October 2004 Meeting Minutes

PACD Executive Council
Nittany Lion Inn, State College, PA
October 29, 2004

Call to Order (Miller)
PACD President Jarrett Miller called the meeting to order.

Roll Call (Hildenbrandt)
PACD Secretary George Hildenbrandt called the roll. There were 30 counties present, which constituted a quorum.

Minutes of Previous Meeting (Hildenbrandt)
PACD Secretary George Hildenbrandt presented the minutes from the July 28, 2004, Executive Council Meeting.

It was moved by George Hildenbrandt (Centre) and seconded by Bob Ritchey (Cambria) to accept the minutes as presented. Motion carried.

Request from the floor: What was the number of votes for and against the dues increase that was passed in July? This number could not be provided, as it was not noted in the minutes. Kenneth Meck, Parliamentarian for the meeting, noted that in order for a roll-call vote to take place, it must be specifically called for by the Parliamentarian and added that apparently the Parliamentarian did not call for a roll-call vote in this case.

Introduction of Parliamentarian
PACD President Jarrett Miller introduced Kenneth Meck with Lancaster Conservation District as Parliamentarian for the meeting.

PACD Audit (Tammy Specht, CPA, Specht & Company)
PACD Auditor Tammy Specht presented the PACD audited financial statements for July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004. Tammy complimented PACD staff for having records and paperwork in good order and then took questions from the floor.

It was moved by Harold Kulp (Chester) and seconded by Irvil Kear (Schuylkill) to accept the audit. Motion carried.

Reports of Officers
President's Report (Jarrett Miller)
PACD President Jarrett Miller reported that he attended the NACD Northeast Region meeting in Vermont in August. In September he attended the Strategic Planning Team meeting in Harrisburg and two PACD region meetings.

Treasurer's Report (Jarrett Miller)
As Porter Duvall could not be present at the meeting due to injury, PACD President Jarrett Miller presented the Treasurer's Report on his behalf.

Jarrett noted the following corrections to page one of the report:

• Under PACD Operational Budget Revenue:
  
  • Under Rental Income (First floor tenant), Percent Budget 2004/2005 should read 25% (not 0% as listed).
    
  • Under Miscellaneous, Percent Budget 2004/2005 should read 72% (not 33% as listed).
• Under PACD Operational Expenses:
  
  • Jarrett explained that the figure for PACD Overhead is heavily in the negative due to the fact that the accounting is done on an accrual basis, rather than a cash basis, so the number reflects expenses from now through December.

It was moved by Don Bowser (Fayette) and seconded by David Collura (Allegheny) to accept the report. Motion carried.

NACD Director's Report (Patricia Sueck)
NACD Director Patricia Sueck presented the NACD Director's Report, along with written notes.

• Pat attended the NACD NE Region Meeting, August 1-3, 2004, which was held at a beautiful site on Lake Champlain in Vermont with 240 in attendance. During the meeting, there was a special session on strategic planning that offered the Northeast states (thirteen including the District of Columbia) a chance to talk about their direction and goals. The session was informative and productive, and partners, employees, and staff all participated. Other activities at the meeting included a reception at the beautiful new marine aquarium, a dinner boat cruise on Lake Champlain, and a barbecue at local Shelburne Farms.
  
• Pat also attended the NACD NE Region Board meeting while in Vermont, where the board discussed the Northeast Regional Representative position. They do not have anyone in this position at the moment, so duties have been falling to Pat. NACD has allocated $30,000 for funding this person, plus a certain amount of quota dollars based on how many counties from each state in the region have paid their dues. Pat noted that this is one reason why it is important that counties pay their dues. She urged counties that cannot pay the full amount to pay what they can as this participation is important to Pennsylvania.
  
• Pat also attended the NACD Board Meeting October 9-10, 2004. NACD staff completed several informative presentations, which let everyone get a glimpse behind the scenes. Pat reported that Darlene Robbins, Director of Communications for NACD, who puts together News and Views, gave an excellent presentation. Pat encouraged Directors who are not receiving News and Views to talk to their district office and bring this to their attention. She reminded attendees that this publication should be going out to all officials and paid associate members, and is a benefit for dues paying members.
  
• Pat urged people to visit the NACD website (www.nacdnet.org) regularly. The website is updated on a regular basis and includes funding updates, monthly press releases, and news briefs.
  
• Stewardship materials will be available for order online. Each district will receive one packet.
  
• Pat announced that the 2005 NACD NE Region Meeting will be held in New Jersey. The dates and site are not set yet, but this information should be out soon.
  
• Pat reminded attendees that the deadline for NACD awards is December 5, 2004.
  
• The next NACD Annual Meeting will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, February 6-9, 2005. The NACD Spring Legislative Conference will be held April 3-5, 2005 in Washington DC.
  
• Pennsylvania will host the 2006 NACD NE Region Meeting. Planning is already underway, with the next planning meeting scheduled for March, 2004. The planning team is working with the dates of July 23-27 2006 at the Penn Stater. The July SCC Meeting and PACD Executive Council Meeting are planned to coincide with the NACD NE Region Meeting.
  
• Pat announced that NACD is asking for a raffle item worth $100 or more to raffle off at the national meeting. Proceeds will go toward the NACD Legislative Fund. She said that weekend trips are popular items (for example a weekend at a Bed and Breakfast, white water rafting, or hunting). Pat asked that people contact her for more information, or if they know of a place that would be interested in donating something for the raffle.

Question from the floor: What does NACD do about counties who cannot or do not pay their dues? Pat replied that if you do not pay dues to NACD, you do not get to vote.

Note from the floor: There have been past years where every Pennsylvania county paid 100% of their NACD dues, so it can be done.

On behalf of the NACD Legislative Affairs Committee, Ron Rohall announced that if there is action on important legislation after the election in November, they will send out an action alert. At that time, it will be very important that everyone contact their legislators and provide grassroots support. Ron also noted that the NACD NC Region is working on the Ohio Basin Initiative and may be looking for support for this soon.

Executive Director's Report (Susan Fox Marquart)
PACD Executive Director Susan Marquart presented highlights from her written report.

Request from the floor: Please explain what monies PACD helped secure for districts in 2004 for anyone who may not be aware. Susan reported that PACD efforts resulted in a $900,000 combined increase from the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Agriculture in 2004.

Comments from the floor: There are a number of people who represent PACD on other committees and with other organizations, so these people are also working for the PACD membership on behalf of PACD in many different ways. As committee chair for the PACD Soil and Water Committee, Irvil Kear (Schuylkill) thanked Susan and the PACD staff for supporting her and the committee.

New Business
District Operations Committee (Victor Cappucci)
Victor Cappucci, PACD Second Vice President and District Operations Committee Chair, presented the report.

• Victor asked the Council's permission to present the following item from the PACD Public Relations and Publicity Committee directly to the Council, as it unfortunately missed the District Operations Committee.
  • That the Public Relations and Publicity Committee supports the concept of combining the Education and Youth, Technology, and Public Relations and Publicity Committee into one committee called Education and Outreach.

  It was moved by Jack Tressler (Somerset) and seconded by Russell Hummel (Snyder) that this proposal be forwarded to the PACD Bylaws Committee. Motion carried.

• PACD Administrative Assistant Molly Burns and Erie District Manager LeRoy Gross presented the 2005 PACD/SCC Joint Annual Conference planning update.
  
  
• PACD Executive Director Susan Marquart presented the PACD Report on Health Insurance Options for Districts, the development of which was part of the PACD Strategic Plan.
  
  
• Susan Marquart presented the proposed PACD meeting schedule for 2005 and 2006. She explained that PACD currently has three statewide meetings a year (in March, July, and October) with region meetings two times a year (in Fall and Winter). At the recent region meetings, it was suggested that PACD hold fewer statewide meetings, as this might increase attendance and decrease costs for districts. Susan explained that PACD needs to plan far in advance in order to change the meeting schedule, as hotels book at least a year in advance. The organization can begin the transition to a two meeting cycle in 2005 by not scheduling the 2005 October meeting. This decision needs to be made as soon as possible, as PACD would normally sign the contract for the 2005 October meeting within the next month or so.

  Susan explained that, because PACD Bylaws direct that the annual meeting be held soon after the end of the fiscal year (June 30), the new plan continues to schedule the statewide annual meeting in July. The second statewide meeting would be six months later, in January, with region meetings taking place in the Fall and Spring. Susan noted that this proposal is simply an option for consideration, and that it is up to the PACD Executive Council to decide if they want to stay with the current schedule. PACD prepared this possible schedule at the request of some of it's members so that the PACD Executive Council could make the decision.

  Question from the floor: How many counties usually participate in the region meetings, as compared to the statewide meetings? Susan responded that she didn't have that information on-hand, but can forward that information at a later date if requested.

  Bob Robinson, PACD North East Region Director, reported that at least six of the eleven North East districts were represented at the last region meeting, with perhaps twenty-six people in attendance. Bob Ritchey, PACD Central Region Director, said that the last January meeting for the Central region was snowed out and had very poor attendance. He noted that Spring and Fall are good times to hold region meetings because this gives the regions an opportunity to discuss concerns prior to the annual meeting in July.

  It was moved by Russell Hummel (Snyder) and seconded by Clifford Tinklepaugh (Susquehanna) to accept the new proposed schedule as presented. Motion carried 14 to 12.

  Discussion opposing the motion: We should not give up the March Legislative Conference and the opportunity to lobby for funding and programs. Also, winter weather makes a January meeting a gamble. Reducing statewide meetings will reduce director attendance at SCC Meetings, as the SCC meetings that are held in conjunction with PACD meetings have much better director attendance. The proposal is shortsighted; it cuts down interaction between districts and other organizations (such as DEP) and reduces interaction between directors and staff from different regions.

  Discussion in favor of the motion: Based on comments at the region meetings, many districts prefer to have legislative breakfasts rather than participating in Capitol Days. PACD can still coordinate a one day capitol day in Harrisburg, with a training that morning and visits in the afternoon. PACD will prepare materials for districts that participate, which can also be used back at the individual counties during legislative breakfasts.

• From the PACD Soil and Water Committee:

1. That we accept the PACD district comments on the CAFO and Act 6 regulation changes.

It was moved by Jack Tressler (Somerset) and seconded by Irvil Kear (Schuylkill) to accept the PACD district comments on the CAFO and Act 6 regulation changes. Motion carried.

2. That PACD supports the concept and intent of the ACRE proposal. PACD further resolves that conservation districts be notified and consulted in issues related to areas of conservation district authority and provisions of conservation district law. PACD further resolves that adequate financial support must be provided to conservation districts for any additional workload that arises from these activities and for implementation of any additional related regulations.

It was moved by Gerald Breininger (Lehigh) and seconded by Carl Schlappi (Lycoming) to accept the motion. Motion carried 15 to 9.

Comments opposing the motion: There is no protection in the proposal for farmers. It is a poor substitute for the Farm Bill. The board is made up of the Dean of Agriculture and four appointees of the Governor. If the farmer wins, there is no enforcement unless the attorney general of the state acts upon it. Then it goes back to court. There is nothing in this for farmers.

• From the PACD Education and Youth Committee:

  1. That the PACD Poster Contest remain unchanged.

  It was moved by Ron Rohall (Westmoreland) and seconded by Irvil Kear (Schuylkill) to accept the proposal. Motion carried.

  Ron Rohall, Chair of the Education and Youth Committee, explained that the strategic planning committee recommended a review of the poster contest in an effort to find a way to reduce the costs involved. The Education and Youth Committee and the Auxiliary reviewed the contest, but do not have a specific recommendation at this time. They will continue to examine the issue in March, but in the meantime they would like the poster contest to move ahead unchanged.

  2. That PACD solicit feedback from district boards regarding the MOU with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to be received by March 31, 2005. That PACD review and update the MOU, and provide an updated draft MOU by the 2005 Joint Annual Conference.

  It was moved by Ron Rohall (Westmoreland) and seconded by William Schall (Armstrong) to accept the proposal. Motion carried.

• From the PACD Finance Committee:

  The PACD Finance Committee supports the recommendations made by the PACD Dues Workgroup:

  1. That the current means of assessing district dues using the county classification system should be maintained.

  It was moved by Jack Tressler ( Somerset) and seconded by Ron Rohall (Westmoreland) to maintain the current county classification system. Motion carried.

  2. That PACD should explore the need for establishing a minimal annual dues increase (small incremental increases may be more palatable than a large increase every four years) and PACD should explore the feasibility of establishing district dues two years in advance.

  It was moved by David Collura (Allegheny) and seconded by Donald Baker (Mifflin) to accept the proposal. Motion carried.

  Discussion from the floor: It was suggested that the cost of living could be used as a guide. Another noted that the cost of living is not the only thing to be considered; perhaps it could be used as a guide, but there are other factors to consider as well.

• From the PACD Legislation Committee
  • That PACD endorse the Hazleton Soil Series as the official state soil.

  It was moved by Larry Kehl (Berks) and seconded by Donald Bashore (Juniata) to accept the endorsement. Motion carried.

  Larry Kehl explained that Bruce Willman, President of the State Association of Soil Scientists, made a presentation to the Legislation Committee on House Bill 747. This bill, which is supported by the soil scientists, proposes to designate the Hazleton Soil Series as the official state soil, and is currently stalled in the Senate. If it is not acted on soon, the process will have to start all over again. Hazleton soil is in more counties than any other soil in the state. Larry explained that there is going to be a permanent display of state soils at the Smithsonian institute and Pennsylvania should be represented. The state will not be represented if it does not have a state soil. Larry invited anyone to contact him or Bruce Willman for more information.

Update to the PACD Strategic Plan
PACD Executive Director Susan Marquart explained that the PACD Strategic Planning Committee met in August and reevaluated goals from the strategic plan based on the dues increase voted into effect in July. Because the increase was lower than originally proposed, a number of activities have been pushed back to a later date. (Updated strategic plan goals are available on the PACD website at www.pacd.org.)

It was moved by Carl Schlappi (Lycoming) and seconded by Jack Tressler (Somerset) to accept the updated action plan for PACD's Strategic Goals. Motion carried.

From the floor: The strategic planning committee should consider forwarding some of these tasks (or portions thereof) to PACD committees.

Unfinished Business
No unfinished business was presented.

Partner Reports
PACD Auxiliary (Luetta Gross)
Luetta Gross presented the Auxiliary report.

• The Auxiliary met and discussed the PACD Poster Contest. They look forward to continuing to support the contest if PACD or a district office continues to manage it. However, being a small organization, the Auxiliary has decided that it will not be able to take on the responsibility of managing the contest, should that be the only option in future. If that should happen, they will simply funnel the resources for the poster contest into the Scholarship Fund or other project.
  
• Luetta announced that the Auxiliary quilt project is going very well, and they are extremely pleased at how beautiful it is. Twenty-nine counties have donated toward the project. On faith, however, the Auxiliary has not excluded any counties from the quilt, and all sixty-six counties are represented. A number of other counties have pledged to add their participation to the twenty-nine, and hopefully more will follow. The Auxiliary has sold 195 one-dollar tickets, which is a wonderful start, but Luetta encouraged everyone to participate, as there are many more tickets for sale!

State Conservation Commission (Karl Brown)
Karl Brown, Executive Secretary for the State Conservation Commission, presented the report.

• Karl thanked everyone for the opportunity to present his report and remarked on the excellent director turnout at the meeting. He thanked district directors, as well as PACD staff, for their contributions. Karl remarked that there were some outstanding speakers during the meeting, including NRCS Chief Bruce Knight, and Mike Sherman, new Deputy Secretary for Operations for DEP.
  
• Karl noted that this is a busy time for nutrient management. He said that the SCC appreciates all that the districts do to administer the program, both boards and staff. The SCC allocated an additional half million dollars to districts for nutrient management next year, which makes the total allotted for districts for that program $2.1 million per year. Karl observed that budgets are tight all around and difficult decisions have to be made. In this case, they had to take money away from grants to farmers to provide money for districts to administer the program. Karl explained that the SCC believes that this is a wise and necessary investment.
  
• Karl commented that the numbers and goals being discussed for the Chesapeake Bay program may seem confusing and overwhelming. Explaining that Pennsylvania and DEP are in a difficult situation in trying to meet the goals that have been set, Karl urged everyone to think outside the box to find a way to meet these goals. He also thanked districts who submitted comments to the SCC and said that improving communications is important to the process.
  
• Karl noted that work on the Ohio Basin effort will need to be discussed soon.
  
• Regarding representatives from the Legislative Finance and Budget Committee who attended the meeting earlier in the week, Karl said that he views this as an opportunity to show a state legislative body that districts need more financing and funds to do what is expected of them. He encouraged districts to cooperate with these representatives to make sure that they get a clear picture of our situations and needs.
  
• Karl announced that there are two new SCC members: Mr. Alvin Myers (from Cumberland county) replaces David Trimpey as a public member, and Mr. Duane Shuman (from Columbia county) is replacing Kenneth Rutt as a farmer member. He encouraged everyone from the new members' counties and surrounding counties to invite them out to district functions, to get to know them and get them active and involved in district activities.
  
• Karl reminded districts to sign up their staff for the upcoming Staff Conference, November 8-10, 2004.
  
• Karl encouraged districts to move forward with Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with county commissioners. He noted that there are eight to ten counties that have those agreements in place. These are proving to be helpful tools to have in place when budgets are tight and funding is tight. Karl reminded districts that a sample MOU is available on the PACD website (www.pacd.org) for reference.

USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (Stacy Mitchell)
Stacy Mitchell, Public Affairs Specialist with NRCS, submitted the report.

• Stacy announced that, based on the separate house and senate agricultural appropriations bills, some early allocation information is available. She provided a handout outlining the allocation information, and explained that this information is strictly related to mandated conservation program dollars. Conservation operation and CTA funds are part of an omnibus package, and work will continue on that package after the election is over. Stacy noted that the numbers that we do have are essentially the same as last year's, which is good news.
  
• Stacy noted that the Conservation Security Program received dollars to cover last years contracts, along with the additional $162 million received nationally for this year. She remarked that during Chief Knight's visit, he hinted that Pennsylvania may receive two watersheds, which would be great news. The watersheds should be announced very soon.
  
• Stacy noted that Chief Knight was delighted to be here and was very impressed with conservation districts and their partnerships. He was pleased to see that there were so many state people at the meeting and to hear about so many projects that were done on a partnership basis. The Chief was also interested in the abandoned mine drainage issue and asked for additional information, so he is listening to Pennsylvania.
  
• NRCS will be advertising for a new State Resource Conservationist, as Barry Frantz is moving up into an Assistant State Conservationist position for programs. They will also be advertising for an Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations. Stacy explained that this position is similar to the positions held by Tom Matticks and Renee Melvin, and that they are going to be dividing the state into three areas instead of two.
  
• Stacy encouraged people to be proactive about the Conservation Security Program, and not to wait until the program comes to their watershed. She stressed that reports have been the biggest item in determining tiers, and tiers determine different levels of money. She explained that if a producer is keeping good records on what's going on at their farm, this will make a big difference when it comes time for them to apply for the program. She asked districts to encourage producers to keep good records, and stressed that it is critical to begin doing this now. Begin tracking these things in a formal way and keep the records in one place. Whether it is soil testing, tracking cattle rotations in a pasture, or tracking rotations in crop fields, this will make a real difference when CSP reaches your watershed.
  
• Stacy announced that there is a new version of the customer service toolkit coming up. It was originally scheduled for December, but has been pushed back to January or February. Stacy explained that all of this new software has put a great deal stress on field offices and districts to gain knowledge and learn how to work with these programs, so this will be the last new software for a while. There is a new buy of conservation computer equipment to implement these new versions and to make them run faster. Stacy asked anyone with concerns or questions regarding this to please talk to her or to Gary Smith.
  
• The Technical Service Providers (TSP) program is staying strong. Stacy extended thanks to PACD for being there and having the infrastructure in place to accept the $600,000 grant for the Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program. She noted that this was critical to Pennsylvania receiving that money and this is a wonderful opportunity for districts to take advantage of the program.

Mike Lovegreen announced that the Leadership Development Program "district visit program" has some open slots available, and asked districts to let him know in the next couple of weeks if they would like to take advantage of this opportunity.

Jarrett Miller thanked the staff for making this a successful three days. He thanked Kenneth Meck for serving as parliamentarian for the meeting, and thanked the PACD committee chairs for all of their work in making committees meaningful and worthwhile. Jarrett extended thanks to members of the Bylaws Committee, Dues Committee, and Strategic Planning Team for traveling at their own expense to help out with these important issues, and to Ron Rohall for his work on the Ohio Initiative. In closing, Jarrett thanked everyone in attendance at Executive Council and noted that it is that spirit of volunteerism that makes PACD and conservation in Pennsylvania what it is today. Jarrett noted that if we had to pay everyone for all that they did for conservation across the state, we could not function. On behalf of PACD and on behalf of conservation in each individual county, Jarrett expressed gratitude to everyone in attendance for their interest and support.

The meeting was adjourned.