Napkin Man's Thoughts on the Children's Trust: It's Bull$#!%!

Napkin Man has once again stepped out of the shadows to give his opinions, anonymously, on a topic of interest to him.

He's sent it in to the County yesterday in a plain envelope.  He's forwarded his opinions on multiple topics over the last several years.

Napkin man uses salty language, which I black out.

If you can decipher his chicken-scratch, hyroglyphic cursive--which I have attempted to do---I think he is not well pleased about some of the organizations receiving funding from the Children's Trust.  And he apparently has some opinions about how organizations should be monitored post-award.  Or something like that I think.

Oh, and he didn't vote for it either, by the way.  For your reading pleasure, see below......Napkin Man!

Return of the "Napkin Man": Same Opinions, Bigger Audience

Napkin man is someone in the community who, from time to time over the years, has spread his unique thoughts on various county issues with my office by sending them in writing using snail mail.  Always interesting and sometimes even humorous, I've published a number of these over the years.

Now, Napkin Man is forwarding his opinions (often written on re-purposed holiday cards or scrap pieces of envelopes or re-purposed junk mail) to all of the County Commissioners.  He's "sharing the love" ---if you will--with all the offices--not just D1!  Yay!  Same opinions, bigger audience!

Yes, his words of sarcastic wit, complete with expletives and other choice language,  really captures the readers who are actually able to decipher his borderline illegible scribbles to understand just what the heck he is trying to say.  

I'm not sure Napkin Man has had a good life; in fact, if I had to guess, I'd bet (based upon the bitterness and anger that oozes from the tone of the notes he writes) that life has not gone the way he thought it should have or the way he had envisioned it would.  And I'm sure he believes it is everyone else's fault most especially the Escambia County Commissioners.  Hey, he's not alone in thinking everything is our fault. 😀  Take a number!

Anyhow, Napkin Man likes to share his every thought and whim with us, so I'll go ahead and "Share the Love" too--below.  (edited, of course).  You get extra credit if you can understand what it says!

.......and anyone who can successfully decipher Napkin Man's hieroglyphics gets a gold star!

I'll be on 1370 WCOA's "Real News with Rick Outzen" This Morning at 7:35

I've been invited to appear on the area's best, highest rated,  most reliable, dependable and informative morning news show in the area, "Real News with Rick Outzen" later this morning at 7:35.

I've been asked to appear in order to discuss the current county budget and also the county's funding of outside agencies that appear to be more in the wheelhouse of the newly established Escambia Children's Trust.

Should be an interesting conversation.  

Once it is published, I will link the podcast here.

These are "Natural, No Brainer" Funding Opportunities for the Children's Trust, But......

 

There are several entities that receive funding yearly from the Escambia Board of County Commissioners.

These are vetted, legitimate groups that have track records of serving the community.  They are our community partners

Several specialize in serving the community's youth.

So, naturally, as we worked through the budget this year with staff, in meetings, and in sessions on the fourth floor--it became clear that several of these organizations are natural, no brainer funding opportunities for the children's trust.

So at our recent workshops, the board intimated that these groups, the ones who focus on youth, should first seek funding from the newly established, and soon to be flush with cash Escambia Children's Trust. (Their initial millage rate of .5 mills will generate $12 Million Dollars--a full $2 Million over initial projections....)

Some entities vocalized the concern that any attempt by the BCC to not fund such entities and instead foist them on the Children's trust would be tantamount to "supplanting" funding which would be frowned upon if not outright disallowed.

The attorney for the board quickly dispatched that notion with an email recently, where she stated.

"My determination was that the language in the ordinance (which was not drafted by us) would address mandatory funding or obligatory funding obligations.  It would not, in my opinion, address discretionary funding that the Board considers every year and which the Board is not obligated to provide in any particular amount or at all.  I understand the executive director of the Trust has indicated that she has concerns about this, but the attorney for the Trust does not appear to have provided an opinion to the Trust about it yet."

Meanwhile---several of the organizations we sent over to the trust have received this response:

"Good morning. We have received the Community Partner applications for consideration for funding by the Escambia Children’s Trust. However, while these are worthy projects, I’m afraid we cannot consider them at this point – not because we do not think they fit our funding goals, but because we do not have a mechanism in place yet for consideration of unsolicited proposals.

 Our Board is still refining our grantmaking process. Our formal needs assessment will not be ready until at least next month, and our priorities for funding have not yet been established, let alone approved by our Board. We simply have no process in place to make an immediate decision on the applications you forwarded, as they were not in response to a Trust application or request for proposals.

 If possible, please let your applicants know that their proposals likely will not be considered for funding by the Trust at this time. We cannot review unsolicited proposals until the Trust Board of

Escambia Children's Trust (ECT): Initial Update to BCC and Draft Budget from ECT's Chair of the Board Stepanie Sansing White

 Commissioners received an initial update from the newly established Escambia Children's Trust late yesterday afternoon.  The information is very interesting, and the budget layout is also very encouraging--as it appears the vast majority of the funds generated from the .5 Mil levy will go to direct programming for goal achievement.  See the Chair's letter to the board and initial draft budget, below.

41 Escambia Citizens Have Applied for the 5 Remaining Seats on the Escambia Children's Trust

Five of the statutorily defined seats have been filled for the new Escambia Children's Trust, so the remaining 5 seats will be filled by five persons on this list of 41---on the right.

Here's how the process is going to go from here.....

At our next meeting on the 18th of this month---each commissioner will select two names from this list as their selectees.  

The total of 10 names produced by this process will be pulled from the list, and each commissioner will select five additional names from the reduced list of 31 names.  

The top five candidates from this secondary selection process will be added to the 10 names previously selected by the board members individually, for a total of 15 selectees which will then be sent to Governor DeSantis.

The Governor will then, for this final list of 15, select the final 5 members of what will be the inaugural Escambia Children's Trust.

I'm told my name will also be sent to the Governor for his consideration, although I am not sure if it will be in addition to the 15 selectees or one of the total of 15.  I guess I'll find out on the 18th.

The subsequent timeframe for the Governor to select his five appointees remains uncertain; it could take several months to a year or longer.

But this is where we are at in this process at the moment.

Read all about the Escambia Children's Trust here.

Board of County Commissioners to Discuss Establishment of a Local Children's Services Council this Tuesday Morning

The Escambia County Commission will hear a presentation on Tuesday morning on the establishment of a local Children's Services Council in Escambia County.

Locally, if established by the voters through a referendum on the November ballot, this organization would be named the Escambia Children's Trust.

The authorization to establish a local children's services trust (CSC) is codified in statutes, and currently there are 9 such entities throughout Florida.  Primarily these are located in south Florida--if one were established locally it would be the first and only such entity in North Florida (although Leon County has this initiative on their 2020 ballot).

The structure of how a CSC would be organized is codified in statute and County ordinance.  The County's draft ordinance, describing the make up of the board of directors, goals and objectives of the organization, can be found here.

The CSC locally would fund organizations and programs locally to help move the needle in three key areas--areas that most in the community know are desperately needed.  I have asked, and I have been told that 90% of the revenue would go to direct programming that will benefit students in theses key areas of:

1.  Kindergarten readiness
2.  Out of School Development
3.  Stronger Families


A long list of local supporters is being circulated in the community--and everyone knows we have a large population of at-risk children and students that could greatly benefit from services provided by a local Children's Services Council.

Additionally--I am aware that some significant polling on this initiative has been conducted county-wide, and that support for a local CSC is between 55%-68% of respondents.

So to get a CSC started in Escambia County--two things must happen:

1.  The Board of County Commissioners must vote affirmatively to place the initiative on the November ballot     and....

2.  A majority of the voters must approve the measure.

This is truly a program that will be up to the citizens and the voters to authorize or not authorize.

I am of the belief that the BCC will vote to put this on the ballot--as a matter of fact I intend to make the motion to add this to the ballot and I believe the vote will be unanimous to move it forward.

Then, at that point,  it will be up to the citizens of Escambia County to decide whether or not to establish a CSC locally to improve outcomes for our area youth.