Muscatine Regional Empowerment Board Minutes
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 12:05pm – 1:15pm
Date: July 27, 2010 Meeting: Board Meeting
Board Members & Staff: Location:
P = Present A = Absent N/A = Not applicable Trinity Public Health of Muscatine
Chair: John Axel P Kas Kelly P 1609 Cedar Street
Vice Chair: Christopher Watkins P Riley Padgett A Muscatine IA 52761
Treasurer: Melanie Langley P Scott Grimes A
Secretary: Rev. Cathi Bencken P Jane Caes P
Robert Mata P Jody Young A
Tom Reidel P Dana Echelbarger A
Director: Christy Roby Williams P Assistant: Daniela Artola P
1. The meeting was called to order by Axel, at 12:05pm.
2. Motion to approve meeting agenda made by Kelly and a second by Caes. Unanimously approved.
3. Motion to approve minutes for June 22, 2010 Board meeting made by Caes and a second by Watkins. Unanimously approved.
4. Executive Committee Report:
Reported ongoing merger communications with Cedar and Jones Counties.
Reported sending a letter to Durant Community School District in regards to their lack of and need to complete
program outcomes per contract for fiscal year 2010.
5. Program Committee Report:
Recommendation to adopt the mini grants process which includes :
Muscatine Regional empowerment offers the availability of one-time minigrant funds up to $1,000.00 for
supporting comprehensive early care, health and education services for children ages 0-5 in Muscatine County.
A program may only request one minigrant per fiscal year. Applications will be reviewed by the Programming &
Finance Committees. Recommendations will be made to MREB based on Muscatine Regional Empowerment
priorities and funding availability. Funding decisions will be made at Board meetings and allocation decisions
are based on Board discretion. Applicants should receive funding notification within one month of receipt.
Director will add which funding streams are available and a web link to the funding streams allowable
expenses. Motion to approve minigrant process maid by Rev. Bencken and a second by Reidel.
6. Finance Committee:
Recommendation to approve all received and paid claims in June totaling $ with corrections made to Trinity of
Muscatine’s claim recommended by the Finance Committee. Motion to accept made by Mata and a second by Kelly.
Caes abstained. Remaining members unanimously approved.
Fiscal report will be filed for audit.
7. Planning Committee Report:
Recommendation to review the Annual Report in detail before submitting it to Board and State.
8. Director’s Report: Follow up on request from June Board meeting regarding Budget Reduction from FY 2010 to 2011. Director
presented a spreadsheet to show the percent of reductions. Director provided an update on the State Early Childhood Iowa
Director Meeting regarding Levels of Excellence and Written procedures for monitoring Early Childhood budgets.
9. Community Forum:
Diana Barillas presented the Periods of Purple Crying Curriculum that the Nurturing Program purchased with MREB’s
dollars. Will help understand infants crying and will also help reduce the shaken baby syndrome.
10. Next Regular Board Meeting: September 14, 2010 at 12:00pm located at the Mississippi Bend AEA, 1422 Houser Street. We
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will conduct all Muscatine Regional Empowerment meetings on the 4 Tuesday of each month for the new Fiscal Year unless
otherwise announced. All Board meeting times and agendas can be located on our website:
www.muscatineempowerment.org
11. With no further business and no objections the meeting was adjourned at 1:15pm.