Bay County, Michigan Veteran's Affairs, 15 Oct 2019

Previous Meeting Next Meeting

⏯

youtube image

►

From YouTube: Bay County Veteran Affairs Committee Meeting (10/15/19)

Description

0:22 - Call to Order
0:32 - Roll Call
0:47 - Minutes (7/16/19; 9/17/19)
1:12 - Citizen Input
3:28 - Petitions and Communications
3:32 - A. Food Bank
18:48 - B. Veteran Affairs Office Update
19:51 - Reports/Resolutions
19:59 - Old Business
20:00 - A. Driver Cell Phones
27:52 - New Business
36:30 - Miscellaneous
36:32 - Announcements
36:24 - Adjournment

A

Well, the meeting of the big funny Veterans Affairs Committee to order of three o'clock on October 15th woke all.

B

Missiles, ours here, Randy era, Stuart and tall.

B

A

Present, so you have minutes from 716, 2019 and 917 2019. We want to take them together or separately. Whatever. Looking for a motion making.

C

Washed accepted minutes for September and july 2019. Second,.

D

A

Right any discussion, all those in favor say aye.

A

Citizens input step forward and state. Your name is Miguel Angel Adreno did.

B

We do I miss did we do fall in September in July, so no.

A

B

Just I just want to make sure September was included in the may have missed. It is my. Do. I apologize I just wanted to make sure that that was included in the motion. What's up Ruth, okay, thank.

A

You went together yet move together.

A

Okay, yes, input.

A

This is Starkweather if you want to speak now, even you might have questions for you later. But if you want to talk talk about your project, I guess it is on the agenda.

E

Hi I'm Cindy Starkweather I used to be Cindy martini. My mother was all Jade martini. She was a clerk for Hampton Township I am a veteran I, sir, had a NATO assignment, I served that shape with Alexander Haig, my friend Mark Smith and I, and several other veterans are trying to establish a food pantry where the veterans here in Bay County and we will like. We would like to help all the veterans we're seeking some funding.

E

We also want to, if need be, make it available to the general population of Bay County, but we really want to serve the veterans in any way possible.

E

There are some veterans that are homebound and cannot get to the food pantry in Saginaw and we would like to also provide them a service of taking the food to them. If you have any questions, please ask it's easier to answer questions. We.

A

Have it on the agenda later so? Yes, we can ask your question I want somebody have any questions right now: okay, we have some later on and the other public comments.

A

All right public comment, petitions and communications.

A

Yes, I received the email, I, don't know if everybody got the email from Starkweather and Mark about the food bank, so I didn't have any question this word for them.

A

Funding would always be the question. That's always usually number one is where would the money come from? I talked to her on the phone a bit about the we're sort of waiting to see from the state about the funding.

A

Probably that money, though, wouldn't be eligible, probably just to support the food bank and what it matches are more for durable. You know: building supplies, computers, things like that I, don't know, yeah that what the grant stipulations are, there's a grant that the state gave a flash generally. They worked on the events it's office there, sometimes of stipulations, with grants about what you can use the money. For now we do have millage.

A

We do get millage money that comes in for the veterans, the tenth of a mill there's some funds available there we're sort of looking at our budgets at this point in time. Overall, what we would have for the coming year, I'm assuming the state's gonna, give us that money. It sounds like it's gonna go through yeah Marsha.

F

Yeah the governor did veto as we know the veterans, funding, I, think the trust fund and new program. That's my understanding. The legislators restored it and we'll be sending it to when I believe they're going to arrive at an agreement to restore that filing I. Do think the governor made a mistake, one which he did, that by correction, so calling their bluff and then and and really takes some very popular programs of veto and now they're negotiating get back.

F

A

Cindy, maybe I had a few questions, so it's 1200 to 1500 super. That's from the East Central Michigan Food, Bank you're gonna get your food from them like some of the other agencies, do I know I'm on the Salvation Army board. They get their food from there and they do have distributions and I understand. The veterans that can't get out to get to get the food is the problem there too, as their senior citizens we do have the meals on wheels is another option.

A

So not there are some options out there, but if you're, focusing mainly on veterans like I, can understand that that's a problem, so it's twelve hundred and fifteen hundred dollars for each truck that you get in which I don't know how long that would last for you to distribute something like that. I would depend on the demand of veterans. That would need would need the service a little hard to argue projected this time.

A

Whenever you get money from agencies or duty strings attached, like reporting and documentation and I, don't know if they would be vendors of the. If we authorize it I don't know about. You'd have to make me look at the legal aspects of it. Also, if you'd have to have a you know, a register bender so there's some questions that need to be answered. So I don't know. If we could, we can answer your request today.

A

F

We'll have the Corporation Counsel she's tied up at the moment. However, as my understanding from previous opinion, she's offered that the funding from the noise just to go to indigent veterans so could have to somehow if he did get approval for that funding, you would have to segregate that from the pampy food that they would be distributed to the public. Does that be a violation most of what the millage was raised for yeah I.

G

Thought currently we have give out food cards for people that are down on their luck at this point in time that correct.

H

G

So I didn't I'm, probably good idea, but I don't know if there's a need for it.

H

I

H

Must we get a request to go there? Go there, go there.

H

I

They would call me and ask you to come to their home.

A

How'd you come to the mic, so we can pick it up.

A

J

We don't really like to go to veterans homes. We prefer to meet them in a public space if we were to meet them to do a claim order system with anything. We then I'm, aware of there have been any calls regarding the need for a home run person to have assistance, though so, but that would be I, don't always deal with that. So.

I

A

Cindy DeMarco the ones are there.

I

How many veterans do you take from bake ah me too?.

K

And what they do is, if you're a veteran, if you can get there, you can get erosions. But if you can't get there, your wife or you there amid rumors, what we're doing is we're setting up a little thing over there, where some calls.

D

K

Veteran, they got cancer, there's quite a few. With this town staff cancer, both camps are there. We won't deliver to them.

C

Of course, if you prefer sitting in first a face anything through service, the shape I've been there, that's amazing, so they mark. You said your work toward the hope say. Is this something we can compile into what music did you made me? Do it delivery service through the one percent? So we're not talking all over? Is this something you can? Maybe you can offer service for the one percent pantry and have.

K

C

But my question is: do we need to be I mean you disease that you're mostly trying to help the homebound? Can you join forces with the wall percent, provide a whole bottle service to Bay County with yours, if you're ready?

C

Is that possible, yeah I just looking at that, we were to good pleasure strong floors with asking to maybe save some money and you get to provide the delivery service, for our veterans are homebound and currently you're driving 10 to 15 a month that that is a lot is impossible that we can continue that through the one percent.

K

The same thing to say that is cancer on that or the could senator is that work with the one problem on one of the first ones out or something, and you know if you don't, if you can't get it interview Rebecca and you can't send your wife or your wife or your kids there to get groceries, it's kind of a different protocol.

K

So that's why we're doing the work week is we're gonna set up a service for them, so we can deliver groceries than that.

C

It's just using viella their use of manpower, money and space to combine forces above it about the stage.

K

For they want to earn everything already I'm ready to go. I've got my 501 C 3 and also got a little tax numbers.

K

C

Like to see you I have another thing: I just cares who I the 1% won't work with. You sees it. They made a great option for them and for us to work with. Oh, my god,.

K

Nothing more, they will do I know that's one of those simulations with that: okay, I'm on the mother board of directors there and.

C

They won't change it. No! That's a shame. That's a good service!

C

Thank you. This.

I

Food pantry will be for needs actress how reduce.

K

Well, we've already working good, because I could one of the Saginaw what we'll be doing is we'll be setting up a website, weather and everything in that. Whoever comes in also, you won't be on the.

K

Or we need um Jenny's got an ID.

K

Saying that he's electron and if this wife got a minute she could do it.

K

Better, it's not because it shouldn't have it shouldn't, have a stopped.

C

Groove, together with the social sailors with you all one percents or making sure that losing it.

G

And all the other charities and pounds give out food baskets, oh and don't forget All Saints sports club, their athletic sports club that give up Christmas, baskets and Thanksgiving baskets and and all that other kind of stuff.

E

Time to check different groups of sugar not hopping from one group to another and that way we'll be able to see what they need for sure.

C

Yes, just to read a line out of the rules: regulations for the sort of services before the bachelors needs assistance of veterans to be directed to the DHS who's, tamp safar, other state and federal programs, and local food ranchers and I support the one percent. So my question hopefully you'll be involved with that whole project. So we need to make sure everybody's in the same loop, yeah.

E

C

Come into quarter months will be nice to make sure we don't miss any veterans, their own bomb. So.

I

Like Cindy did say you were going to open it to the general population.

E

That way, you would have some positive and I'm doing in the community, so everybody that was there that helped everybody in the community but detectives. First.

I

Would it be possible if you've got the food pantry going to make up for veterans.

A

So the funding- basically it's just the cost of the food, so everything else is volunteer.

E

A

Really not sure how often you would need to get the food truck in it just depends on the band that you would have all right. Yeah, as I've said before there there's a continuum of care committee in the community. That does a lot of the food thing in Salvation Army we're not pretty mimicking Community Action Agency, but this might be a special niche that that is not being fulfilled.

A

E

I am a veteran and I, as I said, and I am also an officer at the end, us a lot of veterans are not willing to go to somebody else to act. Ask for help we're too proud and but they're willing to take help from another veteran and that's what we're trying to do is help. The fellow are all of us.

A

Any more questions really once.

I

She would get the food pantry going. How are you going to me.

A

So I don't think we're probably ready for any action at this time. I think we need to have corporation counsel, look at what we would need to set up and check. Our funding also have to be a line item for a respectable set, but.

F

Single you have you and not talked about what amount of money are looking for.

E

And whatever we can do to make sure it's a viable thing so become expires is already said that they would give us potatoes, Michigan sugar. So they would give us sugar.

E

And they said they would provide us some pickles and the cheese where those things they look the Vikes and cheese. So we're looking for donations wherever we can get out. We've talked to my ears: we've talked to Carver's, we've talked to walnut and they are willing to assist you.

A

Perishable they're perishable items on that food truck I'm, trying to memorize. We can say the Salvation Army gets it so that can be a problem if it's perishable and you need to get rid of it that you might need. If you don't have enough demand that you might have to move some of the perishable items somewhere. It helps.

E

Which also that we could use their refrigeration in their freezers.

A

All right, any more questions like I say unless somebody wants to make a motion I think we need to look a little more deeply into it with our corporation council and come back yeah. Thank you.

A

Veteran affair office updates, Thank.

B

You mr. chair, so briefly, the office downstairs is mostly complete. There's a couple miscellaneous items there finishing up a counter top and whatnot in the break room electricians coming in and just finalized a couple of things put up the TV in the conference room. We just have to shift things back around, but invoices have been paid and all the material is here. Yeah we're like 99%, complete and so I just wanted to give a brief update. We are operating out of that office. Now, artists are there.

B

I also have an office that I'm positioned in as well. It's just finishing up those last few many things and will be will be a hundred percent it'll be nice. Well then, we'll look at a date for an open house and possible speaker and things of those things. A lot of that nature.

A

Are there questions stop in and take a look? We go to jams, city well and we're gonna conference room when they would, when done it last. We think it was no rate reports and resolutions.

A

The thing in that area, Oh business driver, cellphones and.

B

He update on that I do so I. Probably last last month of mr. Brigante brought up the fact that looking into some cellphones here, I did get some numbers from purchasing agent and I did forward that over to Mike. But I just wanted to share it with the rest of the committee and it looks like they do have some flip phone options and they we pay a monthly fee approximately, depending on per line around twenty five to thirty dollars.

B

I wanted to report that back and.

G

You said you got two lines already and it's Boston yet 18 bucks, a line.

L

I paid the first bill myself, naturally 100.

L

150 194 on a French pocket. That's right! What that did, how that breaks down is the phone is 25 dollars two dollars. Eighty one cent surcharge dollar, 20 cent, tax and government fees and each line had an activation for you got 46 96, so there's there's of 151 94 SP. Now the monthly bill from here on us, our next 20 22 months, now be $29 in a 1 cent per phone.

L

Now that includes a final or charge for the phone itself, so at the ends of the two years. No that goes away. So we down to 24:01 and I've got the phone. I cannot turn them in now, they're on my bill, I'm on contract, I guess I eat them, but if it's a monthly figure out 2901 bar.

L

Well, the original I said about 20 bucks. My didn't take into consideration the accurate lucky activation, the surcharge or monthly government fees, tag to that guy, crap 2901, oh.

I

Great teach you Saint listen to 25 to 30 dollars. That's.

B

Correct and again not not to persuade one way or another just as information if the county does pay for those things that that is subject to FOIA and you know, obviously care. We know where that phone goes. Is it stay and a location? Does it go home with you? You know those types of things would need to be just explained.

B

G

Right well, I have a motion and it's mostly because I'm getting tired of hearing Trent.

G

That's not gonna happen with this motion. I move that that we approved fifty dollars and two cents per month to reimburse mr. Ziegler for his phone expenses and I. Don't think we will revisit the 151 as you did, that all on your own.

L

Yeah I was at one time deal with there. Right now is 29 o.

D

G

Per month, yeah and I think we should reimburse mr. zipler because those those phones are being used by drivers that support the driving.

A

Program that these for two years and for.

G

Two years, and then it is revisited when that contract expires with your carrier and.

L

Now that dropped by 10 10 bucks 20, while 22s ha well.

G

We can bring that up.

L

One thing we got a text message today from our current: what's the name of a straight talk, I believe went through Walmart, originally text message and said: I hope I get this right, we're changing our network you're going to be needing a new phone, then they're, trying to advertise Samsung smartphones, blah blah blah. Well, we don't need smartphones if, if straight talk does away with their phone plan I'm what happening another master phone, if you will but I'll get it on.

L

My plan like I, have now but I think it's good to the end the year I'm, not sure, but that was the message we got on the phone I'm not worried about right now.

A

L

C

L

L

Right, we have our.

G

A

More discussion.

A

802 per month for two years contracts we discipler all those in favor, say aye.

A

Sort of under old wizard may last mark about the gentleman Mr Ewell that we've been sort of working on see if he is a bee city, deceased veteran that should be on our wall. If.

J

We did place, I didn't talk to the National personnel records or the National Archives record Center in st. Louis. We didn't make contact with the gentleman. There is a record, we're not sure exactly what say that we know that he was born here. That's all we know, that's all they would tell us. I have forwarded the information to Craig and we were looking to get that paid. So we could actually look at his record because now that he's been dead 70 years or so it's now a public record and we had to request it.

J

So we just we just have to go through our process to get the record page and and we can actually look at and the record will come to our office. So we.

A

Paid there was a fee for that. The questions that we need some dollars, $70 less. We should probably wait for that to come and the money just an update on that. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Any new business.

G

Yeah I have an issue that I think we need to discuss and possibly vote on. Talk to hammer I think there is an issue with our service officers being contract employees as opposed to county employees.

G

So what my recommendation is is that we make the service officers county employees, one being a full-time employee and one being a part-time, employee and I. Think Craig would probably have to do some homework to figure out what that's going to cost us before. Actually bowled out that make sense.

A

And the sort of a recommendation, because we could ask senior straightened up well I- will definitely personal.

B

And we had all the costs she wouldn't get.

G

That's my recommendation that every searched already.

A

It's not emotional energy, don't like they're willing to do that.

A

It'll be looked into and the other new business up, so we can hear you.

L

If I can make a mention of Mike's proposal, I.

L

Understand we're not writing up hip claims for the Michigan veteran trust fund. It's not correct.

L

We've taken application for Michigan veterans, trust fund. As far as I know, you are what was the last one. You do.

H

L

Are we mics, you ebony, our knowledge? Are we doing fire.

G

Now but you know Fred, that's that's. One of the issues we got to look into besides. Making a county employee is the actual duty description of what they would be doing, and then you can always put that catch-all in their life. Every government job that says additional duties as assigned well.

L

I'm told apiece a year ago, I'm not quite a year ago. I don't do. Am I right I, don't take application, Myshkin, better, a trust fund because I'm not being paid.

L

You're sitting down there making $15 an hour you being paid.

I

Actually, exact.

L

L

But they're doing it now, like March.

G

But you know in reality: Fred I think Craig will will back this up any time you have a contract. You have a very specific task, not wrapped, and that's what the contractor does and if there's tasks in there or you want them to do that. Aren't in there the.

L

Last line, all my contracts, I made my guy sign all, do any additional duties and even I.

G

Don't know if that's in.

L

The contract I don't know, but it should be.

C

They met the eligibility requirements, so we don't know who that person may have been they got turned away. Maybe they.

L

Were turned away, I'm saying: are we actually writing up a claim for the mission.

G

Would be one of the things I tried.

L

Calling the goddess Moore- and he was a there's two guys and they were both out of the office. huh I know we had a meeting man 3-4 months ago, yeah we're kind of taken aback by the lack of application from a colleague.

A

When I heard it, you know we had of it, we had a trust fund person here then that person was gone and then they were supposed to be calling in to Lansing I. Think a lot of veterans aren't doing that they aren't going online or they aren't calling in to the trust fund. And lastly, because don't have a person to talk to that's always a next.

D

A

Problem yeah, that's the last I heard of that here we have one here if it was a Bonnie or.

L

A

Then they took it away and they said you call this number in Lansing that will process.

L

The other counties.

A

Are people yeah.

L

The other colleagues it was the meeting was Claire Connie I, believe I asked Oh, Erin ACK.

L

Midland Isabella and they all had actual person either in their County, bearing or in an office somewhere, but they could sit down and the veteran could walk in then, okay, we're the only one. That's the thing so.

A

They might be funding as I think I was being funded by the state that we had somebody here. There was funding for that and then that was Robert Redford came by and they talked about dropping that funding. For that so I guess it would be enough. So we decided to fund a position if.

L

You're, paying a person 15 bucks an hour to 6-iron, what's the difference, whether you're writing a claim for for disco or I'm, sorry for Bay County for this committee or for the Michigan veteran trust fund. What's it different centralizes.

A

I

My understanding was that crystal was doing the applications for the Michigan trust. One.

L

Crystals one that told me I, don't do it because I'm gonna get paid now they said I'm going back four or five months. Whenever we was cleaning out the second floor, Jamie and I not file cabinets I was like I was waiting for gaming I just sat down with over well in that one corner, of course, so mark we're at the time, which is why he totally word for word. Maybe that's changed. I, don't know.

G

L

G

Can get ready fall.

H

A

Any other new business, mr. Douglas, you missed the public comment, will we'll have a public comment at the end.

A

You can speak I.

M

Guess you don't realize we have a homeless shelter here may Connie. This doesn't seem like they know about it, and we just opened up on thrift. Stop give the thrift shop to fund the homeless, shelter we're not asking for any money, but we would like to at least get recognized for what we're doing for the veterans. So.

A

What's the address beyond a three TV I know it's on Henry and Midland Henry.

M

In mililani corner of the row seats 100% goes to help the homeless, shelter. We don't keep one penny back. None of my employees. None of my volunteers, are paid.

A

That's the trip shop and then the homeless shelter is what's.

M

The address 3 18th, Street Home Depot been really.

A

J

M

Church on endlessly really generous to us open yourself, but you don't hear another veteran scoops just wanted to. Let you know where we stand: okay, it'll.

A

Be on TV and the other new business comments miscellaneous an else. Bus motion to adjourn is always an order, so.

C

Move second, all.

A

Those in favor say aye.

A