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Mr. Graham called the May
20, 2008 meeting of the COG Finance Committee to order at Members present: Messrs. Long (for Fryer), Graham, Hahn, Heinsohn, and Wise. Others present: Messrs. Mose, CATA; Groff, State College Borough; Parker, Recording Secretary; Mses. Ishler, Lee, CRPR; Minor, CATA; Wyatt, Patton Township; Strouse, Centre Region Code. CITIZENS COMMENTS There were none. MINUTES
Motion was made by Mr.
Hahn and seconded by Mr. Wise that the minutes of the EMPLOYEE RELATIONS COMMITTEE Ms. Lee and Ms. Strouse provided some background on the Wellness Program Proposal. The Employee Relations Committee (ERC) distributed a survey to garner feedback from the employees about options for an onsite wellness program. The survey results were included in the agenda packet, and it had an 80% response rate. The ERC’s proposal for the 2008 wellness program includes the following recommendations: ü Bringing a nutritionist into the COG to a) provide an onsite presentation on healthy eating and b) assist in revamping food choices at the fall ERC tailgate event. ü Bringing in a health professional from Mt. Nittany Medical Center or another provider to provide onsite health screenings to employees. ü Establishing a walking program through the self administered Capital Blue Cross Insurance Cooperative program and purchasing pedometers. ü Allowing a ½ hour paid exercise period to participate in an onsite fitness activity. ü Coordinating a group purchase of gym memberships to secure a group discount. Ms. Lee and Ms. Strouse concluded with statement that the cost of the proposed options is approximately $1,600 at this time, based on their preliminary costing research.
Mr. Wise commented that
it sounded like the $2,100 was being well spent. Mr. Graham concurred. The Finance Committee was supportive of the proposal, and asked that the information be presented to the Personnel Committee as the next step in the process. 2008/2009 CATA BUDGET Mr. Graham introduced Mr. Hugh Mose, CATA General Manager, and offered him the opportunity to provide comment. Mr. Mose explained that CATA had visited some of the municipal boards and councils to answer questions on the 2008-2009 CATA budget, and all of the presentations had been positive with no substantial comments offered by the municipalities.
Motion was made by Mr.
Hahn to forward the 2008/2009 CATA budget to the General Forum Mr. Mose commented that due to the proposed increase in Loop and Link service to the new law school at Penn State, the collective municipal shares decreased this year. The University has since decided to postpone the additional service for one year. Mr. Mose explained that should the University ultimately choose to not expand on-campus service, the Miller formula would redistribute the costs of the local shares in 2009, and each municipality’s share would increase. He added that the positive news in the decision to delay expanded law school bus service was that CATA would now have the ability to provide some limited bus service to the new Geisinger health facility in Patton Township and the Grayswood’s neighborhood. Vote in favor of the motion was unanimous. CONCORD PUBLIC FINANCE Mr. Graham began the discussion by questioning how the $4,000 amount had been generated when a contract existed that stipulated the costs were not to exceed $22,500. Ms. Wyatt stated that she spoke with Mr. Chris Gibbons about this matter, and that it was of her opinion that the additional charges were justifiable in lieu of Concord having to perform a large amount of groundwork for the bond proposal that would normally have been performed by an organization’s Finance Director. Mr. Hahn and Mr. Heinsohn both expressed frustration that these charges have been raised in hindsight, as there was every appearance of conducting a transparent process upfront during the establishment of the contract, including the scope of work and what was to be required of all parties involved during the process. The Committee questioned: 1. How was it this additional work not included in the scope of the original proposal? 2. Was the additional work authorized by a representative of the COG before taking place? 3. Was there an understanding that this work would have represented an additional cost? Ms. Wyatt stated that all of the municipalities have had excellent experiences with using Concord Public Finance, and the Finance Committee should be cautious in any action that is taken. Motion was made by Mr. Wise and seconded by Mr. Hahn that the COG Finance Committee recommend to the General Forum to authorize the expenditure of Concord’s out of pocket expenses of $712.15 and Jersey Shore State Bank’s closing fee of $2,500, and, to receive additional clarification on the work performed by Concord Public Finance before recommending final payment of an additional $4,000. Ms. Ishler explained the closing process and the projected timeline. Mr. Groff explained that it was his understanding that the closing would be accomplished via mail, which was a process that he did not have any familiarity with. Vote in favor of the motion as presented was unanimous. 2008-2009 COG PROGRAM PLAN PROCESS Mr. Graham solicited comments on the 2008-2009 Program Plan. None were offered. MONTHLY VOUCHER REPORTS Motion was made by Mr. Hahn and seconded by Mr. Wise to approve the March voucher report as presented. Vote in favor was unanimous. OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Graham requested clarification on the 2007 health insurance program rebate payment listed as a matter of record. Ms. Wyatt clarified how the rebate was determined, and that the yearly employee premiums were based on actuarial costs. If the yearly cost of actual paid health claims was less than the total amount of yearly paid premiums by COG as an organization, than a rebate would be issued to COG under the terms of the self-insurance program. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the May 20, 2008 meeting of the COG Finance Committee was adjourned at 9:30 A.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Recording Secretary |
