Tacoma Area Commission on Disabilities Committee Meeting Minutes TACID – 6315 South 19th Street, Tacoma, WA 98407 January 14, 2016, 4:00 PM Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 4:10 pm Commissioners Present Gerrit Nyland (Chair), Roxanne Miles (Vice-Chair), Luke Byram, Susan Dye, Sheryl Ellis, Joann Fritsche, Todd Holloway, Krystal Monteros, Devin Myers, Gary Peterson Commissioners Absent Michael Maratas City Staff Present Sandy Davis, Donlisa Scott Adoption of Agenda The agenda was accepted as presented. Acceptance of Minutes A motion was made, seconded, and carried to accept the COD meeting minutes for December 10, 2015 with the following amendments: * Revise TACID and Liaison reports to read, “There was no report”. * Revise Effective Communication recommendation from Vice-Chair Miles revised to read “the focus of the presentations to the Neighbor Councils should be on educating the board”. * List Taxi Cabs, Strategic Plan 2025, and Transition Plan under Commission Project Reports. Public Comment There was no public comment. Reports Director’s Report – Joy St. Germain In Ms. Germain’s absence, Ms. Davis mentioned that the Human Resources Director would like to have each department director that works on a city project attend a COD meeting and provide a brief update on the projects they are working on. Liaison Report – Sandy Davis There was no report. TACID Report – Nola Renz There was no report. CFI Report – Todd Holloway Commissioner Holloway reported that the Center for Independent Living (CFI) is working with other state entities to create a State Plan for Independent Living (SPIL) and are looking at legislative reception which is happening next week. There will be a mediator involved in the creation of the SPIL to assure that everything is considered. Nominations of Officers Chair Nyland opened the floor for the nomination of Chair and Vice-Chair. Commissioners Miles, Peterson, and Holloway were nominated for the position of Chair. Commissioners Peterson and Holloway declined. Nominations for the position of Chair were officially closed. Commissioners Holloway, Peterson, Myers, Byram, and Monteros were nominated for the position of Vice-Chair. Commissioner Peterson declined the nomination. Nominations for Vice-Chair were officially closed. In accordance with COD bylaws, nominees will have an opportunity to speak to their interest and share how they will carry out their duties. All nominees will prepare a speech for the next meeting. 2016 Goal Review - Gerrit Nyland Chair Nyland provided a handout of the 2016 goals. Discussion ensued concerning whether the goals need to be voted on. Commissioner Peterson stated that goals are not actions items and there isn’t a need to vote on them. Chair Nyland mentioned that voting on the goals reflect what the commission has formally stated and agreed to work on for the year. A motion was made, seconded, and carried to accept the goals for 2016 to help direct our work and are not action items. Commission vs Committee Decision Making – Chair Nyland Chair Nyland shared that a commission decision is anything that the commission as a whole has agreed to and then delegates to the committee. After discussion, the consensus was that decisions requiring public or city council involvement, funding issues, or decisions that require city departments to take action beyond what they normally do should be brought to the commission. Committees will implement what the commission agreed to work on. Vice-Chair Miles and Commissioner Dye will work on a policy statement for the commission to vote on. E-Mail Strategies – Chair Nyland Chair Nyland reminded everyone about the extra time that can be expended when receiving email. He shared information on how to send emails and structure them so that recipients are aware of what is requested. Individual Outreach Goals – Chair Nyland Chair Nyland challenged the commissioners to attend other city organization meetings. This can be a goal to share what the commission does and remind others that people with disabilities are affected by the decisions that they make. Good of the Order/ Announcements Commissioner Holloway would like a few minutes devoted at each meeting for someone to share a story about anyone with a disability or concern. Discussion ensued. Sandy Davis will let the commission know how accessibility inquiries are being tracked and managed within the city. Chair Nyland met with Toby Olsen, Executive Director for the Governor's Committee on Disability Issues and Employment to discuss funding from the Accessible Communities Fund. They discussed taxi funding and mental health. Chair Nyland will provide Commissioner Fristche the names of people Mr. Olsen suggested that they contact. Commissioner Holloway will send a link to everyone that provides information about dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid. Commissioner Peterson stated that all airline websites have to be fully accessible by December 2016. Commissioner Fritsche stated that the last Monday of the month from 3:30 – 5:00 is the best time for mental health committee meetings. Vice-Chair Miles shared that the strategic plan kick off meeting to review the city’s plan and talk through opportunities will be held on February 1. If anyone wants to be involved in the meeting, let her know. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 5:35 pm Next Commission on Disability Meeting: February 11, 2016 3 To request this information in an alternative format or to request a reasonable accommodation for this event, please contact Sandy Davis, (253) 591-5452; TTY 711 1 To request this information in an alternative format or to request a reasonable accommodation for this event, please contact Gail Himes, (253) 591-5785; TTY (253) 591-5153