Food Policy Council (FPC) Meeting on Mon, February 25, 2019 - 5:00 PM

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Meeting Information

  1. Action Item: Administrative Items

    • Determine quorum of members, agenda approval

    • Approval of December meeting minutes

    • Election of 2019 Council officers

    • New member introductions

    • Election of officers

    • Budget overview 

  2. FPC Annual Orientation

    • Kansas Open Meetings Act

    • Review bylaws, meeting calendar, key documents  

      1. Foundational Documents: Food System Assessment, Food System Plan, Annual Reports

  3. Public Comment

  4. Facilitated Conversation: Local Government and Policy 101

    • Facilitator: Ashley Jones-Wisner

    • Guests: Douglas County Commissioner Thellman and Lawrence Mayor Larsen

  5. Advancing Food Policy – Interactive Exercise

  6. 2019 FPC Work Planning

  7. Wrap-up and Next Steps

  8. Future Agenda Items

  9. Adjourn

     

**Next Meeting: March 18, 2019 @ 6:30pm to 8:30pm Stull United Methodist Church | 1596 E 250 Rd., Lecompton, KS 66050

In attendance: Kim Criner, Tamara Cash, Jason Champagne, Marlin Bates, John Pendleton, Michael Steinle, Christina Ostmeyer, Michele Dillon, William Vesecky, Tyler Lindquist, Connie Fitzpatrick, Sarah Hartsig, Elizabeth Burger, Scott Thellman  

 

Absent: Jennifer Kongs

 

Public: Ashley Jones-Wisner, Crystal Hammerschmidt, Pantaleon Florez, Melissa Fischer-Isaacs, Jill Elmers

 

Elected officials: Mayor Lisa Larsen, Vice Mayor Jennifer Ananda, County Commissioner Nancy Thellman

 

Food For Thought for Today’s Meeting:

“The answers will most likely be adaptive challenges, issues or situations that no one knows exactly how to solve. Adaptive challenges are about letting go of parts of our current reality and embracing new attitudes and behaviors necessary to survive and thrive.” – Ed O’Malley, What’s Right with Kansas

 

  1. Action Item: Administrative Items
    • Determine quorum of members, agenda approval (5:03 quorum reached)
      1. Amended to remove one election of officers, add budget request (Dillon, Bates—all approved)
    • Approval of December meeting minutes (Bates, Steinle—all approved)
    • Election of 2019 Council officers
      1. Kim Criner expressed interest in continuing at Chair
      2. Jennifer Kongs (via Kim) expressed interest continuing as Vice Chair
      3. Pendleton moved to elect Kim Criner Chair and Jennifer Kongs Vice Chair – Bates seconded—All approved
    • New member introductions
      1. Tyler Lindquist – Capital Federal Bank, just elected but engaging with FPC and on Forward working group since May 2018
      2. Christina Ostmeyer – Kansas Appleseed and works on summer meals, SNAP advocacy; grew up in Colby
    • Election of officers
    • Budget overview
      1. Helen presented update on current budget status. For $6,800 budgeted by County Commission, $3,364.28 is already committed from continuation of agritourism brochure development and retreat expenses. $3,435.72 remains in budget from County Commission. Kansas Alliance for Wellness Capacity Building grant has spent $3,349.33 of the total $9,995 in grant to support training, communications, and member learning.
      2. Budget request (Marlin Bates) – National group FieldWatch—registry for specialty crops and bees to help guide pesticide application—will partner with FPC, Extension, and statewise ag and environmental groups to organize Growing Good Neighbors event on April 11 at Bluejacket Crossing Winery. This event opportunity was brought to Aggies at the end of 2018, Helen and Marlin have been working to help plan this event that will build relationships among agricultural operators.
        1. Asking for $500 in FPC support (food, facility) – Tyler moves to approve; Tamara Cash seconded – All in favor

 

  1. FPC Annual Orientation
    • Kansas Open Meetings Act
      1. An overview of the Kansas Open Meetings Act was presented to the Council.
    • Review bylaws, meeting calendar, key documents - Kim presented a reminder to Council members about key documents that inform the work of the council. Attendance policy (including need for 24-hour advance notice of expected absence) was reviewed.
      1. Foundational Documents: Food System Assessment, Food System Plan, Annual Reports
      2. Current grants: KAW Capacity Building + Implementation, Kansas Leadership Center
    • Kim asked how what support members need to be organized. Group discussed and agreed that only new members will have new binders prepared. Staff will work to share meeting materials with 3-hold punches. New member packet will be uploaded onto FPC website.
  2. Public Comment
    • Pantaleon Florez presented about his efforts at the Incubator Farm in the Common Ground program, including receipt of a SARE grant to execute research comparing modern no-till and traditional ag techniques from the 1500s.
    • Melissa Fisher-Isaacs of Lawrence Public Library presented about her interest in collaborating with Council, attending some meetings to see what is best. Announced some food-related LPL events: Small Business Funding Fair (April 27), Seed Library (on-going, up to 5 varieties of seeds available)
    • Crystal Hammerschmidt shared that she is a former FPC member, interested in reconnecting with the work.
    • Jill Elmers shared that that she is a former FPC member and excited to continue as a community member to help advance efforts, including permanent farmers market location and the food waste efforts led by Forward.

 

  1. Facilitated Conversation: Local Government and Policy 101
    • Facilitator: Ashley Jones-Wisner
    • Guests: Douglas County Commissioner Thellman, Lawrence Mayor Larsen, Lawrence Vice Mayor Ananda
    • Ashley asked the commissioners to share about the role they see in advisory boards, how they’ve seen boards successfully engage in policy change efforts, and advice for the FPC members as they do work planning for the year. Council members were able to ask questions.

 

  1. Advancing Food Policy – Interactive Exercise
    • Ashely led the FPC in a presentation exercise about a real-life policy change process in neighboring Wyandotte County related to siting of farmers markets. She and the Council reflected on navigating bureaucracy and the slow process of most policy change processes. The group discussed connections between its own example and current efforts.

 

  1. 2019 FPC Work Planning
    • Helen led the Council in a work planning exercise, starting with a review of previously identified items to work on in the coming year, things the council wants to learn, and how it wants to do its work. The policy discussions from earlier in the night helped to identify new priorities as well. The Council then broke into its working groups to further refine priorities and roles. The groups presented and scheduling of key discussions / presentations was reviewed to sketch a calendar of upcoming meeting topics.

 

  1. Wrap-up and Next Steps
    • The meeting concluded with members sharing what excited them about the work ahead, and some ideas for next steps.
  2. Future Agenda Items
    • Review of the Climate Protection Plan and inviting a presentation about transportation / transit in the community were identified for March. Helen will also share the new communications products the Council developed in 2018 to start sharing in the Community.

 

  1. Adjourn

Time and Date

Location

Baker Wetlands Discovery Center
1365 North 1250 Road, Lawrence, Kansas 66046