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HAAB Minutes 09/17/2009 R September 17, 2009 MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE COLLIER COUNTY HISPANIC AFFAIRS ADVISORY BOARD Naples, Florida, September 17,2009 LET IT BE REMEMBERED that the Collier County Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board, in and for the County of Collier, having conducted business herein, met on this date at 6:00 PM in REGULAR SESSION in Building "F," 3rd floor, of the Government Complex, Naples, Florida, with the following Members present: Chairman: Valaree D. Maxwell David Correa Renato F. F emandez F. William Forbes Manuel Gonzalez Zetty Rivera ALSO PRESENT: Mike Sheffield, Assistant to the County Manger Tatiana Gust, Staff Liaison Collier County HISPANIC AFFAIRS ADVISORY BOARD Meeting Agenda September 17, 2009 6:00 PM County Government Complex Boardroom NOTICE: Persons wishing to speak on any Agenda item will receive up to three (3) minutes unless the Chair allows more time. Please wait to be recognized by the Chair, and speak into a microphone. State your name and affiliation before commenting. During discussion, Committee Members may direct questions to the speaker. Please silence cell phones and digital devices. There may not be a break in this meeting. Please leave the room to conduct any personal business. All members participating in the Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board meeting are to observe Roberts Rules of Order. Please wait to be recognized by the Chair before speaking. Please speak one at a time into the microphone. The Meeting Reporter will record all statements. I. Call to Order --Chairperson Valaree Maxwell II. Welcome new member William Forbes (appointed by the Bee on June 9, 2009 ) III. Approval of Minutes from May 28, 2009 Meeting IV. Old Business A. Law Enforcement Report-Manny Gonzalez B. Education Report - Valaree Maxwell C. Discussion regarding topics of interest for the Hispanic community in Immokalee V. New Business A. Introduction of HAAB applicants Alejandro Balan, Mario Ortiz, and lIenna Ramos and recommendations (to the BCC) for appointment of new members to the HAAB B. Selection of a new vice-chair for HAAB VI. Member and Staff Comments VII. Public Comments VIII. Action Item(s) to the Board of County Commissioners (if any) IX. Adjourn September 17, 2009 I. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Chairman Valaree Maxwell at 6:02 PM and a quorum was established. II. Welcome to ~ew Member, F. William Forbes (Mr. Forbes was appointed by the Board of County Commissioners on June 9,2009) III. Approval of Minutes from May 28, 2009 Meeting Chairman Maxwell asked Mike Sheffield for an update concerning Item VIII in the May 28th Minutes. Mr. Sheffield responded invitations to non-profit agencies and business leaders to attend the September HAAB meeting had been extended. The invitations were declined and the reasons cited were the Naples location and the meeting start time. Many stated if the meeting was held in Immokalee, they would attend. Mike mentioned several Immokalee locations, i.e,., County Library, as well as the possibility of changing the meeting day to Saturday. Chairman :Maxwell mentioned the Casino has space to accommodate meetings. She will contact the President of the Immokalee Chamber of Commerce, and also suggested the Members consider attending a Chamber Breakfast meeting. (A Point of Order was made asking to approve the Minutes before continuing the discussion.) Discussion continued. Mr. Forbes proposed drafting a questionnaire for the Chamber members to obtain feedback concerning the needs of the Immokalee community. Chairman Maxwell stated she will contact County Manager Jim Mudd. Mike Sheffield reminded the Committee the issues discussed must be under the purview of Board of County Commissioners, i.e., immigration issues cannot be addressed by the BCC. Discussion continued. Mr. Gonzalez referenced a meeting held at The Blueberry Farm in May, 2009, and the topics of immigration, profiling, discrimination, housing, were brought forward as major concerns for Immokalee residents. Ms. Gust suggested topics for the Immokalee meeting be discussed under Item IV(C) on the Agenda. David Correa moved to approve the Minutes of May 28, 2009 as submitted. Second by Renato Fermindez. Motion carried, 5-"Yes''11-''Abstention.'' William Forbes abstained because he had not been appointed to the HAAB in May. IV. Old Business A. Law Enforcement Report - Manny Gonzalez Minority Task Force Meeting: . The meeting was held in Immokalee and the major topic of concern was immigration - participants objected to illegal aliens not receiving the same 2 September 17, 2009 benefits as U.S. citizens . The CCSO's program of stopping cars to check for valid drivers' licenses, current registration/insurance was cited as "profiling" because the majority of drivers were Hispanic or Haitian . SheriffRambosk's program will continue because of the high number of accidents in the Immokalee area. o The goal: to reduce the number of uninsured, unlicensed drivers and unsafe automobiles . If a driver is identified as an illegal alien, hislher name will be forwarded to ICE ("Immigration & Customs Enforcement") and the Alien Task Force . CCSO primary focus to protect the rights of U.S. citizens while removing alien criminals from the community . The R.E.A.L Identification Act will be implemented in 2010 - a birth certificate or a passport are the only valid types of identification accepted B. Education Report - Chairman Maxwell . The "Recovery High School Program" is on hold . Journey's Academy, a private high school in North Naples, was closed . The International Learning Academy on Marco Island will become a private school and encompass 3rd grade through high school . The International Learning Academy has been designated as special needs school since 2001 . A Life Skills Program will be offered to adults in the community - volunteers are necessary . Prior to June, 2008, verification of identification of educators by electronic fingerprinting was not mandated C. Discussion of Topics of Interest for Immokalee's Hispanic Community Chairman Maxwell supported Mr. Forbes suggestion to send a questionnaire to the Immokalee Chamber to determine topics of concern for Immokalee residents and ask the membership to complete and add more information. Discussion ensued. . Concern was expressed the HAAB would appear ineffective because it can not take any action regarding any of the issues which may be raised during the Immokalee meeting. . It was suggested a more effective approach is to target the Immokalee's community leaders and business owners rather than just the residents. . A member stated there are members within the Hispanic community who are not aware of the existence of the HAAB and the meeting would be an opportunity to make its presence known. A member stated HAAB's responsibility is to listen and observe trends/issues within the Hispanic community and to report the information to the BCC. Mike Sheffield suggested the issue of whether or not to hold a meeting in Immokalee be tabled until next month's meeting. It will be added to the Agenda for October. 3 September 17, 2009 VI. New Business A. Introduction ofHAAB applicants: Alejandro Balan, Mario Ortiz, Henna Ramos Mike Sheffield stated the applicants for the three vacancies had been invited to attend the meeting, and Mr. Balan cited a conflict with a previously scheduled meeting. Manuel Gonzalez outlined the duties, responsibilities, and limitations ofHAAB membership. Reference was made to a directive contained in Section 7 of the Ordinance that created the Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board: "The [Hispanic Affairs Advisory] Board shall identify and evaluate problems within the Hispanic Community. " . HAAB' s function is to identify potential problems that could affect the Board of County Commissioners' ability to administer or govern. . The HAAB is not an activist Board. . Members cannot state they represent the Board of County Commissioners at any function Mario Ortiz and Henna Ramos each briefly outlined their backgrounds. David Correa moved to recommend the applications of Alejandro Balan, Mario Ortiz, and Ilenna Ramos to the Board of County Commissioners for review and approval. Second by Renato Fernandez. Carried unanimously, 6-0. Mike Sheffield stated the Board of County Commissioners will notify the applicants of their appointment. B. Selection of a new Vice-Chair for HAAB Chairman Maxwell nominated Manuel Gonzalez as Vice Chairman of the HAAB. Second by David Correa. Motion carried, 5-"Yes"/1-"Absention," Mr. Gonzalez abstainedfrom voting. VI. Member and Staff Comments Discussion ensued regarding formalizing assignment of Areas of Study/Interest for Committee members: . Health/Mental Health . Communications . Education - Chairman Maxwell . Law Enforcement - Manuel Gonzalez . JobsfEconorny . Housing - Zetty Rivera . Safety . Elections/20 1 0 Census - David Correa The list of Areas of Study/Interest will be presented at the next meeting to allow the new members an opportunity to choose. Mike Sheffield stated the Areas of Study/Interest do not constitute a Subcommittee. 4 September 17, 2009 . The Naples Philharmonic will sponsor a "Latin Night" on October 2nd and 3rd . The Literacy Volunteers of Collier County need volunteers to teach English . Hispanic Heritage Festival will be held in Immokalee on September 19-20, 2009 . The CCSO has a number of civilian positions open . The CCSO will discuss the placement of cameras to observe red light runners and the tickets issued at its next meeting VII. Public Comments (None) VIII. Action Items(s) to the Board of County Commissioners (None) IX. Next Meetings: October 22, 2009 November 19, 2009 There being no further business for the good of the County, the meeting was adjourned by order of the Chair at 7:38 P.M. COLLIER COUNTY HISPANIC AFFAIRS ADVISORY COMMITTEE Valaree D. Maxwell, Chairman The Minutes were approved by the Board/Committee on as presented or as amended 5