February 28th, 2023 Minutes - Reinvestment Committee

Meeting Date and Time: February 28th, 2023, 10:00 - 11:00 A.M.

Meeting Type: Special Meeting of the SEC Reinvestment Committee
Meeting Location: Virtual Zoom

Watch the video on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQXBHLkPEs0&t=32s 

MINUTES

1. Call to order and welcome                                                                                         

   At 10:06 am, Ojala Naeem called the meeting to order.
   
                 

2. Attendance & Committee membership                                                     

   Present:
   Corrie Betts, arrived at 10:15am

   Avery Gaddis

   Michael Jefferson

   Ojala Naeem

   Paul O. Robertson

    

   Absent:

   Andrea Comer

   Subira Gordon
   
   
   

3. Reinvestment Funding Planning

   Ms. Naeem spoke of the need to come up with a plan and strategy around how to deploy reinvestment funding, currently $6.1 million. She spoke of the option of additional outreach conversations and invited discussion around holding two to three community conversations – and having a hybrid/virtual option. 

    

   A discussion ensued around how to identify needs for funding.  Michael Jefferson suggested streamlining the process and that the needs for funding can be identified through community organizations and the UConn study. Paul O. Robertson suggested that through a deliberate process of outreach and listening, the SEC can benefit from hearing from more groups and people within communities and so may be able to target initiatives that aren’t currently funded. Ms. Naeem suggested a streamlined, simple approach that has a hybrid model for hearing from community members.

    

   There was a discussion around the types of programs and entities the funding might be used for. Ms. Naeem suggested that staff to come back to next committee meetings with lists of organizations doing work in the areas we want to target and the types of programs for the SEC to potentially review and further invest in.

    

   Mr. Jefferson spoke of the breadth of programs that could be considered.  He emphasized programs that impact people who were directly impacted by the war on drugs.  For example, seniors who raised their grandchildren while their sons or daughters were incarcerated, education and supports for the children impacted. 

    

   Corrie Betts joined the call at 10:15am.

    

   Members discussed elderly, mentoring programs, education efforts (reading), re-entry programs, second-chance and recovery programs.

    

   Ms. Naeem reviewed next steps and the role of this committee to make sure there is a third party selected to run the Community conversations, providing the criteria and parameters for investment, providing guidelines for evaluation of proposals from the RFP for investment, then making investment recommendations to the Council, which will approve any investments. She also spoke of the staff role, to come up with a budget to handle the community conversations and begin that process, draft the guidelines for proposals, process and manage the RFP, and review proposals against the guidelines set by this committee. She made the request for staff to come back to next committee meeting with a review of the UConn study and lists of organizations doing work in the areas to target and types of programs to potentially review and further invest in.

    

   SEC Executive Director Ginne-Rae Clay confirmed the suggested timeline to launch the RFP for investment proposals by mid to late March. To accomplish this, the Reinvestment Committee will have one or two special meetings before that launch, starting in two weeks to finalize the components for the RFP.

    

   Mr Jefferson stated it would be important to bring the timeline, plan and process back to the full SEC at the March 7 meeting.

    

4. Reinvestment Committee Recommendations  
   
   

   Motion:

   Ms. Naeem asked for a motion to recommend the process of reviewing existing organizations as well as having community conversations with the goal of launching an RFP by the end of March.

    

   Motion by Michael Jefferson

   Second by Corrie Betts

   Motion approved unanimously.

   
   
   

5. For the Good of the Order – New Business, Updates, and Information
   
   

   No new business discussed.

   
   
   

6. Adjourn

Motion:

Ms. Naeem asked for a motion to adjourn.

Motion made by Michael Jefferson

Seconded by Corrie Betts

Motion was approved unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 10:23 A.M.

Minutes are a draft until approved at a subsequent meeting.