Click for live link to City Commission meeting - 6/16

These are some rough notes taken while listening to the meeting.

Lisa Wilson, director of the Resource Center, is about to give her presentation - this is the group that runs the operation in the city's shuffleboard court building. She is talking about "stimulus grants." The Energy Efficient Jobs Block Grant is the program - training in green jobs and then placement in green jobs. Training will be for all Lake Worth residents and in two or more languages. Benefits: Green Workforce. Classes would be in the shuffleboard court building. Trained, tested and certified - then some can go into the small business development center after that. Percentage of funding from city would leverage other funding - she is asking for city money here. She estimates that "a lot more" jobs would be created.

Costs: Training certification $50,000 - 45 Lake Worth residents could take class. Have to train the instructor $1,500 - then the balance could be used to create energy auditors. Plus another $20,000 for administration 57 green jobs ready for Lake Worth residents. She is talking with PBCC.

Questions: Jennings - total number of residents in database now that are seeking employment 1,200. How many people are you placing? Increasing month over month, from February through end of April 300 jobs, some full time permanent. "Can't live off a day job." How would you determine who would be one of the 57 people that could take part of the program? She has to give it a lot more thought - might have a Spanish and an English only class. Mulvehill - demand for jobs placed - 100 a month, are there categories that are hiring - there is no trend. Most are residents from around the County that need a helping hand at home. Is there green job demand? This is part of a vision. They have looked at Richmond (this came from Jennings) - she says its coming. Lowe: Employers are coming from all over - are the people that you are helping Lake Worth residents - it's a prerequisite for people looking for work - must be Lake Worth residents. Mayor Clemens - Would like a presentation on what is going on there, not just to talk about a grant program. That was his expectation when he asked for a presentation earlier. Questions about recruiting and marketing - most recruiting is done by volunteers at the center. The Center would also use a "training company" that would participate in the grant-related program. Mulvehill - market to get job placement rather than recruitment. It's a "multi-service" center - this would allow recruitment to all Lake Worth residents, that hasn't really been done yet. Jennings: Apologizes for having her focus on the grant program and not their current functions (smokescreen?) Funding from city - looking for money from city beyond the rent, utilities etc that are already subsidized. Free to the participants.

They're going to be talking about it later in the agenda under New Business.

Nothing was pulled of the Consent Agenda - approval was unanimous. The item on the Gulfstream (yet another appeal by Charles Celi) that was on the agenda was postponed to next Monday, the last day of the 90 period to hear the appeal.

There are two grants that would go in for Block Grant money - one for the Resource Center and one for the utility department - "pre-paid meters." Mayor is asking if partial funding would be o.k. for the center - like $35,000.