HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-06-02
Council for Human Services (CHS) and Contract Review Committee(CRC)
June 2, 2010
2 Fairgrounds Road
Minutes of the meeting of June 2, 2010. The meeting took place at 1:00 pm in the town
building at 2 Fairgrounds Road Nantucket, MA 02554. Members present were: Linda
Williams (CHS & CRC), Sue Marques(CHS), Linda Barrett(CHS), Christy
Kickham(CRC), Mary Wawro(CRC), Michael Kopko(CRC). John Belash and Jack
Gardner (CRC) arrived at 1:30
Absent: Jackie McGrady, Rachel Rosen, Dorothy Hertz and Maria Pena. Public
present: Pauline Proch, Louise Benoit, Margaretta Andrews, Sheri Hunt, Janice
Carriero, Raymond Vox, Whitey Willauer, Jenny Garneau, Kat Robinson Grieder,
Peter Mackay, Glenora Kelly-Smith. Staff present: Maryanne Worth and Ann
Medina.
Quorum: Meeting was called to order at 1:05 when quorum was established.
This meeting was called to discuss the changes in how the Town will fund
Human Services agencies. Mary Wawro, chairman of this meeting, sent an email
to Libby Gibson and Diane O'Neil inviting them to the discussion. The meeting
will be open to the public for questions. Linda W. called a point of order; how
can we take questions from the public when we have not discussed this amongst
ourselves yet.
RFP proposal: The current grant process, where agencies submit a request for
funding, is not appropriate. The town cannot issue contracts to private agencies;
Request for proposal (RFP) is the way to award funds. CHSjCRC have not had a
formal charge about this. The change is that the Town of Nantucket will decide
what services are needed by the town, hopefully Diane O'Neil will explain this to
the committees. CHSjCRC will have agencies come in to talk about what the
needs are, what new ideas or programs they want to do. We do not have
enough information yet.
The CHS has also been charged with assessing the needs of the community. The
last Community Needs Assessment Survey was done in 2006, it had been ten
years since there had been a survey done. Maryanne is in the process of trying
to obtain funds for a new survey. The 2006 Needs Assessment Survey collected
a lot of community based research. As a result of that survey the Council for
Human Services chose to focus on oral health, housing, and substance abuse.
Traditionally, before the contract review process begins, the CRC and CHS meet
to discuss the needs of the community.
When this issue came before the BOS, Michael Kopko volunteered to write
something, provide BOS with a draft about change regarding the RFP process
and an assessment of the Council for Human Services of how the town delivers
its human services. These two issues should be broken apart. This document is
just an outline, the town manager and the chairman of the BOS will make it a
working document. The BOS feels everyone's involvement is important.
Mary asked what the status of the Human Services Collaborative Work Study
Group receiving the scope of services. Michael Kopko is no longer on that group,
therefore he does not know.
MW: Is there a directive regarding what the CHSjCRC will be charged with
formally, some thoughts so that the committees will understand what they will
be doing?
MK: The way the current system has worked is the agencies initiated the request
for funds; this process will be backed out. The BOS and the town manager see
this as an opportunity to write the RFP as specifically and broadly as possible;
there are contracts already existing, start there and tweek to RFP as to what
services the town is contracting for. There is a way to construct an RFP to get
the response you want, details of actual services provided.
MW: Agencies come to the CRC, after assessment has been made, specific needs
assessment; prioritize those needs, there is specific solicitation.
MK:The town will ask for those services, as RFP is done matching dollars
available to critical needs; however nothing has gotten to that level yet. The
most common process is that there is a score - not the lowest price- you can
only bid on this if you have certain qualifications. We would all be surprised if
there were a lot of agencies providing these se~ices. We don't expect to get
everything perfectly the first year.
MW: Will Diane O'Neil be advising these committees weather CHSjCRC will have
a roll in this process?
MK: CHS will have a specific roll in the process, CRC is not mentioned.
The BOS makes the final decision on the contracts that are done now, after the
recommendations of FinCom.
WW: When talking about the RFP process, you do not open price proposal until
after the technical proposal. Each solicitation will be advised what the rules are,
look at the highest score then look at the price.
Contracts with the town now are for contracted services.
MW: How is this going to work? Is it something on a case by case basis? We
want to find that out too.
SH: The categories of what RFP's are looking at Elder Services will be eliminated.
Elder Services on the Cape has gone to the RFP process and has lost funding on
the Cape because of this process.
LW: Council is well aware that if the BOS charges CHS with new assessments it is
going to be retreading the whole gamut. We want the BOS to be aware of what
has been provided.
MK: Sense is that BOS wants to use current contracts as a baseline so that when
we do change we can take what we are doing now and reverse how the process
works.
LW: Slate of CRC recommendations: CRC goes to FinCom then BOS then
contracts are voted on at town meeting. Will town meeting involvement no
longer be needed?
MW:In order to put out RFP you have to have funding. Town could appropriate a
lump sum of money; actual services are predetermined under RFP scenario.
CHSjCRC will await BOS direction and continue communication.
Meeting adjourned at 2:07
Respectfully submitted by
Ann .'Jvl edina