Travis County Commissioners Court
August 12, 2008
Item 22
>> 22 is to consider and take appropriate objection action on items associated with the 2008 Travis County combined charities campaign. Fishes let's con grat -- first let's congratulate our county clerk on being the chair.
>> thank you. We are really excited about this. And when I was first talking to you, the heart of Travis County is you and it's me and it's all of us who work here in Travis County. There's nothing magic with it. It's each one of us doing our little part to do what we can to raise money for the charities that both our employees and their families, not only support but often are the recipient of the work that those charities do. I was a little concerned about serving as the chair this year because the peak of the campaign is also the peak of the November presidential election. But I had lots and lots of really good help and good support from Travis County, and I would like to just let you know some people who are going to be very much involved in it in case I get pulled away at a critical time, I think we will not lose momentum because of the folks here who are helping. Besides cecelia burke, your own records management department head, steven broburg and juan campos are helping us put together a video that will go out to all of the employees. We can use this video to do both recruitment of people who want to contribute to a charity as well as explaining what a particular charity does. And we thank them for that. They've also been incredibly helpful in developing the brochures that list something in the neighborhood of four to five hundred different charities that we will be offering assistance to through this program. And the checkoff forms for people to sign up so that the auditor can get the proper information as well. So we thank them very much for their efforts with the nuts and bolts of communication. In our own i.t.s. Department, joe harlow and judy pits really stepped forward and said can we do to help, whem it gets to be the crunch time when we're doing our fund-raising. Russell hahn and others are helping to develop a website that will provide at your fingertips information for the charities, any questions that people would like to ask when they're trying to sign up for this. And we so appreciate what tthey're doing. But glierchgz us some of his best and brightest this is a great group of people. I hope some of their work they're doing with the website this year will translate into the campaign in future years and stay tuned for more information about what we hope they will be able to us for the future. Joe gieselman over at transportation and natural resources said yes almost before I could get my request out of would he please help us. He's just amazing, as you well know. His staff, cynthia who has also been involved in this process in the past, is working with you. And if you have not met sierra rodriguez, I encourage you to meet her and go by. She is a force of nature. She is again volunteering to head up the efforts for the charities softball team. In a minute we're going to go through quickly the things that we're doing and the thing that I'm going to ask the court today to give usym permission to move forward on. And I have to tell you that I love sheriff greg hamilton. He is absolutely the most heart felt, wonderful, amazing man.
>> he loves you too.
>> [ laughter ]
>> he's offered to be one of my key points when we get into the November election to make sure our momentum carries forward. I so appreciate that because I need a guy like him in my corner making sure we're going to raise good money for these charities. He's also given us several key people. A couple of them, josie, who is the mother of the fall festival and the haunted jail. We are bringing back the haunted jail. Back by popular demand, so thanks to the sheriff for that.
>> oh.
>> the haunted jail. And debra gallonaway, who is also doing a lot of work with the softball tournament that we'll be having working with with concessions and other stuff and the sheriff has offered to help us find items to put up in the online silent auction. I so appreciate their help. I can't thank them enough. Because one person cannot do this alone. It's going to take all of us working together.
>> the court today, what I'd like to do is make sure that you are all fully aware of all the efforts of all these people and we are bringing to you a plan that includes a timetable and some items that we would like to get permission to move forward on. And if you would allow me to go down the list, I will say what are the things that I would like the court to pass approval on. First of all, we have a fiscal agent selected. His name is russell anderson. There is one last piece of paperwork we're going to be doing a performance bond with our fiscal agent for the first time this year, and we've got some final signing to do on that paperwork before that's all finished. Second, I need the court to approve -- to accept the list of the federations and the other charities that are going to be proposed to our employees for them to donate to. You can also contribute to other charities as well, but we've tried to make it easy on employees to find charities that fit the thing that they care about and that they want to contribute to. I would like for you to give us approval for the use of e-mail to send out reminders to all of the county employees. We only want to do this at a minimum a limited number of times, but we've got several events that are planned. I want to make sure everybody has notice of the event so that they can attend and participate. I would also really appreciate it if the court would consider doing a kickoff e-mail for us as well, so that includes your help as well as everybody else in Travis County who is participating in this. I'd like for you to aprove the printing of the brochure and the form the basis by which our employees sign up for a particular charity for money to go to them. The costs for the formsh@nr steve broburg has taken charge of dealing with the artwork for designing the heart of Travis County for our theme. The cost for the printing of the forms and the booklets of the charities is -- will be less than $1,500, so not to exceed the amount of $1,500, but I'd like to make sure that the court is aware of this expenditure and that you know what it's going for.
>>
>> as far as I know we've always aproved much that printing in-house as our contribution to the effort.
>> thank you, judge.
>> and finally what I would like to ask you to consider doing and I don't know if anybody ever asked for you this before, but would you consider the five of you getting together briefly to do a video clip encouraging our county employees to participate in the combined charities campaign? Our own channel 17 can handle this for you quickly and I think it would send a powerful message throughout all of county government that we have our governing board right here doing everything they can to make sure these charities get as much support as possible. So if you can consider that and discuss that among yourselves, I would very much appreciate it. We're also working on video individual videos for particular employees who have had experience with a particular charity that helps them and you will have the opportunity to see our own people talking about what these charities have are meant to them on channel 17. Let me make sure I have covered everything. Those are the approval items. And very briefly let me just say that we're hoping to launch the website information on Monday, August 18th, so next Monday. We would like to release the videos after labor day about Monday, September eighth, and that's for the individuals as well as if the court would like to do one as a group. The coordinator's training event will be Wednesday, September 17th, and there are many departments who are sending people to help us make sure that we touch every single employee in county government. So the coordinator will be really helpful in this project. Wednesday, October 1st is our deadline for the first day materials will be delivered the employees, which is basically a sign-up form and a brochure on what the charities all are and what their code numbers are for signing un. Friday, October 31st is going to be the fall festival as well as the return of the haunted jail. So we're very excited about that. The softball tournament is scheduled for Saturday, November 1st. So get out the balls and bats and gloves and come help us play. We are ending the campaign on Monday, December first, and we hope to finalize all of our money to theties for what they can expect in the next year from Travis County by December theth. That will give us a few days to wrap up loosens and get everybody all together. So we're also going to be talking to other folks about if you sign up early and if you're one of those folks who are one of our big givers, there will be some incentive gifts that we're going to offer for the future. And we're working on those right now. So if you're the first person to sign up for the leadership circle, which is about a thousand dollars a year given to either one or more charities of choice, then we've got a special gift for you kind of like what kut does. So stay tuned for that. And I think those are -- that is the basic information for what we're asking you to pass on today. And I have jane smith of my office with me today to help answer any questions that I might not have the direct answer to. And just in final, just let me say that the heart of Travis County is beating strong, and this is a wonderful project get the chance to work on. So thank you for the opportunity to make this happen.
>> what is our goal this year?
>> the goal?
>> the goal.
>> the goal is to raise one more dollar than the previous record holder for this, and that's sheriff greg hamilton. So we've got to raise about $150,000. We can do it. We can absolutely do it.
>> let me ask a couple of questions. Maybe I'll have to go to legal maybe as far as an answer. Two things. Commissioner Gomez brought up a real good point yesterday in one of our public hearings dealing with a budget. And she posed the question if anybody would like to donate in one of these providers, how would they do that? The question is would that be able to come up under this group since some of those basic need providers are nonprofits?
>> yes, sir. And yes -- the answer to that is yes. And the booklet provides all the information they would need to know about the code number for how to make either a one-time or an ongoing contribution to these charities. And certainly the ones that Travis County fundso) and pays special interest to would be the ones the county employees might first want to consider.
>> and the second question is that there may be persons not affiliated with Travis County. They're not Travis County employees. They may be the spouse of an employee or an uncle or relationship. I would like to see whatever we with do here go over successfully as far as raising noun the particular organizations that are in need to provide services. The question is anybody out there in tv land that's listening to us today, the legal question is could they contribute to this cause?
>> the answer is we'll take it.
>> [overlapping speakers].
>> but legally can we do that, put it on the website, listen, if you want to contribute to Travis County's charity drive, da da da, this is where you send your money. Is that legally --
>> the one time checks are easy. One of the real fruits of this whole drive singt payroll deductions. We can't help them out in that request. Dana will take checks wherever they come from.
>> checks and credit car.
>> we can use our website to do just that, though?
>> correct be. It's just a collateral thing that -- she's using the website as an advertisement for the county employees.
>> I'm talking about the entire Travis County.
>> the community as well, no harm done.
>> absolutely. And that's a good point.
>> [overlapping speakers].
>> perhaps you would like to say that in your video of the nightio that we need -- in your individual video.
>> it's a county affair to make sure that we provide the necessary fun to go offset some of the real expensive costs that has really just ca lated out of the ceiling as far as providing services for persons that are much in need of these services within Travis County. So that's basically what I was trying to get to is let's broaden the -- let's broaden this thing instead of being might opennic, let's -- my opennic, let's look at this thing from the big side. I didn't know if we can legally do that, but john said we can. I no problems if the court would like to do that.
>> yes, Commissioner.
>> we'll need to take a look at that fiscal agent agreement and make sure he's comfortable with that. We'll follow up on that.
>> on that point, and this is a hair splitting idea, but heck, I'm the resident hair splitter. If one were outside our employ and looking to contribute to our effort, there is a bundling fee, correct? I mean, is that with the fiscal agent --
>> the fiscal agent.
>> so there's a bundling fee. One of the big benefits of this is having a payroll deduction. If you are an outside individual, let's talk turkey here. The entity to which you're contributing will get a bigger bang if you just contribute directly to them and not through our program. Because there is -- there is essentially a middle man here and the benefit to us having that middle man relationship is that payroll deduction system. So I would -- I would suggest that we not actively recruit outside participation, we actively recruit outside people to donate directly.
>> right. But -- that's what I did. You I specifically give directly to somebody that I support when I do my deal.
>> and that should not be -- I think in the scheme of things, when we list the categories of the persons that are actually providing and in need -- whoever they may be, they're also available individually, aren't they? Or are they not? That's a question.
>> absolutely. They are available.
>> and they can talk just for that particular agency that they may want to place the money.
>> right. And all I'm saying is if you're an outside I have and it's not a payroll deduction issue, that if -- let's say it's united way. United way will get a bigger bang out of your contribution if you just call up the united way or go to their pay pal site than it would be if you came through our site.
>> I move that we approve russell art son as the fiscal agent as soon as he's bonded. That we accept the list of federations and charities available. That we aprove the use of e-mail to communicate with county employees about the campaign. That we authorize the print shop to print the brochures and forms necessary to implement the 2008 combined charities program.
>> second.
>> be and that we encourage ourselves to try to put together a promotional piece that will help the effort.
>> is that including the things, judge, that we just discussed as far as broadening the spectrum for people to participate?
>> I have no problem with that or anything else. There are issues associated with it. Put it that way. Every dollar that goes through this fiscal agent, there is a small percentage subtracted as his fee.
>> okay.
>> and the reason for that is that even as the -- on the payroll deductions, the auditor sends one big check to the fiscal agent and the fiscal agent sends the money to the participating federations and entities. So there is work involved there. The fiscal agent, we've gotten that fee down to about a third of what it was probably five, six years ago, but there is a fee there. So I'm not addressing that, but it makes sense and I think we all heard the discussion, sue to the extent that we can encowrn those efforts, I think we ought to.
>> okay. All right. That would be fine. Thank you.
>> discussion? All in favor? That passes by unanimous vote. We forward to working with you.
>> thank you. On behalf of the heart of Travis County, thanks for your help.
>> I believe you will go past that dollar.
>> susan bell was kind of quiet tow today, but we know she joins the effort and will be here to serve.
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
Last Modified:
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 1:37 PM