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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune Packet Veterans Advisory Board Regular Meeting Thursday June 12, 2025 - 9:00 AM BOCC Conference Room 205 West 5th Room 109 - Ellensburg 1. Call To Order 2. Citizen Comments (1 min. time limit) 3. Approve Minutes - December 12th 2024 4. VSO Update 5. Other Business - Kittitas County Veterans Resource Fair 2026 -Veteran Client Survey -Veteran Community Survey - Bylaws Discussion - Member Recruitment Update 6. Concluded Created on 6/9/2025 8:48:01 AM Veteran's Advisory Board Meeting Minutes Kittitas County, Washington Commissioners' Auditorium Regular Meeting THURSDAY 9:00 AM MARCH 13, 2025 Board Members Present: Ruben Cardenas,Jeff Leichleiter, William DeHaven, Ronald Ness, Gayle Scott, Brett Wachsmith (Chair) Excused: Kristin Ashley Others: Emma Madland (Clerk- remote), Kasey Knutson, Candi Blackford,Timothy Paxton, Eddie Vader, Stephanie Bohman (Habitat for Humanity), Nick Nelson (Habitat for Humanity), Mark Hollandsworth (HopeSource) 1. Meeting called to order at 9:00 AM. 2. Citizen Comments- None 3. Approval of Minutes F MOTION TO APPROVE DECEMBER 12, 2024 MINUTES: William moved to approve December minutes.Jeff second. Motion carried to approve December 12, 2024 minutes. 4. VSO Update Timothy Paxton and Eddie Vader gave the board updates on the veteran programs and current data.There are 31 veterans actively getting benefits, and 23 currently inactive.Voucher distribution has been adjusted to 4 per month. A variety of outreach efforts have been initiated and participated in. Candi Blackford noted that Eddie will be taking a more regional role now to support more veterans remotely. Candi also gave an update on vendor contracts being finalized. 5. Other Business Bylaws Discussion: Kasey Knutson brought a copy of the draft bylaws for the members to review and offer feedback. There will be a revised version shared at the June meeting for approval. New Member Application: Kasey Knutson shared that there is currently one vacancy on the board and one application that has been received.The board discussed whether to form a subcommittee or to vote as a group in June. 1 Elect Vice-Chair for 2025: Ruben Cardenas was nominated to be Vice-Chair. He accepted the nomination. MOTION TO ELECT RUBEN CARDENAS AS VICE-CHAIR FOR 2025:William moved to elect Ruben as vice-chair.Jeff second. Motion carried to elect Ruben Cardenas as vice-chair. Event for men and women who served during the Global War in Terrorism: Brett Wachsmith gave a brief description of this topic but did not go in depth due to lack of time. Habitat for Humanity Presentation: Stephanie Bohman, Habitat for Humanity,gave a presentation about the services and programs they have to offer. She gave a review of the 2024 numbers, discussed the Aging in Place program, and offered insight into the land trust housing model and how it helps people obtain homeownership. Gayle Scott brought up a barrier that some veterans may be facing: lack of homeowners' insurance. She noted that if it were a requirement for the Aging in Place program it would limit accessibility. Nick Nelson joined Stephanie and offered updates from the construction side for their current and upcoming housing developments. Whole-Person Care (HopeSource): Mark Hollandsworth, HopeSource, gave a presentation on their holistic approach to services, Whole-Person Care. He spoke on how this differs from traditional service navigation to better support everyone as an individual. He showed the group how to apply for services and gave an overview of what is offered (Shelter and housing,veterans' services, transportation, energy assistance, weatherization,youth scholarships, and Hope University). 6. Meeting concluded at 10:08 AM KITTITAS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH KITTITAS COUNTY,WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT CLERK Emma Madland Brett Wachsmith,Chairman 2 VETERANS ADVISORY BOARD BYLAWS Kitttas County Veterans Advisory Board hereby adopt the following rules for the transaction of its business. PURPOSE OF ADVISORY BOARD The initial function of the Veterans Advisory Board, as defined in Resolution No. 2022-187 is to "advise the county legislative authority on the needs of local indigent veterans, the resources available to the local indigent veterans, and programs that could benefit the needs of local indigent veterans and their families". Duties The committee shall collaborate with the Kitttas County Public Health Department Veteran Services Program and the Board of County Commissioners to: A. Provide recommendations to the BOCC on services needed for local indigent veterans as in accordance with RCW 73.08.010(1) B. Serve as a review board on the effectiveness of current services C. Annually review the Purpose and Duties of the board MEMBERSHIP Board Composition The committee shall consist of five board members, two alternates, and one county commissioner who serves as the Board Chairperson. All members must be veterans as stated in RCW 73.08.035. New applicants will be reviewed by the Board and recommended to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). The members will be appointed by the BOCC. Terms of Office Committee members will serve for a term of 2 years and may request renewal to serve for additional terms. Attendance/Absentee Policy Three unexcused meeting absences may cause that committee member's name to be forwarded to the County Commissioners with a recommendation for removal from the committee. Members are required to comply with the Kittitas County Boards, Committees, and Commissions Handbook New Member Recruitment Recruitment of new applicants is to be led by the procedure as follows: A. The board is to establish a recruitment subcommittee. B. The subcommittee shall interview applicants. C. The subcommittee shall then make a recommendation to the board on which applicant they believe should move forward. D. The board shall then vote on the recommended applicant. E. The board shall then offer recommendation of approved applicant to BOCC. F. Upon final approval, BOCC shall send a letter to approved applicant. Member Removal A. If a member needs to be removed from the Committee for reasons including but not limited to unexcused absences, or other reason unknown, the Committee will vote on this issue: If a simple majority of the Committee members in attendance votes to remove a member, the recommendation of the Committee will be brought forth to the BOCC. B. The BOCC will review the recommendation of the Committee to remove a member and will vote to retain or terminate the member's appointment to the Committee. CLERK The clerk of the board responsibilities are as follows: A. Publish public notices of all committee meetings at least 24 hours before start time of the meeting. B. Attend all Board meetings. C. Provide reports to the committee about the status of the committee program and funding recipients. D. Take meeting minutes for the committee. E. Work with committee Chairperson to finalize the agenda for each meeting. F. Facilitate the creation of the RFP document. G. Send timely reminders and materials to committee members for upcoming meetings. H. Maintain all official records of the committee. I. Ensure committee bylaws are followed. J. Ensure committee meeting notifications, agendas, and minutes are posted on the Kittitas County website. K. Maintain and update the County website related to the committee. Members are required to comply with the Kittitas County Boards, Committees, and Commissions Handbook L. Recruit new members for vacancies on the committee as needed. OFFICERS The officers of the committee shall be a Chairperson appointed by the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and a Vice-Chairperson, elected from among its designated members. Members are appointed by BOCC after applicants are reviewed by the existing committee with recommendations forwarded to the BOCC. Chairperson The Chairperson shall (1) preside at all meetings of the committee; (2) create, prepare and review the agenda for such meetings: (3) set the time and location of the meetings Vice-Chairperson The Vice-Chairperson shall preside and perform the duties of the Chairperson during the absence of the Chairperson and is responsible for advising staff of the Agenda for the HAHC meetings. Election of Officers At the December meeting of each year, the committee shall elect the Vice-Chairperson. Nominations may be made from the floor by any member.The Chairperson shall serve as directed by the BOCC. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall direct the Committee. In the event there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice-Chairperson, the committee shall vote for a replacement at the next regular meeting. In the event there is a simultaneous vacancy in the office of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, the Board shall elect from its membership at its next succeeding meeting a Vice-Chairperson. The BOCC will assign a chairperson. MEETINGS The committee shall hold a quarterly meeting set by the chairman and posted for public notice. Meeting may be cancelled at discretion of the chairman. All meetings of the committee shall conform to the Open Public Meetings Act, RCW 42.30. The committee may adopt such procedures as are necessary to ensure appropriate notice of all meetings. DECISION MAKING Quorum/Voting Members are required to comply with the Kittitas County Boards, Committees, and Commissions Handbook A quorum shall consist of majority voting members. At any meeting where there is less than a quorum, the Chairperson for the purposes of such meeting shall have the authority to adjourn the meeting and establish a date for the next meeting out of the regular cadence if necessary. Conflicts of interest The Board members shall comply with the Code of Ethics for Municipal Officers, 42.23 RCW, in the performance of their duties. Specifically, at any time a proposal is received by the committee that appears to benefit any member of the committee, that person shall recuse themselves from any discussion or decision related to that proposal. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION The committee shall seek the involvement of the general public, community organizations, and private sector interests in its planning and decision-making processes. Public comment period is included in every agenda and the public is encouraged to participate by commenting on agenda items and non-agenda items as directed by the chairperson. SUBCOMMITTEES Sub-Committees may be established by the committee to assist in the performance of its function. Sub-Committees may be composed of members of the committee and citizens with knowledge or talent to contribute to the work of the committee. AMENDMENTS The bylaws may be amended at a regular meeting provided that: A. Proposed amendments have been submitted in writing to the members of the Committee prior to the first reading; and B. A simple majority of the members of the Committee vote in favor of implementation of any amendment. Final approval of bylaw amendments is made by the Board of County Commissioners by Resolution at a monthly agenda session. Members are required to comply with the Kittitas County Boards, Committees, and Commissions Handbook COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S APPROVAL: Laura Osiadacz, Chair Date Cory Wright, Vice Chair Brett Wachsmith, Commissioner Members are required to comply with the Kittitas County Boards, Committees, and Commissions Handbook