MEETING OF THE
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
November 8, 2012
Minutes
The Committee of the Whole of the Board of Trustees of Houston Community College held
a meeting on Thursday, November 8, 2012 at the HCC Administration Building, 3100 Main,
2nd Floor, Seminar Room A, Houston, Texas.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT
Mary Ann Perez, Chair
Neeta Sane, Secretary
Yolanda Navarro Flores
Eva Loredo
Sandie Mullins
Christopher W. Oliver
Carroll G. Robinson
Richard Schechter
ADMINISTRATION
Mary S. Spangler, Chancellor
Art Tyler, Deputy Chancellor/COO
Renee Byas, General Counsel
Shantay Grays, Chief of Staff
William Carter, Vice Chancellor, Information Technology
Charles Cook, Vice Chancellor, Instruction
Diana Pino, Vice Chancellor, Student Success
Margaret Ford Fisher, President, Northeast College
Fena Garza, President, Southwest College
William Harmon, President, Central College
Zachary Hodges, President, Northwest College
Irene Porcarello, President, Southeast College
Betty Young, President, Coleman College
Willie Williams, Jr., Chief Human Resources Officer
Remmele Young, Executive Director, Government Relations and Sustainability
OTHERS PRESENT
Jarvis Hollingsworth, System Counsel, Bracewell & Giuliani
Leslie Berardo, External Auditor, Gainer Donnelly & Desroches
Tod Bisch, President, Faculty Senate
Other administrators, citizens and representatives from the news media
Houston Community College
Committee of the Whole – November 8, 2012 - Page 2
CALL TO ORDER
Ms. Perez, Chair called the meeting to order at 5:56 p.m. and declared the Committee
convened to consider matters pertaining to Houston Community College as listed on the
duly posted Meeting Notice.
Motion - Mr. Oliver motioned to move items 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 to the consent agenda. Ms.
Loredo seconded. The motion passed with a vote of 7-0.
•
Annual Financial Report for Fiscal Year Ended August 31, 2012
•
Investment Policy for Fiscal Year 2012-2013
•
Investment Report for the Month of September 2012
•
Monthly Finance Report for October 2012
•
HCC Board Appointment To Missouri City Tax Incremental Reinvestment (TIRZ)
Zone 3
(Mrs. Sane joined the meeting at 5:59 p.m.)
Point of Personal Privilege:
Mr. Schechter expressed appreciation to the Board for their efforts relating to the Bond
measure. He thanked the administration, faculty and staff and also expressed appreciation
to Yaffe|Deuster for their special participation along with Hector Carreno, Dan Arguijo, Lesa
Spivey, and Mustafa Tameez as well as the Political Action Committee (PAC) teams. Mr.
Schechter thanked the Board as a whole and individually thanked Trustees Austin, Loredo,
Oliver, Robinson and Sane. He expressed special appreciation to Ms. Perez noting that
she also ran a highly contested campaign in the mist of leading the college in the bond
campaign as the Board Chair.
Mr. Oliver expressed sincere appreciation to Mr. Schechter for all his efforts.
LANDSCAPING AND GROUND MAINTENANCE SERVICES (PROJECT NO. 12-49)
Motion – Mr. Robinson moved and Mr. Schechter seconded.
Mr. Oliver inquired if the firm is local. Mr. Rogelio Anasagasti noted that the firm has offices
throughout the state. He informed that the statute requires that the firm has an office in the
state or employ at least 500 employees. He apprised that the firm meets the criteria.
Motion - The motion passed with vote of 6-2 with Mrs. Flores and Mr. Robinson opposing.
ALIEF CAMPUS (HAYES RD.) UT TYLER BUILD-OUT (PROJECT NO. 13-05)
Motion – Mrs. Sane moved and Mr. Oliver seconded.
Houston Community College
Committee of the Whole – November 8, 2012 - Page 3
Dr. Tyler apprised that the evaluation would be completed and provided to the Board at the
Regular Meeting on November 15, 2012. He noted that the efforts are to have the item
approved without having to hold a Special Meeting.
Vote – The motion passed with a vote of 8-0.
PUBLIC JUNIOR COLLEGE SECURITY AND SAFETY AUDIT REPORT
Motion – Mr. Oliver moved and Mr. Schechter seconded.
Dr. Tyler noted that the law requires the Board to acknowledge receipt of the report. Chief
Greg Cunningham provided an overview of the report requirements.
Mr. Oliver inquired as to why the report is just coming to the Board if it was submitted in
March 2012. Mr. Robinson inquired if the report was submitted with the Board listed.
Mr. Oliver apprised that for a going forth purpose, he would like to receive the report prior to
submission.
Mr. Robinson noted that there was a conversation regarding the security contract and that
the size of the police force matters to him. He informed that he would like to know what is
currently in place and what is needed.
Mr. Robinson apprised that he is not aware of the contents of the report and would not be
at liberty of approving without having a chance to review it.
Mr. Schechter inquired as to how the audit was conducted. Chief Cunningham apprised
that stakeholders of the various categories completed the audits. Dr. Tyler noted that it is a
self-audit conducted by the unit relating to the various categories.
Mr. Schechter inquired of the number of individuals participating in the environmental
design. Dr. Tyler noted that it was approximately six individuals participating.
(Ms. Loredo left at 6:30 p.m.)
Mr. Robinson informed that there was a presentation at the retreat in June 2012 regarding
the master plan assessment; however, there was no information regarding the security and
safety audit requirements. He apprised that his concern is that there was not a discussion
on whether additional funding would be needed. Mr. Robinson noted that if all the
information is not presented to the Board, an accurate decision is not possible regarding
security and safety.
Mr. Schechter apprised that he agrees with Mr. Robinson that if money is needed for
security, the request should be brought to the Board.
Ms. Mullins recommended bringing the presentation back with the specifics of the
categories to include the definition and the number of individuals participating in the audit.
Houston Community College
Committee of the Whole – November 8, 2012 - Page 4
Mrs. Belinda Brockman, Internal Auditor advised that the state provides a specific outlined
process that included standard questions from the state. She noted that the questions were
surrounding information technology security as well as the police. Mrs. Brockman informed
that the questions were answered by the various units according to the state outlined
criteria.
Mrs. Flores inquired if there is a time limit regarding acceptance of the report. Dr. Tyler
noted that the Board has an obligation to acknowledge that the report was presented.
Mrs. Flores recommended that the Board be provided a copy of the report.
Chief Cunningham recommended that discussion regarding the report take place in closed
session due to the sensitivity of the security information.
Mrs. Sane inquired of the liabilities if the Board does not accept the report. Dr. Tyler
informed that the requirement is that the Board acknowledges the report was presented.
Motion to Table – Mrs. Sane moved and Mr. Oliver seconded to table the item. The motion
passed with a vote of 7-0.
REPORT ON HCC BOND REFERENDUM AND OTHER RELATED OR NECESSARY
ACTIONS
Dr. Tyler acknowledged that the HCC bond passed with a 67% approval. He informed that
the initial efforts will be to identify program and project management teams. He apprised
that it is anticipated that the projects will be completed in a multi-parallel fashion.
Mr. Robinson requested the long-term timeline.
Mr. Schechter suggested that administration provide a recommendation to the Board to
allow the opportunity to make the decisions regarding structure.
Mr. Robinson requested a website that is accessible by the public along with a bond book
to allow the Trustees to track the progress. He noted that he does not have an issue;
however, there must be concrete information.
Mr. Oliver informed that the Board and administration should be in synch throughout the
process.
Dr. Tyler asked the Board to consider the program manager piece. Mr. Schechter
suggested that a program manager outline is presented to the Board. Dr. Tyler provided an
outline of his recommendation. He inquired if there is a committee that the Board would like
for administration to work through.
Ms. Perez appointed the Finance Sub-Committee as the Bond Oversight Committee until
the end of the year.
Houston Community College
Committee of the Whole – November 8, 2012 - Page 5
Mr. Robinson apprised that there must be a discussion on the private public partnerships
item; noting item will fade if not addressed.
REPORT ON DEVELOPMENT OF HCC SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM
Dr. Tyler provided an overview of the Small Business Development Program (SBDP)
currently in place.
(Mr. Schechter stepped out at 7:14 p.m.)
(Mr. Oliver stepped out at 7:14 p.m.)
The following recommendations were presented for Board consideration:
•
Hire a consultant to assist in development of SBDP with goal of having a functional
set of job descriptions, organizational alignment, and budget to present to the Board
by February 2013.
•
Work with consultant to enhance and revise the Small Business Program policies
and procedures.
•
Set date by which all current vendors should comply with new polices.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:17 p.m.
Recorded, transcribed and submitted by:
Sharon R. Wright, Manager, Board Services
Minutes Approved:
December 13, 2012