President's Welcome to OCCD
It is my honor and privilege to welcome you to the fall OCCD meeting. If you will allow a little bias, I believe this is a wonderful organization committed to excellence by its members who are constantly striving to perform valiantly in spite of the sometimes limitations of onerous regulations.
We are blessed to have an outstanding working relationship with both HUD and OCD. We are blessed to have staffs and agencies across the State who are working to deliver and implement programs effectively and efficiently.
With this beginning of a new organizational year, it is my belief that the officers and board will continue the excellence that has preceded them by those who served before them. Kathy Werkmeister is developing programs for the year that will continue the great programs Ken Lengieza provided last year.
OCCD strives to keep the members informed of the latest developments in programs, in regulations, in opportunities, and education that will benefit governments and people across the State of Ohio.
In order to do that well, OCCD needs your help. We need to know your concerns, and topics you want to know more about. We need the membership to be involved by attending meetings regularly, and participating in workshops and sessions that benefit the membership. This year approximately 30 members of the organization will be serving on a variety of Boards and Committees. All with the purpose of enhancing the organization and the work we all do.
I would conclude by saying that my hope is that this will be a year when each member, and each community will develop policies and strategies that encourage excellence in performance. As we see shrinking funding on both the Federal and State level, it is my belief that some of our vary existence will depend upon excellence in performance. I encourage actions in each community that represent that. It is my opinion that each of you are very outstanding. Lets be sure our work reflects that, and I believe we will see that reflected in the attitudes of our funding agencies.
I look forward to seeing you in the fall meeting.
Dale W. Hartle, President
September 25, 2013
2013 - 2014 OCCD Executive Board and Committees
Back Row: Rollin Seward, Ken Lengieza, Amy Riegel, Dale Hartle, Angela Brown, Michael Keys; Front Row: Missy Frost, Nancy Cook, Stacy Clapper, Lisa Patt-McDaniel
Executive CommitteeFunction: To govern the Ohio Conference of Community Development, Inc.
Committee OfficersPresident - Dale Hartle, Ohio Regional Development Corporation Past President - Angela Brown, Kettering President Elect - Kenneth Lengieza, Marion County RPC Vice President - Kathy Werkmeister, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning CommissionTreasurer - Amy Riegel, DaytonSecretary - Missy Frost, Greene CountyBoard Members:Michael Keys, WarrenRollin Seward, Franklin CountyNancy Cook, Akron Stacy Clapper, Zanesville (appointed) Lisa Patt-McDaniel, Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (appointed)
Policy CommitteeFunction: To closely monitor the general affairs of the Association and recommend to the Executive Committee new policies, or changes of existing policies. Also to perform specific policy-related research tasks and problem-solving functions assigned by the Executive Committee or the Association.
Committee Members:Chair: Elizabeth A. Pearson, Stark County RPCNancy Cook, AkronHarry Conard, Jr., Cuyahoga CountyEvelyn King, CambridgeAane Aaby, CantonAnita Stocker, Geauga CountyAngela Brown, KetteringFritz Leighty, Leighty & Snider, Inc. (appointed)Sue Spiker, Licking County (appointed)Dwendolyn Chester, Cincinnati (appointed)Angela Byington, Elyria (appointed)Bridget Susel, Kent (appointed)Ken Lengieza, Marion County RPC - President Elect
Legislative Committee Function: To monitor state and federal legislation and investigate issues potentially affecting the Association's objective and purpose. To recommend to the Executive Committee actions to be taken by the Association concerning significant legislative matters. Also to prepare and offer testimony when deemed necessary on behalf of the Association and to perform related tasks assigned by the Executive Committee.
Committee Members:Chair: Fritz Leighty, Leighty & Snider, Inc.Pamela Hanover, Squire Sanders L.L.P.Paul Herdeg, Cuyahoga CountyAngela Byington, ElyriaAnita Stocker, Geauga CountyDan Morganti, KentStacy Clapper, Zanesville - Board LiaisonMatt LaMantia, OCD Representative
Membership Committee Function: To develop and affect resourceful methods and procedures for recruiting and maintaining a full and active membership in the Association.
Committee Members:Chair: Kiya Patrick, Montgomery CountyDwendolyn Chester, CincinnatiAmy Riegel, DaytonJonathan Boeckman, FairbornLynn Carlone, Stark County RPCKathy Werkmeister, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission - Board Liaison
Nominating Committee Function: To be responsible for the orderly transfer of the elected positions of the Association. Also to serve as the Elections Committee during the Annual Meeting, with the Chairman serving as Presiding Officer. The Elections Committee is responsible for validating the eligible voting membership, conducting the elections, tabulating the results and announcing the official results to the membership.
Committee Members:Chair: Elizabeth A. Pearson, Stark County RPCAane Aaby, CantonHarry Conard, Cuyahoga CountyAnita Stocker, Geauga CountyLynn Carlone, Stark County RPC
Audit Committee Function: To perform an annual examination of the financial records and accounts of the Association and to issue a written report of such audit at the Annual Meeting of the Association.
Committee Members:Chair: Rhea Benton, Lake CountyJanice Switzer, Ashtabula CountyJeff Marshall, Darke County
Personnel Committee Function: To assist the President in administering personnel policies consistent with sound principles of personnel management. Duties include the establishment and maintenance of job titles, job descriptions, and performance evaluation procedures; and recommendations on the interpretation or modification of the personnel policies from time-to-time as necessary and appropriate to the combined good business practices of The Association.
Committee Members:Chair:Dale Hartle, Ohio Regional Development CorporationAngela Brown, KetteringKen Lengieza, Marion County RPCEvelyn King, CambridgeBridget Susel, KentElizabeth A. Pearson, Stark County R.P.C.
Federal and State Training Committee Function: To serve as liaison between the membership of the Association and both the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the State of Ohio Department of Development. The Committee will define areas where technical assistance is needed and will support the HUD Area Office and ODOD's Office of Housing and Community Partnerships in providing the needed training services to the OCCD membership.
Committee Members:Chair – Amy Odum, LimaJanice Switzer, Ashtabula CountyGerard Diaz, Diaz & AssociatesMary Leigh, LakewoodTawana Jones, Montgomery CountyNate Coffman, Ohio CDCMichael Key, Warren - Board LiaisonRich Hendershot, HUD LiaisonTim Allen, OCD Representative
State Programs Committee Function: To address situations, programs, and circumstances which impact those communities, nonprofits, or other entities which do not receive funding for various activities directly from the U.S. Government, but rather, from the State of Ohio.
Committee Members:Chair:Amy Schocken, CDC of Ohio, Inc.Evelyn King, CambridgeGeorge Zokle, CT ConsultantsCherise Schell, Greene CountyEvelyn Warr-Cummings, Marion County RPCNikki Reese, Miami CountyLisa Patt-McDaniel, OCCH - Board Liaison Mary Oakley, OCD RepresentativeMike Hiler, OCD Representative
OCCD President's Award - Dress for Success
Vicki Bowen Hewes, Executive Director of Dress for Success Columbus, founded the Columbus affiliate in 2007.
Dress for Success Columbus promotes the economic independence of women in need by providing professional attire, a network of support and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. All programs and services are free of charge for every woman assisted.
Dress for Success Columbus serves job-ready women, by referral only, from more than 125 non-profit organizations, including job-training programs, domestic violence missions, homeless shelters, local places of worship and, beginning in 2013, from the Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW) in Marysville.
Their programs including Interview and Workplace Wardrobe Suiting, Career Center, Going Places Network, and Professional Women’s Group. The Suiting Boutique and Career Center area housed at the agency, located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and High Street in the Short North District, 1204 North High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43201 – 614-291-5420.
The Going Places Network was presented at Marysville ORW in 2013, and Professional Women’s Group workshops are hosted at sponsoring corporate training centers, such as Huntington Training Center in Easton.
Their Suiting Boutique is merchandised with professional apparel for women of all shapes and sizes. Inventory includes suits, separates (jackets, pants, skirts), tops/blouses, medical scrubs, footwear, hosiery, jewelry, handbags, scarves, accessories, tote bags, season appropriate outerwear, personal care items (toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner), and cosmetics. Most of their clothing and shoes are gently worn; undergarments, personal care items, and cosmetics are new.
Whether new or used, every item available at Dress for Success Columbus has been donated to their mission by an individual or corporate partner in the community. Over 8,000 unique donors have contributed more than 100,000 items for the Suiting Boutique and Career Center since their launch in 2007. Each donated item is inspected by teams of trained volunteers who sort through and determine what career apparel to keep. Items deemed not appropriate for work are saved for one of their semi-annual sales, whose funds further help the mission. Men’s and children’s items are donated to the poor through local churches.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of Dress for Success Columbus. In 2012, over 300 volunteers contributed more than 14,000 hours of service with the mission. They host monthly Volunteer Orientations to engage community members interested in helping with the effort. Volunteer opportunities include personal shoppers who work one-on-one with clients to select interview and employment apparel, donation sorters, career center counselors, special events committee members, administrative/data specialists, grant writers, Professional Women’s Group presenters, Going Places Network facilitators, mentors, and board members. Volunteer on-boarding includes shadowing an experienced volunteer until the new team member feels confident in their role.
The mission of Dress for Success Columbus resonates with so many diverse individuals in the community because everyone can understand the importance of professional mentoring, at all levels, whether someone is just starting out or reentering the workforce after having sustained a career but getting off track along the way. The volunteers understand the important of treating every woman equally and with dignity.
A great deal of dedication, strategy and planning is invested to ensure that, when a woman walks through the doors of Dress for Success Columbus, her perception of the mission and herself are elevated. They want to encourage women to regain their dignity from the very first interaction, and they are very intentional about every aspect of a client’s experience.
For more information about Dress for Success, go to www.dressforsuccess.org/Columbus
Public Service
Jack Riordan, OCCD Development Specialist
The attacks on public servants (us), reflects the overall decline in the economic importance of the middle class, (again us). The Columbus Dispatch reported that in the last 30 months 22,300 local government jobs have vanished along with their contribution to our local economies. As long as the average white guy (me) had a good job with benefits, able to make his car, house and boat payments, what the building inspector was paid was not important. Most attacks on public service are from white male Tea Party guys. Why white males? They have lost jobs, prestige and economic influence since their high point in the 50s, 60s and 70s.
Foreclosures and even poverty have undermined their roles and dreams of life in Small Town America and suburbia. One of my favorite sources, G.B. Trudeau recently described them as, “angry, straight, white, well-armed, evangelical men”. I don’t buy the evangelical tag.
William Galston in an August 7th Wall Street Journal article states that the middle class, “is significantly smaller”; in 1971the middle class made up 61% of adults, 14% were in the upper class, and 25% in the lower class. Forty years later in 2011, the middle class is down to 51%, the uppers are up to 20% and the lower class has increased to 29%. The rich and the poor grow while the rest struggle. This income stratification affects the housing market and the Wal-Mart economies in small towns and suburbs – the strong hold of the Tea Party.
Brookings reported on a new book “Confronting Poverty in Suburban America” by Alan Berube and Elizabeth Kneebone which shows that poverty has doubled in most Ohio Suburbs from 2000 to 2007. A book by Leigh Gallagher, “The End of the Suburbs” points out that the “Millennials” (young folks born in 1980s and 1990s, our grandkids) want to walk, not drive. Pew Research reported, “Fewer Millennials are getting married” – 25% down from 30% five years ago. Also they have not yet had children which they are delaying. This age group has not made the, “do I really want to own a single family house with good schools for their 2.5 person households and spend every weekend cutting grass?” Adding to changes is a census report showing the number of people living alone grew from 17% in 1970 to 27% in 2012 and married couples dropped from 71% of American households to 49%. Housing patterns and job opportunities for what is left of the middle class will be much different than what the Tea Party guys are accustomed to.
What growth there is in Ohio is concentrated in a few downtowns and wealthy suburbs where even educated kids are moving home. A recent Pew study reports that 36% of young adults live at home and that only 63% of those 18 to 31 had jobs, (mostly low wage, part-time jobs) down from 70% in 2007. Ohio’s Chief Economist reported that Ohio’s birth rate will not maintain our population. As a result, the rest of the state is shrinking with less revenue to sustain and maintain roads and utilities. Towns and cities are left with unmarketable houses and vacant land, plus miles of utilities. Public service in the police and fire and to some degree in utility maintenance is still valued. Public service in community development is not by the small town/suburbanite Tea Party because they have not yet realized what is happening to their communities.
Those struggling middle class folks who work from their homes under contract with former employers without benefits are very envious of the fringes of public employment. They also resent paying taxes to pay for pensions they no longer can count on. White men have not adjusted to the new roles of women in society and economy. The idea of a black president is anathema. They link community development to welfare, reinforcing lazy people’s laziness.
The jobs that gave middle class males status are gone. This loss of prestige and economic influence is reflected in a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the Suicide Among Adults which shows that suicide rate for males 40 to 64 jumped from 20.88% per 100,000 to 28.26%.
We need to understand what is driving the Tea Party. We, public servants must address their attitude that smaller government will bring back “those glorious days of yesteryear” when white men ruled, a time of population growth and prosperity. Life in small town America and suburbia was the American dream. You could get a good job with benefits, marry your high school sweetheart in church, buy a house, start a family, go to church on Sunday and eat fried chicken. Andy was sheriff and Opie was walking down the road with his fishing pole. God was in “HIS” heaven and all was right with the world.
Our elected local officials most of whom are white males like me must be made to see that Ohio politics has shifted too far to the right. Local officials must let state and federal legislators know that local government is not the cause of our problems, and tax cuts are not part of the solution. A study by the nonpartisan Congressional research service reiterated earlier studies, that tax cuts do not generate jobs and growth. We need a new strategy to maintain and upgrade our communities, and stop looking for a high tech savior to build a plant in the vacant lot just off Main Street.
The old Lady with the cats said, “Son, (I love it when she says that) the problem is we want everything cheap. We are successful because we are a greedy and selfish. We want to work less but get paid more and blame someone else for our failures. Sooner or later people will realize that increasing consumption/user/sales tax hurts everyone but the rich and the only thing tax cuts generate is campaign contributions for the tax cutters.”
Sometimes she amazes even me.
From Our Training Coordinator
Debra Mayes, OCCD Training Coordinator
Beautiful, crisp, September fall day here as I type……….I like beautiful, crisp, September fall days, but am I the only one who is still trying to determine what happened to Summer??? And another OCCD year flew by. I always remark to the vice-president tasked with setting the agendas at the Fall Quarterly that all at once it will be the Summer Annual. And I have yet to have them not agree with me come July.
With the end of a year comes a review. As your OCCD Training Coordinator, and along with Jack Riordan, Community Development Specialist, we are pleased to report that five hundred and three (503) OCCD members and non-members participated in the following trainings/activities throughout the year:
OCB Required Accessibility by Jan A. Sokolnicki, Senior Staff, Ohio Department of Commerce
OCD CHIP Application Training, OCD Staff
Special Environmental Issues presented by Jennifer Miller, LJB, Inc. and Tim Allen, OCD
Fair Housing Luncheon and Civil Rights Training with luncheon speaker Jim McCarthy, President/CEO of Miami Valley Fair Housing Center and Chair if the Board of Directors of the National Fair Housing Alliance and Joyce Hill, Civil Rights Specialist, OCD.
OCD Community Development Conference at Salt Fork
OCCD supported the Office of Community Development (OCD) in organized stakeholder Planning Work Groups to identify potential options for the implementation of the housing program.
In addition OCCD also participated in the 14th Annual Ohio Housing Conference with our display distributing membership brochures and newsletters.
Steps are being taken to revive/refine the Ohio Community Development Professional Certification. As you may or may not know, this was a very special project to past president Gary Locke and we were in discussion of making some changing prior to his illness. We have been informed by the local HUD office that CDBG Basics will be offered in Ohio – date, time and location to be determined. The training will address new regulations which will require that our test for CDBG be reviewed and revised. OCCD Board Member Lisa Patt-McDaniel and I will be working to revive/refine the Ohio Community Development Professional Certification. OCCD will continue to promote the program both within OCCD and hopefully outside the organization, within the State of Ohio. Our mission from the start was for the program to serve OCCD members as a tool for professional development and serve to demonstrate the capacity of those certified to deliver quality community development programs within their communities.
As a result of the Ohio Housing Conference being moved to the first part of November, OCCD will not be offering training on the Tuesday prior to the OCCD Fall Quarterly. However, as in years past, the OCD CHIP Application Training will be offered the day prior to the OCCD Winter Quarterly – January 28, 2014.
OCCD will again be participating at the 15th Annual Ohio Housing Conference on Nov. 5-7 In Columbus. If you will be attending and would like to volunteer time at the display, please let me know - trainingcoordinator@occd.org.
Reminder
Power Point presentations from the OCCD Quarterly meetings are posted to the OCCD website under Learning Resources-Post Training Materials when permission is given by the speakers. Occasionally, due to the size of the presentation because of pictures, this is not possible. The members’ only password is required to access. If you do not have this password, please contact Patricia Richards at office@occd.org.
Locations for 2013-
The OCCD 2013 Fall Quarterly Meeting will held October 30--13, 2013 at the Doubletree, Worthington.
Locations for 2014-
The OCCD 2014 Winter Quarterly Meeting will be held January 29-30, 2014 at Embassy Suites, Dublin.
The OCCD 2014 Spring Quarterly Meeting will be held April 23-24, 2014 at Crowne Plaza North, Columbus.
The OCCD 2014 Summer Quarterly Meeting will be held July 30-31, 2014 at Crowne Plaza North, Columbus.
The OCCD 2014 Fall Quarterly Meeting will held October 29-30, 2014 at the Holiday Inn, Downtown
“Like” us on Facebook! And now check out the brand new OCCD website!!
Ohio Development Services Agency Update
David Goodman, Director
Ohio Development Services Agency
It was a busy summer for us here in Columbus. At the end of June, the General Assembly passed, and Governor Kasich signed, a state budget that continues to build a business-friendly environment. This budget includes a $2.7 billion tax cut. Ohio small businesses will receive a 50 percent tax cut and all Ohioans will see a 10 percent income tax reduction over the next three years. Governor Kasich also authorized a transfer of $995.9 million to Ohio’s Rainy Day Fund in July. Now Ohio has more than $1.4 billion in the fund, up from the low of $0.89. These initiatives continue to position Ohio for growth and job creation.
Here at the Development Services Agency, we are committed to providing Ohio communities with the resources they need to encourage economic growth and job creation. While your focus may be community development, we want to make sure you understand the variety of services we offer and how we can work together to support Ohio businesses and communities. That’s why at this year’s Housing Conference, we are holding a session to explain all of the resources we have to offer communities. Members of our Office of Community Assistance, Office of Energy and Office of Redevelopment will be on-hand to discuss their programs and answer your questions. The conference will be held November 20-22, 2013, at the Sawmill Creek Resort and Conference Center in Huron. We hope you will register and take advantage of this training and networking opportunity.
We also want to hear about the successful projects you have completed with support from the Agency. Our team would like to share these outstanding partnerships in your region, across the state and with government leaders in Columbus. I encourage you to submit a success story online. This website is also where we are collecting nominations for the 2013 Director’s Awards for Excellence in Housing. Grant administrators and chief executive officers that manage Community Housing Improvement Program and Neighborhood Stabilization Program grants can submit nominations by filling out the online form. Honorees will be recognized during the Housing Conference luncheon on Wednesday, November 20. The deadline for nominations for the Director’s Awards is September 15, 2013.
At the Development Services Agency, we want to provide you with excellent customer service. If you have questions about our programs or suggestions on ways we can improve the services we offer, please let us know. Our team in the Office of Community Development can be reached at (614) 466-2285 or via email at OCD@development.ohio.gov.
I know that together we can make a difference in Ohio communities.
The HUD Report
Jorgelle R. LawsonCPD Director - U.S. Dept. of HUD
This article is being written while I am recovering from surgery. I thank you all for your thoughts and good wishes!!
Columbus CPD Staffing Updates:
The Columbus CPD Field Office wishes Greg Peitz good luck. Greg retired on August 30th. In addition, by the time of the October OCCD meeting, my office will also have lost our three NSP Specialists, Kyle Darton, Brian White, and Orient Au-Vang. We appreciate all their efforts in the management of our NSP Programs and wish them the very best on their future endeavors.
CPD COLUMBUS FIELD OFFICE PROGRAM UPDATES:
ENTITLEMENT COMMUNITIES - Notice published on Activity Delivery Costs vs. Program Administrative Costs -- On August 23, CPD published its long-awaited guidance for CDBG grantees on allocating staff costs between activity delivery costs and program-wide (general) administrative costs. CPD Notice 13-07, “Allocating Staff Costs between Program Administration Costs vs. Activity Delivery Costs in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for Entitlement Grantees, Insular Areas, Non-Entitlement Counties in Hawaii, and Disaster Recovery Grantees”, is available on HUD’s website at: http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/administration/hudclips/notices/cpd. This notice also discusses the allocation of costs as direct vs. indirect costs and provides guidance on situations in which CDBG funds may (and may not) be used to pay administrative costs for other CPD programs. CPD is looking into presenting training webinars on this Notice later in the year.
STATES - Timely Distribution of FY-2012 Grant Funds -- States are required to “obligate and announce” 100% of their annual CDBG allocation within 15 months of signing their grant agreement with HUD. States and HUD Field Offices should review the detailed guidance concerning this requirement in CPD Notice 13-03. Based upon the grant award date shown in IDIS, states will complete the 15 month timeliness period for distribution of their FY-2012 grants in September and October 2013. In order for HUD to determine whether or not 100 percent of CDBG funds have been distributed in a timely manner, Grantees must complete and return the State CDBG Timely Distribution of Grant Funds Report –HUD 40108 form prior to the expiration of the State’s 15 month timeliness period. Submissions after the expiration of the 15 month deadline are considered late! Field Office staff will verify the date the state signed the grant agreement and alert the states to the timeliness requirement. If a state fails to comply with the regulatory requirements, the Field Offices are required to make a finding. Reminder: Grant Closeout is critical to HUD’s oversight of the CDBG Program. We are encouraging states to begin the closeout process for those State CDBG grants that are eligible to be closed out. To close out a State CDBG grant, please refer to the CPD-Notice 12-004 for guidance. New guidance will be issued soon.
Please continue to check your e-mails for updates from my office. If there are any changes in e-mail addresses, please let your CPD Rep or Myrna Cokes know as soon as possible.
See you in October.
September 26, 2013
Worth Noting
New MembersOCCD is pleased to welcome new members – City of Wooster, Scioto County and Fulton County.
Directory UpdatesPlease review your organization’s online directory page on the OCCD website at occd.org and submit any updates or revisions to office@occd.org or fax to 937-652-3523.
Quarterly Meeting Payment Changes Beginning with the 2013 Fall Quarterly Meeting, payment for training and quarterly meetings will be required prior to attendance. With online registration, payment can be made by credit card, or by check mailed to the OCCD Office.