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University of Illinois Extension serving Henry, Mercer, Rock Island and Stark Counties

Main Office (Rock Island County)
321 W 2nd Avenue
Milan, IL 61264
Phone: 309-756-9978
FAX: 309-756-9987
Email:uie-hmrs@illinois.edu
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm

Branch Office (Henry-Stark County)
26234 Black Hawk Road
Galva, IL 61434
Phone: 309-853-1533
FAX: 309-853-1634
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8am to 4:30pm (Closed from 12 - 1 pm)

Branch Office (Mercer County)
2106 SE Third Street
Aledo, IL 61231
Phone: 309-582-5106
FAX: 309-582-7338
Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 8am to 4:30pm (Closed from 12 - 1 pm)

Extension Meetings

U of I Extension Council Minutes from Tuesday, October 25, 2011

October 25, 2011 (6:00 PM)

University of Illinois Extension Council Meeting - Henry, Mercer, Rock Island, and Stark Counties

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. - Rock Island Extension Office, Milan, IL

The meeting of the University of Illinois Extension Council Meeting – Henry, Mercer, Rock Island, and Stark Counties held at the Rock Island Extension Office, Milan, IL was called to order by Tony Franklin.

Roll Call

Present: Adrian Blackwell, Barb Chiles, Terri Davies, Gary Goodwin, David Harris, Sherry Holmstrom, Jim King,

Cheryl Salley, Kim Sheese, and Gary Smith

Excused: Jake Anderson, Stan Boruff, Annette Ernst, Tom Newman, and Alice Webster

Staff Present: Tony Franklin, Jenny Garner, Liz Haynes, Janice McCoy, and Martha Smith

Public comments: N/A

Previous Minutes:

  • Approval of meeting minutes from Rock Island County were moved to be accepted as is by Cheryl Salley; seconded by Terri Davies. Motion approved.
  • The Henry/Stark County meeting minutes were moved to be accepted by Jim King; seconded by Gary Goodwin. Motion approved.

Fiscal Report:

  • Rhonda Krahl is the new Office Support Associate. She is being trained and will be handling all the fiscal responsibilities of the Extension Council.
  • The State is matching .65 cents on the dollar. There can be up to 30% carry over in the carry over balance, which was $260,460.57 as of July 1, 2011.
  • The financial report of the In and Out and Trust Fund was moved to be accepted by David Harris and seconded by Adrian Blackwell. Motion approved.
  • We will receive some money for the separation from Henderson/Warren Counties and it will go into the In & Out Account and then will be placed in the Trust Account.

Council Reports

Jim King said it would be nice to have a monthly report on where the staff educators are spending their time so we can report that to the county board. Discussion regarding what the report would look like and it can be a work in progress. The staff reports on the reporting month from the 16th to the 15th and that would be acceptable for the council to use as information.

The stakeholders receive information from the marketing person – Becky Buckrop – monthly.

We have more educators than we have ever had as a unit so we have opportunity for more programs in the queue.

Francis Willard School (RI Housing Authority) received programs provided by the educators, wind energy, and

4-H and it was well received.

Leadership academy – annual reunion held – excellent attendance and networking.

Don St. Germaine, the Mercer County Assessor, and Mercer Board members toured the new Cargill elevator in New Boston. They were able to see the new elevator in operation.

More availability of agricultural educators for our counties to help us promote our ag opportunities.

Staff Reports

See attached Staff Reports for Jenny Garner, Cheryl Geitner, Liz Haynes, Janice McCoy, and Martha Smith.

Announcements:

Jim King, member of ESAC, and they are there to share ideas – Dr. Hoeft will be making two-day visits to each of the units. He said we are in good financial shape; 67 mil last year 57 mil this year and 58 mil this year only two percent of the loss came from counties, so the counties were good about supporting Extension. They looked at moving Extension out of ACES and making it university-wide. There are only 16 specialists on campus. They are the researchers who support the educators. They are bringing back a dairy specialist. There is rent savings with the closing and consolidating of units. They want us to have a strong local impact; a quick response time. They are hiring a marketing person. They provided information on using YouTube for Extension – it creates high engagement and people are using the video from Extension. The top video is "What's wrong with my tomato plant?" There are 225 U of I videos on YouTube – total views 155,000 people have viewed this data. They have 2295 fans on Facebook. The head of the State 4-H – in charge of volunteers – is looking at all the volunteers to see if they can coordinate paperwork, etc. to provide training for volunteers. Master Gardener area is the best area they have for volunteering where they train the trainer.

Old Business:

· Election of officers: Nomination of:

  • Chair - Gary Goodwin nominated - Jim King moved; David Harris seconded. Motion approved.
  • Vice Chair - Adrian Blackwell nominated - Jim King moved; David Harris seconded. Motion approved.
  • Secretary - Kim Sheese nominated - Jim King moved; Gary Smith seconded. Motion approved.
  • Financial Reporter –Jake Anderson nominated - David Harris moved; Jim King seconded. Motion approved.

Election of Extension Board members (2 female and 2 male per county) - it is a once a year meeting to review and approve budget. Once a year meeting - it is part of Cooperative Extension law to have these board members - four from council and three from county board. Gary Goodwin appointed Barb Chiles, Gary Smith, Stan Boruff, and Kim Sheese as the board members for Mercer County; Stark County representatives are Gary Goodwin, Jake Anderson, and Alice Webster; Henry County representatives are Tom Newman, Jim King, Sherry Holmstrom; and Rock Island County's are Adrian Blackwell, Cheryl Salley, and Terri Davies.

Appoint regional advisory council; they meet in Princeton – the meetings are held regarding just a step of communication within the region – common concerns and what is happening in each area. Jim King will be there as an ESAC representative. We need a second representative. Gary Goodwin appointed Cheryl Salley and Adrian Blackwell as alternates.

Signatory for the In/Out Account needed for Mercer County. Gary Goodwin appointed Kim Sheese as the signatory.

Advisory committees - Council recruitment looking for members to be on the committee for the program priority areas for 2011-2012. The Priority Areas are:

  • Protecting and appreciating our environment
  • Community leadership and organizational development
  • Caregiving for youth and adults
  • Positive youth development – 4-H youth development
  • Growing and accessing adequate food to prevent hunger

New business

Council recruitment – need to be thinking of people who could become members and invite them to attend meetings. We have 15 members currently; we can have up to 20. Use the blue Extension Council Guide to help people understand the mission and role of Extension Council.

David Harris suggested being on the email list for all the marketing and programs that are going on so the council is knowledgeable on the programs being offered.

Full meeting schedule announced

Motion to adjourn moved by Barb Chiles; seconded by Cheryl Salley. Meeting adjourned at 8:22 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Kim Sheese

Secretary