1/15/2015 HUMAN SERVICES Minutes

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Town of Mash pee 16 Great Neck Road North Mashpee, Massachusetts 02649 HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE — PUBLIC SESSION Mas.hpee Town Hall -- Waquoit Meeting Room 2 Thursday, January 15, 2015 — 2:00 PM Committee Members Present: Janice Walford, Vice Chairman Elinor Glener, Clerk Mary Bradbury Kathy Mohler -Facia Veronica Warden Members Absent: Ruth Elias, Chairman John Cahalane Mary Scanlan Lynne Waterman Also Present: Gail Wilson, Director, Human Services Department David ❑elPonte, FinCom Liaison CALL TO ORDER Vice Chairman Janice Walford called the meeting to order at 2:06 PM. REVIEW OF MINUTES —11120114 Elinor Giener made a motion that the minutes from the 11/20/14 Human Services Committee meeting be approved as presented. Veronica Warden seconded the motion. The motion was approved by a vote of 5-0 with four members absent. NEW BUSINESS • Review of Budget Meeting & Human Services Contracts for FY 2016 Gail Wilson reported on the Human Services Department budget meeting held on Dec. 16, 2014. Attendees at the meeting included Janice Walford, John Cahalane, Terrie Cook, Tom Mayo, Joyce Mason, and BOS Andrew Gottlieb. The discussion focused on the 10% increase in the contract amounts, with a schematic design presented by Gail Wilson to illustrate how each contract fulfills a different need but are all interconnected. Gail Wilson stated that the meeting attendees were very supportive of the 10% increase in the Human Services budget for FY2016. David DelPonte suggested that it would be helpful to produce a demographic trend going out for 5 years, in order to determine which direction to take with contract budget increases. Gail Wilson said that a good example pertinent to this recommendation is the lack of services for the elder population who experience domestic violence. It was mentioned in the Cape Cod Times that Independence House is beginning to look at support services targeted to the senior population. A further suggestion was to add a requirement to the contract requests from agencies to determined a percentage amount to go toward domestic violence among the elderly population. Janice Walford stated that the 10% increase in contract amounts for 5 years was firmly established at this budget meeting. That 10% increase over the next 5 years amounts to an accumulated figure of only $21,367. Ms. Walford said this is a very small amount and it may become necessary to go to Town Meeting down the road to request a dollar increase in order to meet the needs of the growing aging population.