HomeMy WebLinkAboutWUSSB 09-10-15West University Senior Service Board Minutes September 10, 2015 Roll Call (Michelle Moore - Chair): Present: Miche lle Moore (Chair), George Baker, Sarah Ballanfant, Ca ndyce Beneke (Secretary),Selby Clark, Judy Faulkner , Stan McCandless, Joe Mitchell Absent: Becky Arnold , Carlos De Le Torre s , Virginia Lootens, John Palmer, Mary Ryerson , Toby Brooks Visitors: Greg Fal dyn (WU Rotary President ); Becky Doz ier – guest; Ruth Becker – guest Becky Doz ier formerly worked in Banking at the University of Housto n, and as a commercial lender. She has lived in WU for 25 years and recently retired . Ruth Becker worked for 48 years as an educator and most recently as a co nsultant with TEA and has lived in WU for 2 years. Sta ff: Patricia Noren, Tim O'Connor Senior Residents in Attend ance: Alida Drewes Minutes: The mee ting was called to order at 2:08 p.m. A quorum was present. Joe Mitchell moved to approve the Minutes of June 11, 2015 , as presented. A spelling error and name omission were corrected. Stan McCandless sec onded. The motion to approve the minutes, as corrected, passed. Activities and Previews (Patricia Noren - for Toby Brooks): Ms. Noren reported that senior resident participatio n in WU Senior activities and events is up. She mentioned several events and projects undertaken in the past two months (blankets for NCL , KPRC Channel 2 tour , Men’s Club lunches , Sign Language class es , Water Color , an ice cream social, etc.). Upcoming e vents , among others, include the Festival o f the Arts, Sat. Oct 17 , (exhibiting pa intings, crocheting, and custom -made chocolates ), Bastrop Historic Tour, Thanksgiving Potluck dinner, and a Houston Astros’s speaker on Jan 4, 2016. She reminded everyone to “like” the West U Facebook Page. APAC Repor t (Virginia Lootens ): A bsent – No Report Council Meeting Report (Burt Ballanfant ): Absent – No Report Good Neighbor Team (Becky Arnold ): Ab sent – No Report Selby Clark explained the goals and activities of the Good Neighbor Team to our guests. Parks and Recreation Report (Tim O’Connor ): Mr. O’Connor reviewed the latest news regarding the re -development of the west end of Colonial Park. He noted that the 2015 Park Master Plan Task Force and the Citizens Task Force worked together on the design layout of the proposed park . Mardi Turner is the Council l ia i son. Mr. O’Connor passed around several illustrated diagrams of the design. He also noted that the Friends of West U. Board is funding this developmen t and that no tax dollars will be spent. The new deck is set t o open for the Colonial Park poo l opening in mid -April, 2016, with the full park opening set for the fall of the next school year 2016 -17. Mr. O’Connor also mentioned that new signs for all the West U. parks are in the works – also funded by the Friends’ Board. The signs will be green and white, approximately 4’ x 18,” and will state the park’s name and recognition of the park’s founder/supp orter. The final design must be approved by City Council.
Mr. O’Connor also handed out a document showing the 2016 distribution of t axes paid by WU residents and businesses. The main purpose of the handout is to illustrate that most of our residents’ ta x dollars do NOT go to fund West U staff or services (only about 16 cents of every tax dollar goes to fund WU services, such as fire, police, etc.). He also passed out the Operational Snapshot Handout/Report. It will be included in the City Current magaz ine when finalized. Previous Business: None Action Items: None New Business (Greg Faldyn, President of the West University Rotary Club): Senior Services and the West U Rotary Club Partnership. Greg Faldyn discussed that the WU Rotary wants to get m ore involved in the local community – specifically with the WU Senior Services department and with resident senior citizens . After meeting and reviewing several projects with Toby Brooks, Michelle Moore, and Judy Faulkner, they decide d the first project w ould be to offer a breakfast for seniors in the spring of 2016. MOTION: Joe Mitchell moved to approve the Rotary project whereas the WU Rotary will provide a breakfast for the WU Seniors to be held on April 12, 2016. Judy Faulkner seconded and the moti on passed. Specific details will be developed in the coming months. Citizen Comments: Alida Drewes Ms. Drewes made the following two comments. (1) She stated that the Senior Services Board should support the proposal made by Joe Mitchell at the most recent City Council meeting requesting that City Council increase the senior property tax exemption. (2) She stated that the Senior Services Board should review the procedures used by the City to evaluate and provide special trash pick -up for certain cit izens and make sure that these procedures are being applied uniformly. Privacy DO NOT GIVE YOUR RIGHT TO PRIVACY AWAY! Vote NO to changing special trash pick up for seniors. This city has never had a form until I ask to use this service. Don't let the city bully seniors into relinquishing their rights! When you agree to using this form, seniors rights are violated! Forms are not necessary to provide trash pick up when someone needs this service. Seniors should be able to call in a request. I have heard senior staff reveal private medical information about a senior. Thus violates the right to privacy! Imagine if seniors are forced to allow staff to contact doctors or other health care providers, somehow get forms, and get these forms filled out be fore a basic service is provided? The ACLU believes that easy, warrantless access to medical information violates the U.S. Constitution, especially the Fourth Amendment, which generally bars the government from engaging unreasonable searches and seizures. Also, HIPAA, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information. This is protected by the office of Civil Rights. Private medical information must be protected to prevent medical fr aud/abuse and misuse of private medical information. I personally do not intend to relinquish privacy to someone previously worked on a cruise ship, volunteers, or people who may use this information for personal gain. WUP will be ripe for liability if p rivacy of medical information is violated. The consequences for failing to protect health information can be severe.
Adjournment: Selby Clark moved to adjourn. Judy Faulkner seconded. The meeting was adjo u rned at 3:20 p.m.