of any local drug addiction assistance agency.She stated she would check with the police department and the court to see if they have referred anyone there. Commissioner Barker asked if the Mesa Senior Center was taking over the Senior Center.City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated they were,and this time the servicing agency is filing the application instead of a pass through agency. Commissioner Barker stated they had also received applications from the Salvation Army and Superstition Mountain Mental Health Center.He asked if any agency had applied that had already been eliminated, and City Clerk Kathy Connelly told him no applicants had been eliminated as of yet. Commissioner Barker advised Commissioner Cranmer that they normally take the HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION MEETING APRIL 2,1997 PAGE 2 OF 5 applications home and go over them, then come back and discuss them, set a date to interview the ones being considered for funding, and frequently decide on the night of the interview the amount of funding they will receive.Occasionally they have adjourned on that night to come back in a couple of weeks. Commissioner Barker asked if there were any questions or discussion on anything. Commissioner Cranmer stated she is not familiar with the process and Commissioner Barker stated Ordinance No. 659 is the ordinance that governs their recommendations and the city council's ability to approve funding.He asked City Clerk Kathy Connelly to give Commissioner Cranmer a copy of the ordinance.He stated in the past they have had many worthwhile organizations request funding but they could not verify they were serving Apache Junction residents, and the ordinance requires they verify they are serving Apache Junction residents,so therefore they could not receive funding. Commissioner Cranmer asked if there is a total amount to be funded, as the total amount requested is almost $153,000.Commissioner Barker stated the city manager has asked them to keep it at a maximum of $74,000.Commissioner Cranmer asked if it must be decided how much each approved request merits, and Commissioner Barker stated that was correct. Commissioner Barker asked City Clerk Kathy Connelly to provide them with a list of who was funded last year at the next meeting.City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated the list is on a chart with the information provided at this meeting. City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated for the most part the agencies do comply, but it is a struggle for them.However, this year she has encountered some problems with the Salvation Army which she would like to bring up at the next meeting.Commissioner Barker asked City Clerk Kathy Connelly to proceed with her comments.He added for Commissioner Cranmer's benefit that all of these organizations are deserving, but there is a limited amount of money.He stated in the past they have discussed the possibility of letting these agencies know that just because they were funded in the past, does not mean they will always be funded, as new organizations are being created that will also need funding, and they will need the funding to get themselves started. City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated the Salvation Army was funded two years ago for $23,500.Approximately mid -way through the year they started encountering administrative and bookkeeping problems and they ended up giving back half of the funds.The program shut down and they had no way to disburse the funds.Since it was after the budget cycle, the city had no way to disburse those funds.This year the commission funded them in the amount of $8,000 and problems were HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION MEETING APRIL 2, 1997 PAGE 3 OF 5 encountered immediately. Around July 1 their commander left with things in a total disarray.The new commander came in around September and has not settled in. Three hours before the deadline for this funding year they still had not called.She called the commander and he stated he knew nothing about the deadline, though he had been notified by mail in early December.For almost two months they had done nothing, then they scrambled to get the documentation to her, and she did not get all the documentation then.She stated she wondered if they have settled their internal problems enough to provide services.Commissioner Barker recalled the Salvation Army having a difficult time in one way or the other for the last 4 to 5 years.City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated they did have two ladies doing bookkeeping there who were very conscientious.One of them has left due to illness, and she has not been replaced and may not be replaced.She has concerns with their properly dispensing the funds or dispensing the funds at all.She stated she received a copy of their own internal audit which reflects some problems, which is in the packet. City Clerk Kathleen Connelly stated she is amazed at the work of the Food Bank as they are all volunteers, yet the reports are always on time and well done.She added agencies with large staffs cannot seem to do this,and even send in handwritten reports which are illegible. 3.Selection of future meeting dates. Commissioner Barker asked if everyone was in agreement to meet again after these reports had been taken home and studied.Commissioner Bennett made a motion to come back on Wednesday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m.Commissioner Cranmer seconded the motion.The vote was unanimous. 4.Commission requests for future agenda items. Commissioner Barker asked if there were any requests for future agenda items.He suggested a discussion on nominations for the vacancy on the commission.He stated he would see Chuck Baker tomorrow and see if he is interested in filling out a talent bank application.City Clerk Kathy Connelly stated he would be interviewed by the council after he filled out the application. 5.Adjournment. Commissioner Barker motioned for adjournment. Commissioner Bennett seconded the motion.The vote was unanimous.The meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION MEETING APRIL 2,1997 PAGE 4 OF 5 armen Huerta, Chairman Kathleen Connelly City Clerk HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION MEETING APRIL 2,1997 PAGE 5 OF 5