Texas State Independent Living Council

Texas State Independent Living Council Meeting Minutes Holiday Inn Midtown 6000 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, TX 78752 Meeting Room: Sycamore Saturday January 28, 2017

Opening: The Texas State Independent Living Council (SILC) regular quarterly meeting was brought to order at 9:03 am by Jim Batchelor, Chair. Present: Members in Attendance – Jim Batchelor, Dr. Ralph Jones, Paul Luther, Mack Marsh, Jim Brocato, Shannon Alexander, Michelle Pruneda, Wes Yeager, Jonas Schwartz

Members Not in Attendance –Terri Richard, Lynne Richardson

Others in Attendance – Sandra Breitengross Bitter, Staff; Craig Davis, Staff; Brian White, Staff; Ashley Fry, Staff; John “Jay” Davis, staff; Keisha Rowe, Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC)

APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND MINUTES o Motion to approve the Agenda and the Minutes from the June meeting was made by Brocato. The motion was seconded and was passed.

CLOSED SESSION o A closed session was called by Batchelor and non-voting members along with staff were asked to leave the room.

HIRING COMMITTEE REPORT ON THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SEARCH o Marsh gave an update on the hiring committee’s search for a new Executive Director. Marsh stated they had received over forty applications and inquiries. After scoring each one, they sent interview requests to the top eight. Marsh stated they would be doing a second round of interviews and would bring at least three candidates to the council for a vote in a special meeting. o Brocato asked that the minutes reflect that at least three candidates would be brought to the full council for a vote. o Luther asked that the minutes reflect that Schwartz was asked to be a non-voting advisor on the committee during closed session.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR REPORT o Breitengross Bitter stated that the SILC has been operating under contract extensions with HHSC and is currently in negotiations for a full contract with a work plan for the remainder of FY17. The current contract expires on January 31, 2017. Since there are several issues that are still being negotiated, she has asked for a one month extension from HHSC. o Breitengross Bitter presented the FY17 Budget and used the grant projection hand out to show the grant income and expenditures through the FY17. Brocato asked that future reports show specific cost allocations associated with each grant. Brocato made a motion to approve the FY17 Budget. The motion was seconded and passed. o Breitengross Bitter reviewed the memo the SILC sent to the SILC regarding funding appropriations for FY18 and FY19. o Relocation Funding - SILC has been in contact with the CILS and HHSC staff to address the loss of general revenue funds. o Personnel Update – Breitengross Bitter introduced Ashley Fry who was hired as the State Plan and Public Policy Specialist in January. The staff also consists of Craig Davis, Executive Assistant; Jay Davis, Financial Officer; and Brian White, Project Director. Jay Davis has given notice of his resignation to take effect in late April or early May. The position has been noticed and staff will begin the interview process for a new Financial Officer. o Breitengross Bitter reviewed a letter sent to Gaby Fuentes with the Governor’s Appointment Office detailing the need for specific appointments to keep the SILC fully constituted.

ADVOCACY SUBCOMMITTEE o Breitengross Bitter referred to the 2017 SILC Advocacy Issues for Discussion handout stating that the Advocacy Subcommittee has been meeting monthly via conference calls. She noted that Relocation was added as an advocacy item given the fact that funding was being removed from the state budget. o Dr. Jones made a motion to approve the advocacy plan. The motion was seconded and passed.

FINANCIAL REPORT o J. Davis presented the QuickBook reports provided in the meeting packet. o Funding will decrease once the Health and Fitness grant ends on March 31, 2017 o HHSC completed a quarterly review in August of 2016 with no major findings. o Luther requested a multi-year forecast showing when each funding source ends and areas of opportunity for new funding. o TCDD is currently conducting their review of the Accessible Transportation Summit grant. o J. Davis presented the letter sent by the SILC to HHSC in detailing the steps the SILC has taken in correcting findings from the past audits. o J. Davis also presented the FY15 990 Tax Return.

NEW BUSINESS o Elections – Batchelor stated that Executive Committee elections would be held at the next quarterly meeting. o Cost Allocation Plan – J. Davis presented the Cost Allocation Plan for approval. A motion was made by Brocato to approve the Cost Allocation Plan. The motion was seconded and passed. o Organizational Flowchart – Breitengross Bitter presented the current flowchart while noting future vacancies. Brocato made a motion to approve the Organizational Flowchart. The motion was seconded and approved. o By-Laws – Since member Colton Read was still waiting re-appointment from the Governor’s office, the updated By-Law discussion would take place at the May meeting. o FY16 Audit – J. Davis presented the bids from accounting firms to complete our FY16 audit. Brocato made a motion to use either Gindler, Chappell, Morrison & Co, P.C. or Atchley and Associates, LLP for the next audit with a budget of no more than 10% over the estimated amount of $10,500.00. Anything above the 10% over $10,000.00 would need additional board approval. The motion was seconded and passed. o Meeting Dates – Breitengross Bitter stated that Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU) would be able to facilitate a training either the first or second week of April. Brocato made a motion for Breitengross Bitter to continue pursuing ILRU training for the next quarterly meeting either the first or second weekend in April. The motion was seconded and passed.

PROJECT UPDATES o White gave an update on the Accessible Transportation Summit and Health and Fitness grants. Both grants were awarded by the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities (TCDD). o Health and Fitness is in its final year and will end on 3/31/17. There is approximately $75,000 that the SILC will need to spend or give back to TCDD. The SILC is proposing to contract with CILs to fund additional health and fitness initiatives provided they can meet the match requirement. o The Accessible Transportation Summit project is a five year grant and will hold its first summit in Austin on March 1-2. The SILC will host a total of five summits over the five year period.

STATE PLAN FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING o Breitengross Bitter and Fry presented the updates for the State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) o FY16 Annual Report – On average 65% of CILs reported on their SPIL activities each quarter. During the last of FY14-16 SPIL, 15 out of the 20 targets were met. There were 20 targets set for FY16 SPIL related activities of which 75% were met. nd o IL Rules/SILC Indicators - Breitengross Bitter referred to a November 22 memo that was sent to the council that provided an overview of the changes brought forth by the final Independent Living rules issued by Administration on Community Living (ACL). The rules are a requirement under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2016. o FY17-19 Quarterly Report – Fry presented the data from the first quarter of FY17. Information about SPIL activities were compiled through reports from agencies and through a survey system with the CILs. SPIL related activities were reported by 14 of the 27 CILS. o Consumer Satisfaction Surveys – SILC has been working with the CILs on coordinating consumer satisfaction surveys that would report their core services and HHSC is doing the same for their contracted Independent Living Services. o SPIL Amendments - The SILC has not received any notice that a SPIL amendment is needed. If a SPIL amendment is needed, Older Blind Provisions will need to be changed in order to reflect what is currently being done in the state. o SILC/SPIL Activities – The SILC will be coordinating with the CILs to complete certain SPIL activities and will be helping develop tool kits that the centers can use in order to help them complete those activities. o SPIL Activity Tracking Survey Update – The quarterly reporting tool is being used to track SPIL activities from the CILs. The survey is being tweaked based on CIL feedback. o Other – Breitengross Bitter presented the proposed FY17-19 SPIL cover design and also presented the letter sent to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) conveying the SILC’s desire to continue coordinate with them on Older Blind services. Breitengross Bitter also updated the council on the 704 Annual Report that is due on March 26, 2017.

EX-OFFICIO, LIASON AND CHAIR REPORTS o Ex-Officio, liaison, and chair reports were presented by the following:  Jonas Schwartz, Program Manager; Texas Workforce Commission – Rehabilitation Services Division PUBLIC COMMENT o Bachelor recognized public comment at 4 PM. No public comment received.

MEETING ADJOURNED o The meeting was adjourned at 4:02 pm.

Texas State Independent Living Council Meeting Minutes Holiday Inn Midtown 6000 Middle Fiskville Rd, Austin, TX 78752 Meeting Room: Sycamore Sunday January 29, 2017

Opening: The SILC quarterly meeting was brought to order by SILC Chair, Jim Batchelor at 9:00 am.

Present: SILC Members in Attendance – Jim Batchelor, Dr. Ralph Jones, Mack Marsh, Shannon Alexander, Jonas Schwartz, Terri Richard, Michelle Pruneda,

Members Not in Attendance – Paul Luther, Lynne Richardson, Wes Yeagar, Jim Brocato

Others in Attendance – Sandra Breitengross Bitter, Staff; Craig Davis, Staff; Ashley Fry, Staff; Jay Davis, Staff; Keisha Rowe, Health and Human Services Commission; Magdalena Blanco, HHSC

EX-OFFICIO, LIASON AND CHAIR REPORTS (CONT.) o Ex-Officio, liaison, and chair reports were presented by the following:  Terri Richard, State Supportive Housing Coordinator; Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs  Magdalena Blanco, Associate Deputy Commissioner; Texas Health and Human Services

BOARD TRAINING o Brietengross Bitter presented the ILRU produced webinar training, The DSE, SILC Roles and Responsibilities, and the Regulations: Part I.

MEETING ADJOURED The meeting was adjourned at 11:40 am.

Minutes drafted by: Craig Davis

Signed by: X Date: Shannon Alexander, Secretary or Executive board member

Next Meeting: May 20-21 in Harlingen, Texas