The Fall River Commission on Disability convened on January 11, 2023, at 3 P.M. The meeting began with a roll call, confirming the presence of Chairman Dennis Paul Sally, Vice Chairwoman Debbie Pacheco, and Commissioners Lisa Silva, Dan Robillard, and Ann O'Neal Souza. The commission then unanimously approved the minutes from their November 9, 2022, meeting with a 5-0 vote after a motion by Chairman Sally and a second by Vice Chairwoman Pacheco. Chairman Sally provided updates on ADA compliance, noting an upcoming meeting with the City Council subcommittee on January 17th and mentioning a potential ADA Improvement Grant from the Massachusetts Office on Disability for the Veterans Center. Under finance, the December 2022 budget report was presented, and Chairman Sally announced the appointment of Commissioner Dan Robillard as the commission's Treasurer to assist with financial matters and communications, particularly regarding scholarships. A key discussion involved an outreach initiative to partner with Bay Coast Bank for a scholarship matching program, aiming to double scholarship awards for recipients. Commissioner Robillard moved to formally approve pursuing this partnership, and the motion passed unanimously with a 5-0 vote. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 8, 2023, and the meeting was adjourned with a unanimous 5-0 vote.
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okay this is a meeting of the Fall River Commission on disability on January January 11 2023 at 3 P.M and I'll read the open meeting law pursuant to the open meeting law any person may make an audio or video recording of this public meeting or may transmit meetings through through any medium attendees are therefore advised that such recordings or Transmissions are being made whether perceived or unperceived by
0:44those present and are deemed acknowledged and permissible hey um rokov Tim and Dennis Paul Sally present Vice chairwoman Debbie Pacheco present commissioner Lisa Silva present commissioner Dan robillard commissioner Ann O'Neal Souza president okay be New Year to everybody the next item is public input I will call three times for public input is there any public input is there any public input
1:44is there any public input okay the next item is approval of the of the minutes for the meeting of Wednesday November 9th 2022.
1:58well so we'll accept the minutes of the meeting held November 9th 2022 of the Fall River disability Commission do I hear a second that motion Debbie Pachinko seconds the motion thank you um is there any further discussion okay those in favor oh I'm sorry oh chairman Dennis Paul Sally yes Vice chairman Debbie pachigo yes commissioner Lisa Silva yes commissioner Dan robellard yes commissioner Ann O'Neill Souza yes
2:41okay next item are updates under Ada the only update I have is uh on Tuesday no I almost said November on Tuesday January 17th we've been asked by the city council subcommittee on Health Human Services housing elderly Affairs and Youth I think I got all that right to just give an update on what's going on on the area of ADA compliance um I know for my part I don't have a heck
3:17of a lot to tell them but I guess I guess and I need to have this confirmed because we used to find out about these things but I guess the city gut and Ada approvement Improvement Grant from the Massachusetts office on disability from what I can glean from the invitation and if that's the case that's the Improvement Grant that's supposed to go towards the refurbishing of the Veterans Center
3:42um but I need to have that confirmed so um hopefully I can get it confirmed by Tuesday night but otherwise I'm just going to mostly listen um to what the other partners uh the other people on the team that have been invited are going to report because I I don't have a heck of a lot to report because there's been some changes in um in department heads and people that we would normally work with so
4:11um so that'll be Tuesday um it's at 5 30.
4:16and I think that's the only thing I have from an ada standpoint unless anybody else has any anything um to report on the next item is policies chair I have no updates at this time okay and finance you all have the budget report for the month of December um 2020 2022 I do want to take this down the table I'll call him back I I do want to take this opportunity um
5:04um to announce that the chair has the prerogative of appointing um special committees or standing committees or individuals to um positions and um I have I've asked Dan robillard if he can serve as our Treasurer now there's nothing in the bylaws um under the state Massachusetts general laws that state that the commission has to have a treasurer because our account is managed through government center but
5:38um I really felt that um that I needed some assistance with Communications from time to time and and um I needed a good money person too so I've asked Dan robillard to take on that task and um he's agreed to do that and um um so I I think that's going to help us a lot just in terms of especially when it comes to scholarship time and things like that when things get kind of
6:08um things get kind of let's say stressful so um I I really welcome Dan and thank Dan for agreeing to do that um the next item is Outreach and there's really nothing here under that except that the Outreach work group came up with an idea that we're exploring um we know that bay Coast Bank is very interested in education and one of our members came up with the idea of maybe contacting them and to see
6:46if they would want to partner with us to partner with us to match our scholarship so that a scholarship recipient instead of receiving three thousand for example they would receive six thousand so Bay Coast would match our um our commission scholarship appropriation that we agreed to and um they have asked me to fill out an application that they will bring up at their next meeting and I told them that
7:19I need I want to bring this back to the full commission to see what um how everybody feels about that um and if everything is okay I will be working with the um the person who's in charge of giving and community outreach for Bay Coast tomorrow to fill out the application and they will bring it before their board in February so there's no cost to this except that whatever if we appropriate 3
7:47000 for example per recipient they would match three thousand so that the three thousand would become six thousand so that was something that we pursued as an Outreach work group I don't know if anybody has any questions or comments about it or um input to give um Floors open oh I just want to say thank you uh um to the Outreach committee for um thinking of that and doing that work so that's great
8:17so we'll see how that goes anybody else question seven yep very briefly I wonder if I'm the new business we shouldn't make a formal motion just to send that uh to uh to the powers that be at Bay Coast Bank to give it a little more uh a little more standing with them maybe as they review the idea we could do you mean like a formal because I'll be filling out the
8:49application tomorrow but I'll be happy to write a formal letter on behalf of the commission is am I am I hearing that okay or or well or just the motion saying that the full commission has approved the program okay okay we could we we could do that now if you want um and that that will give me a little more I think that will give me a little more
9:12um what do you call it when I talk with the uh with the Outreach coordinator tomorrow so if you want to do that in the form of emotion um we want it now or do you want it on before uh yeah let's do it now since we're on Outreach and since that's what we're discussing we could do it now okay uh I'd like to put forth a motion that we make a motion to uh okay uh
9:41partner with Bay Coast Bank if they're pending their approval uh to enter into a match program between the four of the disability commission and Bay Coast Bank regarding our annual scholarships but students with disabilities thank you um okay any further discussion no I think I heard any further discussion okay I'll call for a roll call vote chairman Dennis Paul Sally yes Vice chairwoman Debbie Pacheco
10:25yes commissioner Lisa Silva yes commissioner Dan robillard yes commissioner Anne O'Neal Souza yeah yeah thank you for the motion um commissioner commissioner Bullard uh the next item is I believe old business is there any old business is there any new business our next meeting will be Wednesday February 8th 2023.
11:01I don't have any guests at this time at this moment any other new business okay do I hear a motion to adjourn I will pay attention but this is Debbie Pacheco okay okay uh roll call Tim and Dennis paulselli yes Vice chairwoman Debbie Pacheco yes commissioner Lisa Silva yes commissioner Dan robillard yes commissioner Ann O'Neal Souza yes okay we are adjourned thank you