Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommission On Disability - Minutes - 04/14/2005COD Minutes April 14, 2005 Approved in May 20M Regular Meeang Attendance: Members Present: Mark Beck, Laura, Paul Ostrof, Steve White, Rachel Palmer, Steve Rierson, Susan Williams, Peggy, Jeff Harris, Joanie Cook, Melinda Suits Members absent: Jerry Patterson, Maureen Boyt April Guests: Darin Atteberry, Tracy Oschner, Diane Dittus, Ruth Skogerboe, Dawn Scott, Lisa Scnell 12:20 Call to order Introductions: Dawn Scott, Guest, Darin Atteberry, City Manager Mark moves to approve the March Minutes, Peggy seconds, Motion passed. Susan requests that all members read the previous month's minutes in advance of the meeting to speed things up. Luncheon for past members, Diane, Ruth and Tracy 0. absent: Jill Lancaster Darin speaks during the luncheon: Darin thanks all for their contribution to the community. He is sorry he did not come to a meeting as Interim Manager, but wanted to come as soon as he could as City Manager. He is a nine year resident of Fort Collins and loves the city. Darin has 3 small children. He wants to stay in FC and raise his children. He also loves his job and considers it a privilege to have his job. Organization is changing for the city. He is glad that Issue #1 on the ballot failed (Grocery Tax Repeal) by 72%. Thanks for participating in that effort. Also, transportation bill passed so that the city will not have to cut 12 million from budget. Darin was not allowed to lobby, but can now thank those who helped in those efforts. Susan was active through letters and emails and wanting to know more. This input was instrumental in the failing of issue 1. Darin's door is always open if you want to talk. Do not hesitate to initiate a conversation through phone, email or personal meeting. The city is revamping the budget. It will be a complete overhaul of the base budget. Others compete for dollars and that is added to the base budget and the next year, more is added, changing the outcome. Now they are going to set the outcome and find projects that support those outcomes between now and November. It will be a 350 Million Dollar Net Budget. We can share any thoughts from September to November. The City Council will take the proposed budget and turn it into the city budget. The team just has his name, there are more involved. There is a radical change in that we will have a new Mayor and 3 new council members. The top three issues are #1 budget, #2 Local economy but #3 changes. The base budget has grown and nobody really Looked at what was happening. COD Minutes April 14, 2005 Approved in May2005 Regular Meeting Darin's first interaction with Susan was with the Housing Authority, she had a huge impact. Darin appreciates and enjoys their relationship. Susan wants to know if the new council will have the in -fighting that happened in the precious council. Darin is an optimist. He is excited about Doug (Hutchison) and the new council. He said that it is OK to have disagreements, but it is how you treat each other that is important. He is looking to move ahead. Doug wants facilitation. The 4/3 split will have disagreements but need to focus on commonalities. He intends to coach and facilitate important partnerships between the council and the staff. There have been struggles in the past. As the staffs have to focus and learn to do things differently, Doug is optimistic about the future. There are a lot of good people that care a lot about Fort Collins. He wants to help find and help them pursue their direction, and there are 2,000 people to help. Lisa Scnell of First Call 211: She was active on the grocery Tax amendment and wonders what the legal time is before it could be on the ballot again. Darin believes it is when they get enough signatures but he will find out and tell Rachel Et Steve. His feeling is that since it lost by 72% it would not happen soon. Mark wonders if it will come back in "different clothing". Jeff: Some think of the money as wasteful spending. Most do not realize many people depend on it. How do we present the facts as we are on the same team? Darin: More education, like Susan contacting the new Mayor two days after his election Every time you go to an event, learn, and inform decision makers in a respectful way. Sometimes groups and even boards and commissions wait until they feel they need to try to strong arm the City to get something done. The COD is not like that but some commissions are. Letters are good, inviting council members to share perspectives. The more you talk and share the better the relationship. Make a connection. It is easy to throw out terms like "wasteful spending" but offices such as Neighborhood Resources, if they are cut -it are not because they are "useless" but because there just isn't enough money. Offices grew when the economy was good. Now we have to critically evaluate spending. Cities cannot deficit spend like the Federal Government. Darin thanked Lisa Scnell for her hard work and dedication to defeat proposition 1 in the previous elections. 2 COD Minutes April 14, 2005 Approved In May2005 Regular Meeting Susan: Kelly Ohlson was invited but couldn't make it. In May, someone from the Housing Authority will be present. Awards: Susan presents a plaque for service to Diane Dittus. Thanking her for service on the commission. She has been through a lot and we appreciate her efforts. Susan thinks of her almost every single day. Thanks for all the work you did for US. Diane: Misses us and would like to come and talk about some issues. She learned so much being on the commission. She learned so much being on the commission. Always looked forward to it and the great things we do in this room. Budget cuts that affect the disabled ARE NOT AN OPTIONI We educate. She is thankful and will be back when she can participate. Susan presents a plaque to Ruth Skogerboe. Thanks for help and dedication. She thought this morning about the Art Show and what a contribution Ruth has made. Thanks for staying through longer than you really wanted. Ruth: We are a good example of people getting along and the way of expressing it. Commission is a good example of how to relate and she never left a meeting that she didn't feel positive and "up". Susan presents a plaques to Tracy. She appreciates his smile. She thinks of him with joy and always coming in happy, even though he has small shoulders. Thank you for your work as liaison. Tracy: After the first week away, he thought about us often and missed coming to the meetings. This board does more than just talk. The COD goes beyond. The Council and the City Manager know that. He now works day to day in facilities and because of his experience with the board, he looks and does things differently now. He is just a phone call away. Susan will be meeting with Mayor Hutchison on April 28". She would like the pamphlet put together on what we do. She will be giving him copies of the heavy doors, PHA, Art Show brochures. Any other ideas? Diane -what about parking places. Steve: Give him a booklet of tickets for the Handicap Zones. Budget: Mark: Every one has a copy of the budget. 2 columns. One is the proposed budget. Second column is what is spent so far this year. We need to accept it as a committee to move forward with the brochures. Joanie makes a motion that we pass the budget. Steve seconds. Vote, passed unanimously. Rachel will take it to Ken and get brochures published. COD Minutes April 14, 2005 Approved in May2005 Regular Meeting Mark will get printed and get to Susan before her meeting with the mayor. Susan: Are we OK with the bylaws amendment 016 as written? Mark: He believes that it clarifies and gives leeway while getting us in line with city requirements. Mark moves that we accept bylaws amendment as written, Peggy seconds, passed unanimously. Susan: handicap seating at the Lincoln Center at the lower price is available on request. Person and one companion. In September for next season it will be in the computer for ticket sales. Susan has been emailing the box office Supervisor but gets no response. Now emails her boss. Ruth was told that they could not take in anything to drink, not even water. Mark: LC now allows water in a closed container. This is a new policy. Susan was on a Disabled Resource Panel about 50 people attended. Good event. Pat Going of Denver will be here in June about the ADA. Mark: PHA house will be on the Parade of Homes. There is a bill going through legislature about visitability. House and Senate passed it unanimously. Arvada is considering 30% of new single family houses being built be PHA compliant. PHA committee is looking at creating a video. Will get one for COD but long range project. Art Show meeting on the 28t6 of April. Will the banner be done by June? Joanie will find out. Susan encourages Mark to get with the Mayor Award committee and have recommendations for the August meeting about options on the alternatives to the awards. Steve W will come up with a dollar amount to work with. Steve W: Diane Jones meeting in June will probably know by July Paul moves to adjourn, Mark seconds, passed unanimously 1:40pm PS Wendy Williams is ADA Coordinator for the City. Rachel's boss's boss. 4