March 2000 Meeting Minutes

PACD Executive Council Meeting
Holiday Inn, Harrisburg/Hershey
March 15, 2000

Welcome

The Meeting was called to order by President Frank Long at 9:08 am.

Roll Call

The First Vice President, Ron Rohall completed the roll call. There were 21 counties in attendance, which constituted a quorum.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The First Vice President asked if there were any questions on the minutes from the previous meeting. Motion to approve the minutes of November 10, 1999 by Rohall (Westmoreland), seconded by Miller (Erie). Motion Approved.

PACD Reports

President's Report (Long)

The President welcomed the Executive Council to the first meeting in the new millennium. He said that he is looking forward to working with everyone. He encouraged districts to contact him with suggestions.

Executive Director (Fox)

See written report for Executive Director's activities from 11/11/99 to 3/15/00. The Joint Annual Conference will be at the Hilton in Valley Forge October 29-November 1, 2000. The Executive Director introduced Chuck Rohrer, new PACD Information Specialist. She stated that he prepared a press release of this conference for district use.

NACD Report (Sueck)

In December Patricia Sueck (NACD Director) participated in two task forces: District Outlook Committee and the Linkage Task Force that held regional conference calls to receive updates from other states. Approximately 20 states participated. The goal is to support each other's efforts and try to avoid reinventing the wheel. She stated that she attended the NACD annual meeting in Colorado. Pennsylvania had about 50 people attend the conference. Future attendees might be able to get a "package" together for travel expenses/tours. She said that connecting with member districts is a priority of the NACD Board. Sueck also Chairs the NACD Education Committee.

Treasurer's Report (Eisenhart)

We are approximately 2/3 of the way through our fiscal year that began on July 1. Revenue to date is $314,238.43. Budgeted amount is $476,363 (66%). Expenses to date is $265,911.88. Budgeted amount is $476,356 (56%)

Motion to accept the Treasurer's report by Eisenhart (York), seconded by Mankamyer (Somerset). Motion approved.

PACD Committee Reports

Finance (Eisenhart)

(See written report).
The Finance Chairman outlined the new dues structure that is based on the number of district employees. (A district with four or less employees would pay $1100; a district with 5-9 employees would pay $1350; and a district with more than 10 employees would pay $1600). The awards program sponsorship money will be designated only for awards. There was a lot of discussion related to the PACD Building Fund such as the pros and cons related to securing a site, etc. The Treasurer then reviewed the proposed budget for PACD for FY00/01, with proposed revenue and expenses of $426,050. The new dues structure is reflected in the proposed budget.

Motion to accept the report of the Finance Committee by Eisenhart (York), seconded by Clark (Montgomery). Motion approved.

Motion to table the new dues structure until the July PACD meeting by Mankamyer (Somerset) and seconded by Clark (Montgomery). President Long accepted the motion to table and indicated that there would be no further discussion of the budget and/or dues issue.

Wagner (Lancaster) asked for a vote on the motion to table and President Long said there would be no vote since the discussion was tabled.

Motion to accept the remainder of the budget by Slosky (Washington), seconded by Clark (Montgomery). President Long indicated that the budget discussion was tabled until the July PACD meeting.

District Employees

(See written report).
Motion to accept the report of the District Employees Committee by Mankamyer (Somerset), seconded by Sueck (York). Motion approved.

Education & Youth (Bates)

(See written report).
Motion to accept the report of the Education and Youth Committee by Bates (Delaware), seconded by McCombs (Carbon). Motion approved.

Soil & Water (Greig)

(See written report).
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) was a new agenda item brought for discussion. The committee also had a presentation on Chester county's watershed approach. There was a discussion of the COOL proposal for a Growing Greener grant application by PACD. The committee passed a motion to consider the concept.

Motion to accept the report of the Soil and Water Committee by Baker (Mifflin), seconded by Cappucci (Wyoming). Motion approved.

Rural and Urban Land Use (Marbain)

(See written report).
The Committee asks that the following resolution be adopted by PACD:
"The Committee supports House Bill 13 and 14 insofar as it is consistent with the PACD Policy book."

Motion to accept the resolution by Marbain (Cumberland) seconded by Cappucci (Wyoming). Motion approved.

Motion to accept the report of the Rural and Urban Land Use Committee by Marbain (Cumberland), seconded by Sueck (York). Motion approved.

Forest, Recreation & Wildlife (Rohall)

(See written report).
Bill Horvath of NACD provided information for the committee and they had a good meeting. The program was consistent with legislative issues but targeted to forestry.

Motion to approve the report of the Forest Recreation and Wildlife Committee, including the resolution, by Rohall (Westmoreland), seconded by Worley (Adams). Motion approved.

Legislative (Laite)

(See written report).
We had a good day at the Capitol yesterday. Good reports were given at the meeting and good information was received to take to Washington.

Motion to approve the report of the Legislative Committee by Cappucci (Wyoming), seconded by Sueck (York). Motion approved.

Technology (Magargee)

(See written report).
Volunteers are needed for the GIS subcommittee. There is also a need for a catalog of photos and clip art.

Motion to approve the report of the Technology Committee by Sueck (York), seconded by Bates (Delaware). Motion passed.

District Operations (Sueck)

(See written report).
The 1999 Joint Annual Conference showed a profit of $1,423.78. The Somerset Conservation District donated this profit to the PACD Building Fund. A NACD committee has requested an agriculture preservation tour in Pennsylvania. Ross Orner reported Ag Land Preservation is working with NACD on this for September 24-26, 2000. The increase in PACD dues was included in the report of the District Operations Committee.

Motion to accept the report of the District Operations Committee by Sueck (York) and seconded by Clark (Montgomery). Motion approved.

The Executive Director pointed out that a resolution from the PACD North Central Region was sent to the PACD. The PACD North Central Region resolution stated: The North Central PACD Region resolves that the State Conservation Commission (SCC) allow additional deadline extensions for conservation district audits if the conservation district is part of the county's single audit and the audit will not be completed by December 31, and that in addition to the recent SCC audit requirements for a GAS audit by a CPA that the SCC accept a county's single audit as fulfilling the SCC audit requirements.

Motion to accept the resolution by Sueck (York) seconded by Marbain (Cumberland). Motion approved.

There was a discussion about audit requirements for conservation districts. The SCC will be working on the standards at a committee meeting in the near future. The Executive Director will attend the meeting and present the position.

Report from Bernie Hoffnar

There is an alert for West Nile Encephalitis in Pennsylvania. County Commissioners have been alerted. Districts will probably hear about it. Look it up on the DEP web site. Birds, ticks, and mosquitoes are carriers.

Special Presentation by PACD Treasurer

Districts that paid their dues in full for the year 99/00 were formally recognized by the PACD with a certificate of appreciation.

Reports from Conservation Partners

NRCS Report (Heard)

NRCS Annual Report: Land, Water, People 2000 has been released. Photos may be available on a digital file. House Agriculture Subcommittee information is available off the website. A hearing is scheduled at 9:00 on Monday April 3 at Kutztown University. Written testimony can be submitted. They are also accepting informal comments via e-mail. It appears that conservation is not specifically mentioned-only in passing. You are encouraged to attend the hearing. The House subcommittee has passed a supplemental appropriations for this year $35 million included for CRP.

The USDA has released its "modernization plan" that includes a number of district related provisions such as consolidation of service operations between FSA and NRCS. USDA intends to reduce the number of service centers in the US from 2500 to 1500 (based on a 25 mile radius).

NRCS is very appreciative of your efforts of Congressional visits on Capitol Hill. In the 2001 budget for watershed funds there is a decrease. The President's budget includes a $1.3 Billion conservation initiative that includes conservation security payments. This would be good for PA producers because it opens up a safety net for producers.

SCC Report (Doug Goodlander)

One million dollars was received by PDA for the SCC. Agricultural Conservation Technicians have been hired. SCC established a "Boot Camp" training (5-days of training for new employees). Fifty spots are available and to-date 59 people have applied.

The SCC will meet this afternoon and discuss many items. Under the SCC funding for Farmland Preservation, 50 districts are eligible for $3,000-6,000 each to administer the program. A new financial assistance program for farmers will be discussed this afternoon. The concept will be reviewed today for farmers with approved nutrient management programs. The SCC has some money available for districts. It will be provided to districts for equipment purchases for those who have new Agricultural Conservation Technicians and for districts related to their audits. The Chesapeake Bay Program will make a presentation. They will also discuss the Nutrient Management Act-what will happen to farmers who are in violation. What kind of action will be taken on farmers? Dirt & Gravel Roads progress update will be provided.

PACD Auxiliary (Long)

The Auxiliary will continue to offer its scholarship award in the amount of $500. The number of applications continues to increase. They will continue their bake-less bake sale to raise funds for scholarships. The Poster Contest will continue. The Auxiliary is looking for donations from districts for state winners. Computer generated posters will not be accepted. The Auxiliary will participate in Ag in the Classroom. T-shirts are for sale "Conserve soil-our future depends on it." Sara Long encourages more attendance at Auxiliary meeting-women or gentlemen.

Announcement: Barb Marbain provided some information on Transfer Development Rights.

The next PACD meeting will be held in July at the Radisson in Monroeville.

Motion to adjourn the meeting by Long (Blair), seconded by Marbain (Cumberland).