Travis County Commissioners Court
November 20, 2007
Item 12
Let's take ms. Moreran, then we will call up the p.b.o. Items. The matter involving the survey, what number is that? A and a b.
>> number 12.
>> sure is. 12. Receive and take appropriate action regarding Travis County initiatives for the hiring of ex-offenders: a. Departmental survey; and and b meeting with department heads.
>> good afternoon, judge, Commissioners, criminal justice planning. We are here this afternoon to discuss obviously the work plan or the survey and cover memo that we are asking approval of. I would like to give a little bit of background information. The court did approve funding for this position, the f.t.e. November of last year. We began the selection process and applications in January and mary moreran was actually hired in April of this year. Since that time she has worked closely with health and human services, h.r.m.d., probation and parole, the county and state jail as well as several other different organizations, she's also been trained as an offender workforce development specialist by the national institute of corrections. But today what we would like to do is ask the court's approval of a cover memo, preferably signed by judge Biscoe or the court and the survey that mary has developed which I will give her an opportunity to explain to the court, we would like to send the survey out to deposit heads or specifically executive -- department heads or executive managers asking for their responses in reference to what positions within their department would be appropriate for the offender on plagues. Offender -- offender population, which positions would not. I will turn it over to marrow and let her explain it.
>> good day, judge, Commissioners. What you have before you is the survey that we would like to put out to the department head. When I was first appointed to this position, I -- I was told that the primary focus was to recruit employers out in the community. Yet before I can do that, we have to take care of our own back yard because we have to let these employers know that the county itself is hiring offenders. And this is -- that's the survey that you have in front of you to look at, to see what we would be asking the department heads. I need your support and endorsement to -- to send it via e-mail to the department head to fill out and complete by December the 1st. And on December the 6th to have a meeting with department heads or representatives to review their responses and also to see if they have any questions of me as the workforce development person here in Travis County. Also at that time to probably highlight briefly highlight what some of the objectives that I would have for the fiscal year '08 work plan for the workforce development. I also at this point want to recognize that I have been working very, very closely with adult probation, terry raber was just found in that position to be the offender employment specialist. And me and terry are going to be working very closely in regards to seeing what we can do to create a -- like a coalition of reentry employers. I already have that going on. But employers that are friendly to work with offenders. And also too I want to thank lawrence lyman and sherri flemming for working closely with me, too, in regards to the mod tell that they have. Model that they have. Last but not least, I really appreciate the wonderful work that linda Moore smith with human resources has done for the program, workforce development program. I know we're going to have a lot of great things to do together in trying to find employment for offenders here in our community. I hope to come back at a later date to highlight my work plan with y'all and get your approval of what I want to do here in Travis County. Kimberly said I am trained in offender workforce development specialist, I have formed a team of 11 other people here in Travis County. We are going to hopefully make a difference with your help here in Travis County to help more offenders in our community.
>> thank you.
>> thank you. You know, when we been looking at this, I know the judge, a lot of us have been involved in this issue for a long time, to see how we can actually get involved. We have been preaching from this dais for judge as long as I can remember about how we want to help out.
>> long time.
>> it's been a long time. We have asked other businesses to step up to the plate and say hey look, businesses, we are asking you all to assist us in trying to hire ex-offenders for employment opportunities. And yet when they look at us, they say well what are you doing? You know, so they -- you know, what are you doing? So this is in answer to those businesses out there. To say, hey, this is what we are doing. And I want to ask this question, though. How can we as a court impress upon the departments that we want the responses back when we say we want them back so we can move forward because sometimes there gets a little um well let me say sometimes things aren't in the right array, sometimes things get lost in the shuffle as far as communications concerned. How can we guarantee that we can have bona fide information from the departments by the 6th of December? How can we get that and make sure that it's ironclad? What can we do to assist to make that happen.
>> well, I would recommend to the court that the memo mary has drafted be signed to the court. I think it would have greater weight coming from the court with instructions to the executive managers to their department heads to impress upon that due date. We would really like to see the department head and executive managers also show up for the meeting on the 6th if there are any care or concerns regarding hiring offenders in our community. We can address those on the 6th so we can move on with mary's work plan for '08.
>> it's appear excellent survey. An excellent. Short survey, there's no reason not to get it back by December 1st. Once it goes out to the broader community, when we start asking people outside Travis County to fill it out, it makes -- it's very thought provoking because it does separate out the felony offenses in a way that makes you actually think what would be the difference in my employment practices between for instance a drug offense, a drug conviction versus a financial white collar crime conviction and people don't often pars that way. They think felony conviction that's it. But what really matters to you as an employer when you are looking at the type of conviction.
>> mccracken: I guess that I would ask for the reply to be sent by e-mail or fax. And put your fax number on it.
>> two questions.
>> what I would like to suggest, too, is that we continue to have follow-up with you because just because you start something doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to be successful and effective in what you are doing. I think by the court supporting this from the get-go and that you will continue to be the sponsor of this particular effort, then I think we can achieve that success and also be effective to where we do have impact. Not only for Travis County, and Travis County government, but for the community.
>> yeah.
>> as the example that you are mentioning. So -- so what we would like to do, I would like to propose is that we come back to you, once we start the steps and just provide you a status as to how we are doing. So that you will continue to be the sponsor in partnership and everything that we're doing.
>> would it be fruitful to have a -- to have an agenda item after the 1st regarding who has responded, who has not?
>> I would think so.
>> we can certainly do that.
>> I hope that everybody will be able to find that. Anything less than that would be my opinion, not acceptable.
>> we are also going to have the meeting --
>> anything less than that, is really not acceptable.
>> I think also what's key is that even though we get information back, that -- that we do have the meeting to follow-up with the questionnaire, allow people to do two things. Number one is to ask questions, but also us to provide information. Because a lot of -- of efforts are undone because you don't properly communicate and so even though as a tool, survey just a tool to get you into other communication. I?m hopeful that this first meeting, we may invite some of you to come to that meeting as a sponsor, but I think that first meeting is very critical. So -- I?m not real sure since the meeting is following so quick after the survey, that it might be better for us to come back and report after the survey and the first meeting. And of course we're going to know because -- we're not -- we're not that big to where we can't keep track of surveys we send out to whom. We are talking about department heads. We ought to be a account to track that in-house pretty well. But I would suggest that we might want to come back after the first meeting to really see them both together because just having the responses back, that's not going to tell you -- that's going to tell you how many responded. But how many responses did we get back, how many actually attended the meeting.
>> judge? Were you getting ready to say something.
>> one is I would move this back one week because the more I think about it, we have lost this week. Even if you get them out tomorrow, a lot of department heads won't see them until Monday because Thursday and Friday are holidays, see what I?m saying. I would give them two weeks. The other thing is I would anticipate half the department heads will respond. The other half will need a phone call from somebody, a reminder or an e-mail. That's the reality I think of the workplace, not to be critical, but I don't know that this will be number one on everybody's list when they receive the survey. So I would give myself time to call and remind them, then they will need a couple of days. The other thing is this question, which I just thought of. Why wouldn't our last question be a request, please list positions in your department that would be appropriate for applicant with a criminal record. We have kind of skirted that, there are some departments that really have positions where if you got a criminal record state law says they can't hire you. I think corrections is one of those, probably law enforcement and juvenile justice there are certain restrictions whether we like 'em or not is irrelevant because we have got to comply with them. Even in those departments there may well be some positions that your criminal background doesn't hurt: secretaries, clerks, if you don't have personal contact with the -- with the vulnerable populations, see what I?m saying. This gives the manager I think at least some opportunity to think about that. Think about that question. The other thing is that in the past we reviewed state law regarding veterans. And unfortunately a lot of -- a lot of ex-offenders are veterans. So I don't know whether the same law applies to veterans with a criminal record or not. We need to know the answer to that question, though. Because like most governmental entities, I think we say that we lean over backwards to assist veterans and you know we probably slip a little bit in doing that in reality. But I think we try to -- try to comply as much as possible. I don't know whether the law puts on us a sort of encouragement or whether it really imposes a -- an all things being equal, giving the veteran a shot. But we need to find out what that is. We had a lawyer here who left
>> [laughter] but I remember the question. Before our meeting we will know the answer to that question. Anything else? This really is to survey the situation. Put in place the meeting. Am I right on both of these one week.
>> that's fine.
>> I don't want to dillydally. But at the same time when you get back after the holiday period typically you find assignments that you didn't expect. So I think that second week will be valuable for us. Any problem with that? Is that the 8th or so.
>> 8th and 13th.
>> do we know whether or not there is another governmental entity within the bound of Travis County that's doing something similar to what we are proposing to do here as far as setting up a situation whereby we are able to deal with hiring ex-offenders, do we have knowledge of anyone else doing this?
>> any other --
>> entity.
>> that has this type of position.
>> within the bound of Travis County.
>> I don't think so. I have not heard of anything.
>> so this is ground breaking, pioneering effort if we can go ahead and get this thing threw and others can maybe pick up the torch and run with it, also. As far as what we are trying to do here for our ex-offenders. I think the judge brought up a good point, especially with some of the veterans we have a lot of those that need employment but of course because of a record or something that are barred away from employment. So just a lot of things to be considered. But I think that we need to head forward with this. The direction we are going as far as Travis County is concerned.
>> there was a statement made to me in tampa when I introduced myself for Travis County. What my position was. And we had a lot of people there from virginia, from montana, utah, a lot of other states. They said they had never met an offender workforce development person with a title in any position. It was like horse before the cart because of the fact that that's what they were getting training for to have that title behind their back. There are there was a position created with that title in Travis County in Texas. They were real impressed with that. So I think we're catching up.
>> okay. Anybody else here -- else here on this item that wishes to be heard.
>> move approval.
>> second.
>> do we have my last question?
>> yes, sir.
>> does it make sense to everybody.
>> yes, sir.
>> including me?
>> [laughter] all right. Let's make it happen. All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote. Good to have you on board, by the way, good title.
>> excellent title.
>> good results.
>> thank you.
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Last Modified:
Wednesday, November 21, 2007, 18:30 AM