Howard County Economic Opportunity and Prosperity Task Force Committee met June 11.
Here is the minutes provided by the Committee:
Members in attendance: Anne Brinker, Paul Casey, Ana Cisneros, Maddy Halbach, Jason Jannati, Phyllis Madachy, Leonardo McClarty, Elizabeth Noble, and Jaykant Parekh. Additionally, Peter O’Neil and Linda Gilmore from subcommittees also attended.
Staff in attendance: Jim Meyd, County Auditor’s Office, Jeff Meyers, County Council office, and Jessie Keller, Council Member Weinstein’s office.
The audio recording of the meeting is available on the Task Force website1.
Chairperson Madachy called the meeting to order at 3:07 p.m.
Co-chairperson McClarty noted that the work of the Task Force is important and asked those present to encourage the other members to attend.
Mr. O’Neil reported that the Economic Development and Transportation subcommittee met on May 31 and heard from 3 speakers. The details are in the meeting minutes2. The subcommittee has essentially finished bringing in subject matter experts unless it finds someone from the business community. Mr. O’Neil recommended that members review the Howard County Economic Development Authority’s strategic plan3.
Ms. Halbach reported that the Education and Workforce Development subcommittee met on May 29 and heard from Laurie Reuben. Soft skills and emotional intelligence are important and should be woven into all curricula from K through post-secondary education. The subcommittee has assigned various documents to each member and divided the subcommittee into groups based on themes. The details are in the meeting minutes4.
Mr. Casey reported that the Housing and Community Development subcommittee had met on May 21 and June 4. The subcommittee finds the breadth of issues it is to cover to be daunting. The subcommittee suggests that recommendations could be divided into types: substantive and process.
The subcommittee is concerned that nonprofits, such as FIRN, lack sufficient resources and capacity. The subcommittee was impressed by the value of the activities of the Department of Recreation and Parks. The details are in the minutess.
The Task Force discussed the interplay between nonprofits and governmental agencies, the need for trust, and the importance of appropriate and thoughtful referrals. It is vital to have methods to include the business community, not just for the good of society but also because doing so is good for business. One particular concern is that few realize that HCC is able to help immigrants transfer their educational attainments abroad into our academic system. Transferring foreign occupational credentials remains a problem. Another concern is that Howard County lacks a prenatal clinic for the needy, which particularly impacts the foreign-born community.
The Task Force discussed how it might approach handling the July 9 public hearing. Mr. Casey suggested that his subcommittee considers that date too soon as the subcommittee’s recommendations are still developing. Ms. Madachy indicated that delaying the hearing would harm the ability of the Task Force to complete its work in a timely manner later in the year. She and Mr. McClarty will meet soon to discuss how to proceed.
Lisa Terry, from the County’s Office of Veterans and Military Families, briefed the Task Force on the work of the Office, the work of the Commission for Veterans and Military Families, and the conditions of veterans and military families in the County. Her PowerPoint (waiting on it) is on the Task Force websites.
Linda Gilmore, Business Services Manager, Division of Workforce Development and Adult Learning, Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, briefed the Task Force about apprenticeships and the value of registered apprenticeships, a program run through her office. Ms. Gilmore’s PowerPoint is on the Task Force websites.
The Task Force approved the minutes from its meeting on May 15, 2018.
The meeting adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
https://cc.howardcountymd.gov/Portals/0/EOP%20Minutes%20June%2011%202018%20approved.pdf
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