Unit 13 Extension Council Minutes

University of Illinois Extension

June 2,2016

Munsterman Bill Pool, Deb Fruitt, Carl Sparenberg, Barb Schumacher

Approval of minutes from last meeting: The minutes were reviewed and approved as read.
Open issues
Budget Review- Ginger Boas provided an updated FY17 budget plan based on new figures from Iroquois County Board and the addition of a United way grant. Boas reported that we have received no state County Board Match or GRF funds for FY 2016. The amount owed is $604,000. There is current funding to last through most of next year; However it puts a strain on the budget. The Unit staff members are actively looking for alternate sources of funding including grants and gifts. Cost cutting measures include:
Consolidating space at the Champaign Urbana Health Department. The Metro 4-H will move out of Suite 2 (EC3) and back to the Country Fair Office and EFNEP / SNAP-ED staff will move into the EC3 space. The Lease for Suite 3, the current EFNEP and SNAP-Ed space will not be renewed in December 2016. The rent for EFNEP and staff is paid for through the two federal INEP grants.
Reduction of out of state travel funds
Reduction of over-time
Freeze in hiring

Staffing Update- Boas provided a listing of current open positions. There is a freeze on positions unless they are funded by grants or alternative funding sources. A discussion about the openings and how they affect programming was discussed. Boas asked the council for input in prioritizing positions and ways to fund positions in the future. It is important to look for community partnerships in order to leverage dwindling resources and continue high quality programming within the Unit. Partnerships with area Health Departments and Schools are already in place helping expand fill in gaps with each organization. The open Extension positions include:
Educator, ANR (Horticulture)
Educator, Nutrition & Wellness
Educator, Youth (Metro)
Educator, Community and Economic Development
Extension Program Coordinator, FCS (Consumer & Finance)
Extension Program Coordinator, Youth (2)
Office Support Associate

New Council Member Nominations – New members are currently being recruited to fill upcoming open positions. Members are encouraged to continue to submit council member suggestions to Ginger. She will finalize the list within the next few weeks.

New business
Lease for Commercial Kitchen- Boas provided information about a new Commercial Kitchen project. Federal Funding for a Commercial Kitchen for SNAP-Ed is in place. Construction will begin in the EC3 space once an addendum to the lease is completed. Boas will keep the council informed of progress of the project and how the kitchen will be utilized in the community.
Local Agreements- Boas reported on the status of budget agreements from 2016 and 2017. The 2016 agreements are due by the end of June. There are several still outstanding. Notifications are being sent out to insure funding is received by the end of the fiscal year. One agreement will not be completed. The Banker’s Scholarship Agreement will not be funded this year since the group decided not to continue with the scholarship this spring. Carl Sparenberg reported that there has been a decrease in membership in the organization and that it is not sustainable at this time.
Program prioritization: With limited resources, Boas solicited feedback from each council member about programming and prioritization of program areas that do are not currently staffed with Educators. A lengthy discussion about each program area in relationship to local needs ensued. At the end of the discussion, Boas asked each member to prioritize the positions and rank them. This information will be utilized to formulate program and staffing plans in the future.