Financial Oversight

PRESENT:  David Burns, Peter Doak, Luke Shorty, Maryalice Crofton 

The primary items for discussion were distribution of personnel and all other costs across the various Commission funding sources. 

Prior to the meeting, the members were sent two document files. One showed the budgets for all cost centers using the state chart of accounts which is more detailed than the grant budgets. The second file showed only the distribution of personnel from the budget document. 

Key points from the discussion:

Among the federal sources

  • The Commission Support Grant purpose is to support the full range of commission activities but is the only one that can fund grant selection and monitoring activities.
  • Training and Technical Assistance grant activities must be for National Service grantees or potential grantees.
  • Volunteer Generation Fund expenses must relate to the narrative purpose and performance measures.
  • Unlike other federal program monies, the AmeriCorps funds are 99% pass-through. The 1% the Commission retains is used to pay accounting and reporting costs.

Expenses, including personnel, are budgeted based on the function or purpose of the expense. 

A second topic of discussion was the one assigned to Financial Oversight at the last Commission meeting: whether to pursue full budget authority or change in fiscal agent. After reviewing a number of factors including the potential changes we might have to make if proposed federal legislation passes, task force members decided to recommend leaving the current arrangement in place. The deciding factors were the time staff and board members may have to give to new federal issues and opportunities. The same amount of time from both groups would have to go into changes in fiscal agent. Doing both in the same time frame is not an option. 

There being no other issues to discuss, the members ended the session at 4:38 pm.