Kamas Provided Brief Health-Related Updates on Judy Bowen and Mike Atkinson S Daughter
Larry Anglin
Dr. Glenda Barron
Cameron Bell
Barbara Bozon
Terrena Busby
Chris Flor / Horace Grace
Jim Granfor
Cynthia Hernandez
Eyal Kaczur
Mary Kliewer
Bill Luther / Matt Maxfield
Jose Segarra
Tama Shaw
Bill Stanford
Ginger Watkins
Directors Absent
Mike Atkinson
Judy Bowen Clark
Cheryl Eliano
Sonja Havens / Dr. Susan Kincannon
Dr. Marc Nigliazzo
Trae Sutton / Martha Tyroch
Carlyle Walton
Jim Yeonopolus
Elected Officials and Ex-Officios
Jon Burrows, Judge, Bell County / Mary Himic, Deputy Garrison Cmdr., Fort Hood
Workforce Board and Center Staff Present
Linda Angel
Wendy Ann Damon
Horace Dicks
Terry Gearhart / David Gibson
Jerry Haisler
Susan Kamas / Frank Minosky
Kimberly Patterson
Sandra Russell
Guests Present
Jimmie Don Aycock, Texas House of Representatives, District 54
Ana Borchardt, Belton Economic Development Corporation
James Elzie, Army Community Services
Adam Leonard, Texas Workforce Commission
Jonathan Mize, Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services
Don Nicholas, Office of Representative Roger Williams
Lucy Taylor, Office of Representative Jimmie Don Aycock
Molly White, Texas House of Representatives
Trent Williams, Office of Representative Molly White
Call to Order, Pledge, and Chairs Report / Larry Anglin, Chair
The Board of Directors for Workforce Solutions of Central Texas held its regularly scheduled meeting at the Central Texas Workforce Center, 300 Cheyenne, Killeen, TX. Larry Anglin, Chair, called the meeting to order at approximately 10:00 a.m. noting that a quorum was present. Directors and others present pledged allegiance to the flags of the United States and Texas. Directors were asked to review the attendance record and inform staff of any corrections. No corrections were noted.
Anglin referenced a report listing the dates that Workforce Board Members began serving Central Texas. He noted that the Board’s members were highly tenured.
Action Items / Action Items
Consent Agenda...... Anglin
Anglin called for any discussion or objection to the consent agenda which included the Workforce Board’s business meeting minutes for September 24, 2015, a Local Workforce Development Area Designation Request, and a Request for Purchase over $100,000. There being no discussion, the items were approved as presented.
Central Texas Workforce Center in Temple...... Susan Kamas, Executive Director
Susan Kamas, Executive Director, referenced a summary describing past and on-going activities related to relocating the Workforce Center in Temple, Texas. She explained issues related to costs noting that a potential solution would be to set a budget cap based on funding capacity and then negotiate for space and square foot pricing within the cap. Kamas noted that the City of Temple had paid all infrastructure costs to date. Judge Jon Burrows added that the goal is to avoid any agreements that would exceed budget capacity. After discussion, Kamas restated that the action for the Board was whether to continue with the proposed strategy or pursue other alternatives. Mary Kliewer moved to continue with the proposed strategy. Second by Bill Stanford. All in favor.
Special Presentations
Legislative Update...... Representative Jimmie Don Aycock and
Representative Molly White
Texas House of Representatives
Texas Representative Molly White distributed a newsletter describing her first session noting that, primarily, she met a lot of people and learned a lot about the issues. She reported 1,600 Bills were passed during the Legislative Session adding that specific criteria were applied to screen proposed Bills and determine which she would support.
Representative White explained that the general process calls for Representative to identify Committees that they are interested in serving on during the Session. She noted that, of the three she identified, she was selected to serve on the Homeland/Public Safety Committee. The Committee was of particular interest to her because it was identified as a top issue for voters. Specifically explaining the issues related to Homeland/Public Safety, Representative White reported that Central Texas has a problem with human trafficking related to compelling illegal immigrants to work for free in an effort to pay the smuggler that brought them into the country. She noted that the problem is compounded by the fact that the illegal immigrants’ indebtedness continues to grow so they remain in virtual slavery situations. Regarding solutions, Representative White reported that Border Security was funded at $840 million to stop the flow of illegal immigrants.
Regarding Margins Tax, Representative White explained that her personal goal was to eliminate the tax which she regarded as a deterrent to business and economic growth. She reported that the tax was not completely eliminated. However, it was reduced by 25% during the Legislative Session. Noting similar issues for the job market and employers, Representative White also indicated that she was against licensing and related fees that negatively impact businesses’ hiring abilities.
Noting that she is a “school choice” supporter, Representative White explained that her desire was a well-educated workforce. She described changes compared to schools and testing systems of the past stressing that the education experiences of older populations were not similar to the experiences of students today. Closing for questions, Representative White added that she is an advocate for career training in schools and believes that all local Independent School Districts should provide such training.
In response to a question regarding next-Session priorities, Representative White reported that she would focus on ending the Margins Tax, removing unfunded mandated on businesses, and border security with a specific emphasis on terrorism. She noted that she was still in the process of working to identify issues that are important to the State of Texas.
Representative White responded to a question about why businesses are not held responsible for hiring illegal immigrants agreeing that the law should be enforced. She explained that there are enticements that bring undocumented workers into Texas.
Ending her presentation, Representative White explained her position on the Affordable Care Act. She reported that she believed “free market” opportunities should be explored to expand healthcare in Texas and keep costs down.
Representative Jimmie Don Aycock began by reminding those present that he would not be seeking reelection. He explained that, during the last Legislative Session, he focused on issues stemming from Texas’ largest challenge. Explaining, Representative Aycock noted that Texas is growing at a rate of 8,000 to 15,000 people per day. He noted that the high and steady growth rate will impact, as examples, transportation, water, and education.
Specific to transportation, Representative Aycock indicted that about $4 billion per year were needed to maintain the status quo. He noted that the Legislative Session budgeted transportation at $3.5 billion which falls short of the minimum requirement which would have to be made up from other sources. Representative Aycock added that expansion or improvements to handle the increased population would require substantially more investment. Noting that transportation is essential to move goods and services, he stressed that there are no popular answers with ideas ranging among fuel taxes, motor vehicle taxes, or odometer taxes. Representative Aycock reiterated that the price for transportation must be addressed or the ability to move goods and services would be substantially impacted.
Regarding water, Representative Aycock explained that rain is not the solution. He reported that, on average, every person uses 100 gallons of water per day and with populations increasing shortages are imminent. The need for water planning was stressed as a top priority by Representative Aycock.
Education growth at a rate of 70-80,000 students per year was also identified by Representative Aycock as an issue that requires immediate attention. He explained that the growth is occurring in a handful of rapidly growing districts, and the impacted districts are challenged to continue to build buildings when then are at capacity and at their maximum tax rate. Describing a second issue related to education, Representative Aycock discussed the need to align education systems and job opportunities. He discussed the importance of aligning school districts, colleges, universities, and vocational training with Workforce central to the combined efforts.
Noting that Texas has the fourth largest system for public safety, Representative Aycock stressed the importance of reducing costs. He referenced diversion systems which have helped to alleviate stress on prisons noting that about 1/3 of potential prison populations have mental health issues.
In closing, Representative Aycock explained that Texas has a Local Preferred Provider Care Fund to help Texas Counties support indigent health care demands. He stressed that growth is a good problem to have but it comes with issues that must be addressed. Specifically referring to student growth, Representative Aycock reported that 60% of the students live in poverty, 20% do not speak English, 29% are Anglo; he stressed that it is a different educational environment than that of older individuals.
During Board member discussion, Bill Stanford commended Representative Aycock noting that the issues discussed were exactly the issues being faced by his company. Stanford specifically described transportation barriers that impacted the ability to ship and receive goods. Stanford noted that Belton ISD is an example of a district that has had to address a disproportionate rate of growth. Stressing that the number one responsibility of education is to help students become job ready, Stanford added that he hoped the next elected official would be someone as dedicated to education as Representative Aycock.
Responding to a question from Mary Kliewer about potential progressive solutions for education and other issues, Representative Aycock explained that Baby Boomers and the next generation have service expectations but they are resistant to paying for the services. He noted that in the past, people wanted good services but they were willing to pay for them. Representative Aycock stressed that a balance would have to be developed and maintained between services needed and desired and peoples’ willingness to pay for what they receive. He acknowledged that some government agencies may be inefficient, but stressed that most are providing needed services – Representative Aycock stressed that the key is “balancing expectations regarding what is needed and what people are willing to pay to receive.”
Kliewer asked is schools are more elaborate than needed. Representative Aycock responded that in the past there were schools that varied in quality with special education and specific ethnicities relegated to lesser quality schools. Explaining that good education comes at a cost, he noted that today all children are educated, as they should be, in schools that have the resources and technology necessary to prepare them for future education or employment. Stanford stated that Belton’s Career Education and Killeen’s Career Center are expensive adding that they are paying off from a student success/employment perspective.
Regarding a question about why Texas passes or fails to pass laws that end up going to the Supreme Court, Representative White stated that the government has to balance a budget and the ballot box indicates that people do not want to pay more taxes. Representative Aycock noted that only 17% of the Texas budget is discretionary; the rest is set spending. He stated that only 11% of the education budget is made up of federal funds.
In response to a question from Judge Burrows related to the planned budget and potential shortfalls resulting from lower oil and gas revenue, Representative Aycock stated that the Rainy Day Fund is healthy and the budget was conservative that is not currently threatened. He noted that continued losses might require the Legislative Budget Board to call for state agencies to make across-the-board budget reductions.
Finally, Tama Shaw asked the Representatives to reduce efforts to add state requirements to federal programs. She explained that the additional demands make the programs more difficult to manage and costly.
Digital Workforce Board Meeting Materials...... Linda Angel,
Director, Strategy and Innovation
Linda Angel, Director, Strategy and Innovation, reported that future Workforce Board Meeting Materials could be accessed at She explained that an email would be sent to Board members and interested parties with notification that new materials had been posted. Angel demonstrated how to open and navigate within the document adding that Members could continue to receive printed Board Materials or let staff know if they would prefer to rely solely on the electronic documents. When asked, about half of the members present indicated that they would most likely transition to the digital option.
Workforce Activities Briefing / Susan Kamas, Executive Director
Susan Kamas, Executive Director, began by calling attention to College and University information provided in meeting materials. She specifically referenced a Temple College Fact Sheet.
Kamas stated that the Annual Workforce Awards Luncheon was another great success, and she acknowledged Cheryl Hassmann with Congressman John Carter’s office for presenting Congressional Certificates to the Award Recipients. Kamas expressed her disappointment in the reduced media coverage stating that she had spent two hours with a media person who seemed mostly interested in costs. Kamas explained that she was pleased to tell the reporter that, with the exception of ticket sales to pay for meals, expenses were covered by sponsors.
On national updates, Kamas noted the Association of the United States Army National Meeting was an exceptional event that began with a Central Texas reception at General John Allen’s home. Describing the reception, she noted that General Milley and his wife were in attendance. Kamas also reported that Keith Gogas, past Deputy Garrison Commander of Fort Hood, was honored as Region 4 Civil Service Employee of the Year.
Regarding the trip to Fort Irwin by select Central Texas representatives, Kamas described her experience noting that the exposure gave everyone a new appreciation for the requirements associated with Army preparedness. As examples, she explained that the Command Center had the entire camp set up in four hours including shipping equipment in and out. Adding to the realistic setting and experience, Kamas noted that she flew in a helicopter with no doors which she described as “pretty scary,” and she had her own Humvee and driver for transportation.
Moving to local activities Kamas discussed a recent tour of Fort Hood’s underground tunnel system. She explained that the tunnels were dark but very clean. Kamas noted that the tunnels were built in the 1940’s by miners who were brought in from the east coast and bused through various cities daily to keep the location of the tunnels secret.
In closing, Kamas reported that the Red, White & You Veterans Hiring Event had an exceptional opening ceremony just prior to the Workforce Board Meeting. She reported that Colonel Todd Fox, III Corps & Fort Hood Garrison Commander, was a featured guest at the opening. Kamas stated the event has grown each year adding that a larger venue might be needed in future years.
Workforce Centers Updates / Jerry Haisler, Workforce Centers Director
Jerry Haisler, Workforce Centers Director, reported that the Fort Hood Hiring Our Heroes Internship Program had its first graduating class on Thursday, November 5th. He noted that Eric Putt, who job shadowed Frank Minosky, would go to work as a permanent employee for Workforce Solutions of Central Texas in the Business Services Unit. Haisler explained that Putt was not present because he was signing his release papers from the Army.
Explaining the Hiring Our Heroes Program, Haisler noted that the Army paid the salaries for active duty military personnel while they completed their internships. Stressing that employers and participants are already vetted, Haisler noted that the next group of interns would begin their training and civilian work experience in January 2016. He expressed his appreciation for local employers and specifically thanked Mary Kliewer for her participation. Haisler reported that a debriefing to identify opportunities for improvement was scheduled for the coming week identifying, as one example, his disappointment that some of the larger employers did not complete the program.
Haisler then discussed the training done for exiting military in SAP Logistics. He noted that 18 students graduated, but job placements were not as abundant as the training provider had described. Haisler explained that there is a demand for the skills but the training provided did not meet job the degreed education requirements set by the majority of organizations hiring SAP Logistics jobs. He indicated that it was unlikely that sponsored training would continue for the program.