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Agenda
Board Meeting
July 16, 2000

1. Project Status - Report by President
 
The corporation was Featured in a local Reedsburg township newspaper. Seed TEAM support continues with scallion, spinach, asparagus and peas harvested. Working visit from hub Toni to assist with harvesting anticipated in August. Request from TV Film Clip received, with serious intention to put clip on Public Access TV! Short Wave Radio web classes updated but antenna installation and Storm Shelter installation dependent upon scheduling contractors. Hydroponics doing well in Cycle 1 and watercress gift received from Mary. Aquaponics plumbing in hand and setup in process, to be stocked in September. Four Worm Beds in operation, stocked with addition of red wigglers, and development of earthworm recipes underway. Video Servers being shipped from Silicon Valley.
 
2. Acceptance of Designated $1,500 Gift - Vote or NOT
 
Member Brent Freemont has donated $1,500 with the Designation that this be used to pay for the web site costs, specifically stating that a tangental support of ZetaTalk should not be considered a problem. Web serving costs $50/month and rising (due to MB increases) and domain name registration for the 3 ZetaTalk domains is $105 yearly. The President is requesting that this gift be designated to pay for years 2000 and 2001, anticipated to be $1,410 at a minimum.
 
3. Treasurer's Quarterly Report - Report by Treasurer
 
As required in the Bylaws, the Treasurer's quarterly Quarterly Report, which reflects the balance as of the end of June, 2000. As of this board meeting there is $16,623 cash in the bank, which includes a $1,500 deposit (Agenda Item 2) and checks written to cover $836 in expenses waiting to be approved (Agenda Item 4). Assuming the board approves these expenses and the discretionary account increases that are requested, then a total of $18,694 will have been authorized by the board to be covered by the $16,623 in available funds. However, $2,295 in authorized expenditures is unlikely to be called upon during this year - $800 discretionary for UNIX Servers (coming in way under budget), $700 for a tiller trailer (both seed sites are 1/2 mile apart this year), and $795 for web support in 2001. An estimated $16,399 is required during this year, 2000, to complete the Short Wave antenna and Storm Shelter projects, and to support the ongoing TV Clip, Seed TEAM support, Worm Beds, Hydro and Aquaponics, and UNIX Server projects - leaving $225 in reserve. The corporation has been promised a very generous donation in December, which would double the amount received already this year ($45,000), so the President is recommending proceeding apace to continue and complete ongoing projects.
 
4. Approval of Project Support Funding - Vote or NOT
 
During the June, 2000 Board Meeting disbursement discussion, a couple items were tabled for lack of information. Covering nonprofit assets by insurace, to include liability, was estimated at $500/yr. This has been secured, from American Family, for $265/yr., policy in force as of July 1, 2000. The President is requesting reimbursement be approved. Several ongoing projects have exceeded their discretionary allowance, and the President, as site manager, is requesting these Support allowances be increased, a total increase of $1,388.
 
5. Midyear Election for Director Seats - Vote or NOT
 
Clipper's resignation from the Board has reduced the Board to 10 of 12 seats. The Bylaws allow a mid-year Election if the Board approves. A qualified new member, Sol, has in essence been Nominated, the nomination seconded, and accepted. During this tt-inc@eGroups.com Discussion, the issue of director qualifications arose, with a potential change (in italics) to the existing Director Powers Bylaws posted for review and discussion. The President is recommending that this Bylaw change to adopted to require stating a candidate's qualifications, that a mid-year election be approved by the Board to fill the 2 open seats, that a brief 2 week nomination period for additional candidates be held, to be followed immediately by a 2 week election period.
 
6. Michel as Director - Vote or NOT
 
As a result of Comments made during the June, 2000 Board Meeting by Michel Davelaar, Ron Darby, the Treasurer, has called for Michel's resignation. Reasons given in essence were a lack of understanding of the corporation as a Public Benefit corporation, implying that distributing donations among the board members is a proper focus of the corporation. In accordance with the Bylaws covering such a situation, this matter must be duly considered by the Board. The President will open the floor to discussion, a second to the motion, and a vote to place the matter before the membership if called for.
 
7. Project Focus - Policy Discussion
 
The discussion following the June, 2000 Board Meeting included ways and means to guard against grant proposals proferred with the primary purpose of building or stocking survival sites, rather than offering a public benefit such as solution set development, educational material, or classes. As funding increases and panic over crop shortages likewise increases, the corporation could be seen as an easy touch. Maximizing return should be a guideline, so that an existing site is used vs the purchase of a site, existing prototypes used vs building a prototype, and volunteer rather than hired workers used when qualified. Projects should be evaluated based on the educational value or public service they provide. An asset list should continue to be maintained so assets owned by the corporation can be moved to another site. Site checks and project audits, as authorized in the Bylaws, should be conducted. During the discussion, the President suggested a January 1, 2003 asset dissolution Bylaw change, to remove site building or stocking as a focus from projects. The Treasurer has suggested another approach, to require principals, and even seed growers, to sign a contact specifying the product or service to be delivered, and the time frame, with Breach of Contract pursuit open to the corporation if there is a failure to deliver.