HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-21-2023- Human Relation and Community Services Board- HRCS Meeting Minutes 022123_FINAL
Attendance: Paul Dripchak, Ron Embry, Frank Lee, Melissa Horste, Jody Washington, Versey Williams,
and Thomas Woods
Staff: Kimberly A. Coleman, Toni Young, and Renee Morgan Freeman
The meeting was called to order at 4:38 p.m. by Chair Ron Embry.
R. Freeman conducted a roll call. A quorum was established.
J. Washington moved to approve the agenda with flexibility. It was seconded by F. Lee. Motion carried.
January 24, 2023, minutes were read silently. T. Woods moved that the minutes be approved as read,
seconded by M. Horste.
There was no public comment.
Chair Embry asked that the Director's Report be presented after reviewing and discussing General Fund
Agency Scores and Recommendations. There were no objections.
T. Young asks board members to share feedback regarding the Wizehive software, applications, and scoring
process. Board members expressed that it was easily accessible and noticed that some applicants missed the
second budget page, which should be brought to their attention. Additional clarification should be provided on
some of the definitions and terminology. Once the scoring was submitted, there was no opportunity for
reviewers to reopen to make adjustments. There was difficulty navigating to get to the budget. Hybrid links
that were embedded in applications were not accessible or when the link was clicked it directed the person
scoring out of the Wizehized system. This is an area that can be reviewed to see if embedded links should be
permissible within the application. It was great that a certain number of applications were assigned to each
board member instead of them having to score all applications. Overall the system was outstanding. It was
reported that a few agencies encountered issues with their application submission. This may be attributed to
too many users on the system at once. However, HRCS was able to troubleshoot. They also inquired about
clarity regarding some of the definitions. Agencies could also share and ask questions at the in-person and
virtual Community Forums.
Chair Embry provided kudos to the staff for the exemplary work done to implement the new process. Director
Coleman indicated that in the future, there might be a federal component added to Wizehize.
The discussion was then directed to board members' thoughts on applying a score threshold. Responses
included 75/80, 85 for full funding vs. 70 for partial funding, 7s.156, 80, 70, and perhaps an average of 71.
Mercy and grace should be extended on an individual basis. It was noted that some applicants are not grant
writers, which could affect the score received. There was a discussion about whether applicants could provide
letters of support or emphasize collaborations. T. Young stated that this was asked in the past but was
City of Lansing HRCS Advisory Board Meeting Summary
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
HRCS Conference Room
4th Floor – City Hall
excluded in this process. It was expressed that caution should be taken on how much weight a letter of support
should receive. Attention was directed to the last page of the scoring document, which presented some
questions: What if funding re: full recommendation vs. an 85 score; is the program one that the City needs to
be funded? These areas need to be considered based on the determination of available funds, which is not
known until March.
The HRCS Advisory Board consensus was that HRCS Staff should make the final funding decisions on
funding allocations submitted to the Mayor based on actual dollars, the scenario of 85 plus scores, and
consider basic needs.
Director Coleman reported that HRCS has to address those agencies that are non-compliant with submitting
their quarterly reports. If there is no report(s), should funds be issued? There must be an alternative plan
established when reports are not submitted timely. There was extensive discussion in this regarding how much
grace should be permitted before issuing grant funds. It was concluded that HRCS staff would develop a
policy for presentation at the March HRCS Advisory Board meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:16 p.m.
3/14/23 FINAL_KAC