04-08-2011
CITY OF EDGEWATER – SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP COMITTEE
REGULAR MEETING
APRIL 8, 2011
10:00 A.M.
CITY HALL CONFERENCE ROOM
MINUTES
1.CALL TO ORDER
City Clerk Wenzel called the School Scholarship Committee meeting to order at 10:22 a.m. in the
City Hall Conference Room.
2.ROLL CALL
Councilman Justin Kennedy Present
Anne McCulloch Present
Vance Smith Absent
Mike Kelly Present
Joe Rawlings Present
Also present were Mike Ciocchetti, Assistant City Attorney and Bonnie Wenzel, City Clerk
3.APPROVAL OF MINUTES – None at this time.
4.OLD BUSINESS – None at this time.
5.NEW BUSINESS
A.Election of Chairperson
Mr. Rawlings move to appoint Justin Kennedy as Chairperson, second by Mike Kelly.
The MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Chairman Kennedy thanked everyone for coming and explained to the Committee how the
Scholarship came about. He stated how after going to several school functions he realized the City
of Edgewater was absent in terms of scholarship participation. His idea was to establish a
scholarship fund and the City would administer it. He stated the monies for the scholarship would
come strictly from donations. Citizens could add a recurring amount to their City Utility bill or
make a one-time donation. Donations could be as little or as much as the citizen would like, there is
no amount too small. The establishment of the Committee would help them move forward. Today
is about getting some of the formalities completed.
B.Election of Vice-Chairperson
Ms. McCulloch moved to appoint Mike Kelly as Vice-Chair, second by Mr. Rawlings.
The MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
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School Scholarship Committee
April 8, 2011
C.Establishment of Regular Meeting days and times.
City Clerk Wenzel stated the By-Laws indicated a minimum of two regular meetings annually. What
they needed to do was establish the regular meetings. They did not have to specify dates.
There was discussion among the Committee as to what day and time worked best for everyone.
Chairman Kennedy stated what was critical right now was to get the word out about the
scholarship.
Ms. McCulloch moved to hold the regular meetings of the School Scholarship Committee on the
1 Wednesday of each quarter at 5:00 p.m., second by Mr. Rawlings.
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The MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
D.Review of Sunshine Law and Public Records Law.
Assistant City Attorney Ciocchetti went over the main points of the Sunshine Law. He stated when
in doubt err on the side of caution. The Committee members cannot speak to one another outside
of a public meeting on issues that may come before them in the foreseeable future. The law does not
apply to meetings with staff or the City Attorney. City Clerk Wenzel asked if the Committee
members could speak with the non-voting members. Mr. Ciocchetti stated they could, however
they must be careful of the conduit issue. He stated the meetings must be noticed for the public and
the public must be allowed to participate, he added that City Clerk Wenzel would handle the agenda
and meeting notices.
Mr. Ciocchetti then went over the public records law and described for the Committee what a public
record was and how they are handled. He stated any public records requests are handled through
the City Clerk’s Office.
E.Review of Resolution No. 2011-R-03; Establishment of the Scholarship Program
City Clerk Wenzel reviewed the Resolution that established the program. She stated the criteria set
forth in the Resolution was minimum criteria set by City Council. The Committee could add
additional criteria as necessary.
F.Review and approval of By-Laws
City Clerk Wenzel went over the By-Laws with the Committee and answered questions. There was
discussion regarding the Committee members’ children obtaining scholarships. There was concern
of nepotism.
Mr. Ciocchetti stated City Council could review the criteria set by the Committee. Ms. McCulloch
questioned if children or dependents of the Committee should be excluded. Further discussion
ensued regarding the language of excluding the members’ children.
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School Scholarship Committee
April 8, 2011
Ms. McCulloch moved to approve the By-Laws of the School Scholarship Committee with the
addition of excluding Committee members children and legal dependents, second by Mr.
Rawlings.
The MOTION CARRIED UNAIMOUSLY
G.Marketing Strategy
Chairman Kennedy stated his goal was to have 10% of utility customers donating this year. He
added that there must be awareness of the program and the need for donations. He suggested one
or two percent of the donations could be used for marketing and the committee could ask
businesses for donations. He added that he would like to see a tent at the ball fields and having
someone hand out the donation forms.
Ms. McCulloch stated that people like to get something for making a donation; such as if you make a
donation, the late fee on their water bill would be waived.
Mr. Kelly stated they needed to come up with a way to get people to donate.
Chairman Kennedy suggested contacting groups, such as the Elks, American Legion, churches and
such.
Mr. Rawlings suggested working with businesses and having a monthly drawing of those who
donated and they win a free appetizer or something of that nature.
Ms. McCulloch suggested a one-time waiver on a utility bill late fee. Assistant City Attorney
Ciocchetti stated city policies would need to be reviewed.
Chairman Kennedy stated public awareness and marketing were key. He suggested a tent at the
ball fields, banners and flyers, possibly having businesses sponsor the tent. The business and the
scholarship program could be marketed this way.
6.ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 12:07p.m.
Minutes submitted by:
Bonnie Wenzel, CMC
City Clerk
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School Scholarship Committee
April 8, 2011