Minutes 05-24-2022 Business Meeting

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20 Commissioner Richards asked what basis is used to determine full participation. She asked how the increase in participation will be factored into each scenario. Nancy Freeman said they have provided complete liability if they have 100% participation in these cases. She said in the earlier ones, Corey Root, had figured 50% participation but that is an estimate because they do not know how many participants they will have with the increased community outreach efforts. Commissioner Richards asked how much participation was there as percentage of eligible households. Travis Myren said it was 1% in the previous year. Commissioner Richards asked how the county gets from 1% to 100%. Travis Myren said that is the challenge here. He said that what Bonnie Hammersley was describing is setting it up like the small business grant program. He said that would allow for an application window and applicants would be reviewed by the priorities the board has established. He said staff would then prioritize applications based on Board approved criteria. He said they would grant what is available for the prioritized applications. He said that the safest route, and to make sure that the liability stays within the allotted amount, is to prioritize based on need and come back to Board. He said this is the recommendation rather than first come, first serve, which may not help the intended audience. Commissioner Fowler asked if staff met with representatives from Justice United and the Jackson Center and if they suggested having a window and then if it goes over, then everyone gets adjusted down to the available amount. She asked if that is something that could be done. Travis Myren said yes. He said that staff could come back at a future business meeting to allow the Board to establish the priorities. Commissioner Fowler asked if there is information on how other counties' participation increased based on marketing methods. Nancy Freeman said she does not but that she was told it took about three years to get to a solid base. Commissioner Fowler clarified that they did not tell Nancy Freeman what the percentage increase was and asked if they used the inserts. Nancy Freeman said she did not have that information but that she assumed they would use the inserts based on how the county offices work. She said that she can try to find this information and report back. Commissioner Fowler asked if staff could come back with a calculation for the cost to do $300, $600 and $900 for those three groups Commissioner McKee asked for clarification on the income ranges are for the program. Travis Myren directed Commissioner McKee to slide #12 with the income information. Commissioner Fowler asked if it was based on a family of four. Travis Myren said they are not asking how many people are in the home. He said that he will have additional information because as he thinks about it more, they may adjust based on family size but that he is unable to recall at this time. Commissioner Bedford said she had the handout and they breakdown from 1 to 8 in the households. Chair Price asked if they use the window application option if they will adjust the allocations based on the total amount available to make sure that everyone gets some relief. Travis Myren said that would be an option the Board could consider. He said that it could be that everyone gets something, or it could be prioritized for those with the greatest need. Chair Price said that people that do not reach the threshold would still be in need.