2014 Supervisor Training

1. 2014 Supervisor Training 71st Annual KACD Convention Louisville, KY

2. Duties of Conservation District Personnel Employees and Supervisors

3. Role of Conservation District Employees

4. To perform the duties as prescribed in the employee’s Job Description. Reporting (DOC reports) SPGE reporting Publish legal notice annually Maintaining financial records Providing conservation education Providing administrative and/or technical assistance Other duties requested by the board of supervisors Role of Conservation District Employees

5. Monthly Reports Quarterly Reports Yearly Reports As Needed Reports Reporting

6. Monthly Reports • Equipment Loan Report – mailed to Johnna McHugh by the 10th of each month. • State Cost Share Report – emailed to David Hargis by the 15th of each month. • Treasurer’s Report – faxed or emailed to Maureen Gronefeld within 3 days of the meeting(signed). • Monthly Timesheets - faxed or emailed to Maureen Gronefeld within 3 days of the meeting(signed).

7. Quarterly Reports • Ag Water Quality Report – emailed or faxed to Johnna McHugh by the end of the quarter. • Direct Aid Report – emailed or faxed to David Hargis by the end of the quarter. • Environmental Grant Report – emailed or faxed to David Hargis by the end of the quarter. • Annual Budget Updates – emailed to Christie Collier by the end of the quarter.

8. Yearly Reports • District in Good Standing Mid-Year Review - emailed to Johnna McHugh by January 5th. • Annual Budget – emailed, mailed or faxed to Christie Collier by April 1st. • Annual Plan of Work – mailed, emailed or faxed to Christie Collier by April 1st. • District in Good Standing Report – emailed to Johnna McHugh by July 5th. • Annual Financial Report – emailed or mailed to Christie Collier by September 1st. • Annual Report – emailed, mailed, or faxed to Christie Collier by September 1st

9. As Needed Reports • Ag District Certifications/Recertifications – emailed or faxed to Mark Davis two weeks before SWCC meeting. • Corrective Measures – emailed or faxed to David Hargis after audit. • Long Range Plan – emailed or faxed to Christie Collier after each 5 year renewal. • Supervisor Notification – emailed or faxed to Chanisty Chadwell when board supervisor changes. • Equipment Loan Application – emailed, mailed, or faxed to Johnna McHugh 2 weeks before SWCC meeting.

10. SPGE Reporting • Current Year Estimates due July 15th • Budget Amendments due June 30th • Year-End Actual due September 1st

11. Maintaining Financial Records • Use only approved accounting software such as Quicken or Quickbooks. • Utilize the Chart of Accounts provided by the Division of Conservation. • Record all financial transactions immediately. • Reconcile all bank statements monthly.

12. Providing Conservation Education Opportunities to Educate Youth Opportunities to Educate Adults Field Days Newsletters Facebook News Articles Soil Stewardship Program Cooperator Meetings • Junior Boards • Field Days • Envirothon Team • Art and Writing Contest • Facebook • Soil Stewardship Program • Scholarships

13. Submitting all reports by the due dates Fulfilling all SPGE requirements by the due dates Maintaining accurate financial records Providing conservation education Greeting customers Answering phone calls Filing Recording the minutes of meetings Paying bills (supervisor will sign the checks) Providing conservation program assistance Assisting NRCS when possible Other duties requested by the board of supervisors Providing Administrative and/or Technical Assistance

14. Role of Conservation District Personnel REMEMBER It is your job to get things done!

15. Role of Conservation District Supervisors

16. Responsibilities • Administrative Responsibilities • Fiscal Responsibilities • Educational Responsibilities

17. Administrative Responsibilities • Actively participate in all board meetings and functions (districts should have a minimum of 9 meetings per year) • Establish and update district policies • Participate in preparing the Annual Budget and Annual Report • Keep informed on legislation and policies pertaining to conservation • Encourage program participation • Maintain up to date job descriptions • Evaluate employees annually

18. Active Participation Upon taking the Oath of Office, conservation district supervisors assume an obligation to the citizens they represent to carry out a sound, natural resource management program in the local community.

19. Why Do We Need Up To Date Job Descriptions? Communicating the duties and responsibilities of a position to the person occupying the position is an essential element in getting any job done.

20. Determining knowledge, skills necessary to perform the job Establishing equitable and consistent salaries Recruiting Setting performance standards Increasing communication between supervisors and employees Making staffing decisions Increasing productivity Reasons to Have an Up To Date Job Description

21. Need for Annual Employee Evaluations A performance evaluation, based on objective criteria, should help achieve peak performance from employees. Benefits include:

22. Individual performance improvement Supervisor-employee relationship improvement Employee accomplishments and good work recognition Personnel actions, such as pay increases, promotions, removals, and re-hires based on sound, objective criteria and documented Awareness of job requirements and needed changes in job duties Benefits of Annual Employee Evaluations

23. Fiscal Responsibilities • Secure funding • Manage district finances • Sign checks • Check financial records on a regular basis • Assist with preparing Annual Financial Report • Provide for an audit every 4 years or as required by law • Supervise and monitor all district employees

24. Educational Responsibilities • Encourage and support the development of a strong education program in your county. • Keep the public informed about conservation programs and opportunities.

25. Role of Conservation District Supervisors REMEMBER It is your job to make sure things get done!

26. CONSERVATION DISTRICT FINANCES Budgeting for your district’s program

27. KRS 65.065 says: • No money can be expended until that money has been budgeted • Budgets should be reviewed and updated if needed at least quarterly • Budgets should include all money that is available to the board • Quicken and QuickBooks both have budget tools that can be set up for the district’s FY budget utilizing the chart of accounts. Reports can be developed each month or quarter to aid in your budget reviews. Excel spreadsheets can also be developed to reflect sources of income, expenses by category with columns set up for amount currently budgeted, actual year to date spent and remaining available for expenditure in the current fiscal year

29. Comparing Budgeted vs. Actual Amounts • These comparisons can be especially helpful if done on a monthly basis so it can be reviewed at the district meetings when approving the monthly treasurers report • When a budget needs updating those updates must be sent to the Division of Conservation and fiscal court and updated on the SPGE reporting form provided at the Dept. of Local Government web site

30. Protecting the Taxpayers’ Money • Throughout the years there have been many ingenious ways invented to get hold of district funds for improper use • For this reason it is very important to check monthly bank statements, credit card statements and bank copies of checks that were written • After checking the statements the district treasurer should sign off on the statements every month • The employees, board members and especially the treasurer are responsible for protecting the taxpayers money

31. Bonding • Bonding protects the district finances, board members and taxpayers in the event of a loss • Anyone who has access to the district funds whether checking account, savings accounts or CDs must be bonded for the maximum amount that are in the accounts to which they have access

32. Bonding, continued • If your District has KACo liability insurance the secretary and all board members with the exception of the treasurer are bonded for at least $150,000 • KACo asks that the treasurer be bonded separately • If you have another bonding company be sure to check to see who is covered and for what amount

33. Funding District Operations • Millage tax is one of the best ways to fund your district operations • For districts not on millage tax , the local fiscal court needs to be your “partner” in financing district operations • “Partnering” requires a concerted effort by the district to interact and inform fiscal court of the district’s goals and successes throughout the year, not just at budget time • Have dollar facts and figures of what your district has brought into the county available, as well as services you provide on hand for use in communicating the importance of what your district does

34. Kenton County Succeeds in Getting Additional Funds! • After years of trying to get on millage tax the dedicated Kenton Co. board would not take no for an answer on increased funding to obtain their goals • Instead they decided to take a new approach • Each district board member picked a fiscal court member they knew and spoke with them personally • They informed that individual what the district was doing and asked how they could help with common goals and problems

35. Kenton County Conservation District Finally Able To Have Their Own Office • Kenton County Conservation District was formed in 1942 but just was able to have their own county office in February of 2014 • After sharing the Boone County Conservation District office for years they began an intensive effort to lobby their county judge and fiscal court members for office space • By pointing out their shared goals and efforts to make Kenton County a better place to live, work and play they now have an office in the Kenton County Court House

36. Partnering and Networking with Other “Shared Interest” Groups • In these times where money for projects is harder than ever to obtain partnering with other groups on projects of shared interest is more important than ever • Look for projects that groups like Cattlemen’s Association and Extension Service might need help with • Shared field days and demonstrations are a good way to build the district’s programs • Regional Council of Governments, where available • Local farm groups and workshops that have common concerns • Environmental classes and teams at schools and universities • These all can provide great opportunities to involve others in district work and make contacts that can lead you to grants and shared funding

37. LARGE GRANTS AVAILABLE • Boone, Campbell and Kenton County districts have had great success in partnering with fiscal court, Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund, Kentucky Division of Water, American Farmland Trust, St. Anne Convent - Sisters of Divine Providence and The Campbell Conservancy, Inc. • Some of their “grant sharing” projects include:

38. Kenton County Conservation District Obtains $2.7 Million • For years there has been bad flooding situations along Banklick Creek in Kenton Co. • Pointing out to fiscal court that the district could assist with developing grants for flood control through FEMA, they were able to obtain money to by out flood-prone homes • They worked with fiscal court and the Dept. for Local Government as a team to remedy a bad situation

39. Land Protection Made possible by the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund Board

40. Hawthorne Crossing Conservation AreaCampbell County • Campbell County Conservation District worked to get the grant for the Hawthorne Crossing Conservation Area and the St. Anne Woods thru the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund • The Campbell Conservancy previously held an easement on part of the land • St. Anne Woods & Wetlands was developed in partnership with the Ky. Heritage Land Conservation Fund, Sisters of Divine Providence, Boy Scouts, and many work hours from the district board members and staff

41. Morning View Heritage AreaKenton County • With the help of a grant from Heritage Land Conservation Fund, Kenton Co. Conservation District has been able to purchase and preserve sensitive river bottom land along the Licking River. • This 204 acre tract of land will be used in the future for passive recreation that county residents can enjoy. Habitat restoration is underway.

42. Gunpowder Creek Watershed Initiative • With the help of 319 Funding obtained thru a grant in cooperation with the Kentucky Div. of Water and the Div. of Conservation, Boone County Conservation District has been able to fund studies of water quality in the Gunpowder Creek and Woolper Creek watersheds • This study is ongoing and measures are being developed and installed to improve the quality of the water, drainage and erosion in the areas of Gunpowder Creek and Woolper Creek

43. Banklick Creek Flood Hazard Mitigation Grant (Kenton County) • Kenton County Conservation District submitted a grant to FEMA for $3,683,424 • The project is ongoing and so far the FEMA share is 75% or $2,762,568 for the present portion of the project • The state emergency management agency has dedicated 12% or $442,011 • The county is responsible for the remaining 13% or $478,845. They received a grant from the Dept. of Local Government to reduce the county’s share to $71,471. To date the conservation district has furnished $23,974 of that amount in staff time, materials and services to prepare the application

44. The Bidding Process Conservation District Purchasing

45. Why do we use bidding? • As supervisors you should always want to follow contracting guidelines so that it doesn’t appear that you are giving preferential treatment to certain providers or businesses. • It is also stated in KRS 45A.365 “ All contracts or purchases shall be awarded by competitive sealed bidding…”

46. Before Purchasing or Bidding: • It is very important that before the bidding process begins, the board decides what type of equipment, land or construction they wish to pursue. • As with all board decisions, this needs to be discussed, voted on, and included in the minutes of the meeting. • It is also crucial that the board reviews their budget to make sure funds are available for purchase.

47. What should be bid? FOR PROCUREMENT: • $0-$500 - Can be purchased without bids per board approval • $500-$1,000 - Must have at least 3 bids or quotes • Over $1,000 - Must use public bidding process

48. What should be bid? FOR CONSTRUCTION: • $0-$3,000 - Only requires one bid • $3,000-$10,000 - Need at least 3 bids or quotes • Over $10,000 - Requires public bid

49. Invitation for Bids: • Bids should be advertised in the largest circulation in the county for at least 7, but not more than 21, days before the bidding closes. • Can be, but not required to be, advertised on the district web page or Facebook page. • Individual specifications are not required to be in the ad. Bidders can be directed to pick up bid packages in the district office.

50. What goes in a bidding packet? For buildings or construction: • Any insurance required to perform work– bonding, liability, etc. • Permits to be obtained from local/state govt. • Architectural drawings/specs. • Time frame for completion of work.