Meeting Agenda for December 4, 2008
Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails
Planning Meeting #2
7 pm, Monday, December 8, 2008
Heritage Room, Scandia Community Center
- Introductions
- Status reports
- a. membership campaign
- b. current parks and trails issues
- c. volunteer activities?
- Promotion and marketing
- a. website
- b. newsletters
- c. other ideas?
- First membership meeting
- a. January or February?
- b. celebration or "just business"?
- c. planning
- Governance issues for the by-laws
- a. who selects board members?
- b. limit # of city officials on board?
- c. limit membership to those who pay dues?
- d. what are quorum requirements?
- e. provide for "electronic" meetings and actions?
- f. permit proxy voting?
- g. permit Exec Committee to act on behalf of board?
- h. which body can amend the by-laws?
- i. other important issues?
- Other items
Minutes
Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails
Planning Meeting
7pm, December 8, 2008
Persons attending: Rich Burton, Karen Schik, Jim Martin, Mike Harnetty, Matt Rasmussen, Joan Berry, Don Berry, Tom Triplett.
Tom reported that four additional checks have been received in the past month. That raises to 49 the number of paying members (with some 70 not yet paying).
The group discussed how to generate additional interest in the Friends (both from people who signed up but have not yet paid, and from others who have not signed up). Ideas included having a special speaker for the first full membership meeting, having a table at Winterfest, distributing flyers at Saturday's Lions Pancake Breakfast (Mike will ask the Lions board if that will be OK), and an early spring outdoors event of some kind. (Note: the Lions approved this, and two new members responded and others took fliers - Thanks Mike!).
The group recommended that the first membership meeting be in the last week of January or early February. Tom will check on available dates. By the time of the first meeting, the goal will be to have the Friends incorporated. Rich, Mike, Jim and Tom agreed to be the first "incorporators." The membership will elect the succeeding board at the first membership meeting. It was suggested that members be phoned in advance of the Jan-Feb meeting in order to help boost attendance.
The group agreed on the following key by-law provisions:
- The Friends will be a "true" membership organization with the members electing the board, and the board electing the officers.
- Persons eligible to vote as members will be those who have paid their dues or have volunteered (or pledged to volunteer) eight hours of work for the parks and trails.
- No more than one-fourth of the board shall be city officials (council members, planning commissioners, park/rec committee members, or city employees).
- A quorum for the membership meeting is 20% of the eligible members. The quorum for board meetings is a majority of the board.
- Board members will be allowed to participate in board meetings by speakerphone.
- There will be no proxy voting.
- An Executive Committee will be permitted to take action between board meetings if time does not allow waiting for the next board meeting, but any Committee action must be ratified at the next full board meeting.
- The Board is permitted to amend the by-laws with a 2/3 vote of the board. The full membership must be informed of the proposed changes and invited to attend the board meeting where the amendments will be discussed.
Tom will prepare by-laws for review and hopefully adoption by the incorporators prior to the membership meeting.
Joan Berry and Don Berry offered to provide free website design and hosting for the Friends. The other persons at the meeting expressed their deep appreciation for this most generous offer. Karen will send to Joan the images used in the brochure.
The website will include Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails documents and announcements and will also feature links to other related sites. Joan and Don indicated that they can provide a data base for sending emails.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30.
Submitted by Tom Triplett