Summary of 2/16/2010 Board Meeting

The agenda for February’s board meeting was jammed and we wore ourselves out! Here is a light summary of the things we covered – please remember that these are not meant to be a substitute for the actual minutes of the meeting which are being compiled by our secretary!

• We recognized five new members, and had no resignations
• We approved the minutes for both the December and January meetings.
• Dale Bulla presented a brief analysis of our electric usage and savings since the installation of the solar panels – so far a savings of some $1,500!
• Michael West gave us an overview of the search process and timeline for calling our next interim minister, followed by the timeline for our settled minister search process. We will be appointing an interim search committee this month!
• We welcomed Walter Pearson, the UUA Ministerial Compensation Consultant for the SW District. Walter explained his role in helping our church in the search for our next settled minister and gave us some excellent insights into the process.
• Our treasurer Luther Elmore gave us an update on how the Finance Committee has chosen to calculate our reserves. While they remain a bit wonky, the good news is that we still have financial reserves!
• The board authorized the Executive Team (the minister & executive director) to make exceptions to our rental rates for non-profit groups for whom our regular rates would be prove a hardship. More specifically, the team will be able to adjust the rates for several 12-step groups that meet at our church.
• Nell Newton and Sean Hale discussed a proposal from a developer who is interested in using part of our land for restaurant valet parking. We have given Stephan Windsor authority to negotiate on our behalf. Will anything come of it? Who knows? But we’ll be looking at the details of the proposal very carefully.

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 6:30 p.m.

First UU Church of Austin, 4700 Grover, Austin, TX  78756 in Room 13

In Attendance:

Trustees:  Nell Newton, President; Luther Elmore, Treasurer; Chris Jimmerson, Secretary; Sheila Gladstone, Immediate Past President (Ex-Officio); Margaret Borden; Derek Howard; Jeff Hutchens; Aaron Osmer, Youth Trustee; Brendan Sterne; Michael West; Laura Wood.

Executive Team:  Janet Newman, Interim Minister (Ex-Officio); Sean Hale, Executive Director (Ex-Officio);

Staff:  Brent Baldwin, Director of Music; Lara Douglass, Director of RE

Visitors Present: Jim Burson, Transition Team; John Keohane, Chair for Denominational Affairs; Sharon Moore, Transition Team; Corinna Whiteaker-Lewis, Co-Chair for Social Action

Call to Order

The President called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m.

Adoption of Agenda

The Trustees present adopted the agenda (Appendix A, 1 [numbers refer to page number where appendices may be found in attached supporting document]) after noting that there was no consent agenda report for the Bridge Builders Action Plan Update separate from the Bridge Builders Action Team Report.

Motion: Michael West – Adopt the agenda.

Second: Aaron Osmer

Discussion: None

Vote: All affirmative

Reading and Lighting of the Chalice

The Interim Minister read the opening words and the President lit the chalice.

Visitor’s Forum

The President welcomed the visitors listed above. John Keohane presented information to the Board of Trustees on a letter he had written to the Austin American Statesman (Appendix I, 45) and on the Great Moments in UU History Classes (Appendix J, 46) he had been presenting at the church and would repeat again in March. The President thanked him for his outstanding efforts.

Corinna Whiteaker-Lewis presented a recommendation from the Social Action Forum that had occurred on the previous Sunday. The recommendation would establish a monthly special offering (an extra passing of the plate) to benefit non-profit organizations nominated and elected by the congregation (see Appendix K, 47). This would be for 2010 only as a substitute for split the plate.

The Trustees and Corinna Whiteaker-Lewis discussed the following:

• There would be eleven recipients chosen with the first special offering beginning in February.
• If something similar to the Haiti earthquake were to occur again that was an emergency and urgent, there would be two special offerings in the month it occurred – one for the chosen non-profit and the other regarding the emergency need.
• Recipients will be selected through an appeal for nominations from the congregation and then a congregational vote, probably at a Social Action table in the Gallery during Sunday services. It is likely that organizations with long-term associations with the church will be selected through this kind of process.
• A Trustee suggested linking the recipient’s work when possible to what is being discussed during sermons.
• The Treasurer reported that the collection for Haiti on the prior Sunday had collected $4,000. He suggested moving the special collection for the UUA to February so there would not be a special collection two Sundays in a row.
• This idea will allow the selected non-profits to spend a greater time educating the church about themselves and may lead to greater connections with the church.
• It will be important to report back to the congregation on how much they gave for such special collections.
• It will be important to ask church members to make their checks for these special collections to the church so that the church can account for them and pass through the giving to the non-profit.

Motion: Luther Elmore – Approve this recommendation from the Social Action Committee

Second: Chris Jimmerson

Discussion: There was no further discussion

Vote: All Affirmative

Consent Agenda Items

Minutes from the Prior Meeting: The secretary had sent a draft of the minutes from December out by email but had accidentally left them out of the final packet of materials for this meeting. The Trustees agreed to review them at the next meeting.

New Members and Resignations: The following new members had joined since the last meeting: Anna Dossett, James Dossett and Geoffrey Lorenz. The following members had resigned: Anna Fruge, Javier Cantu, Melita Cantu and Al Rogers.

Reports:  The Trustees had reviewed the consent agenda items prior to the meeting.  These included:

Executive Director: Sean Hale (Appendix B, 2)

Director of Religious Education: Lara Douglass (Appendix C, 7)

Director of Music Programs: Brent Baldwin (Appendix D, 11)

Treasurer: Luther Elmore (Appendix F, 25)

BB A-team Report: Chris Jimmerson/Brendan Sterne (Appendix E, 12)

The Treasurer noted that the 2009 financials were still being adjusted and should not be considered final. He also explained some changes to investments to earn higher interest yet maintain liquidity.

Motion: Derek Howard – accept the Consent Agenda Item Reports with the exception that minutes from the last meeting will be reviewed at the February meeting.

Second: Michael West

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Discussion and Action Items

Church Security: The President presented some work that had been done regarding security in the light of some incidents in the church where persons were either verbally abusive and/or disruptive or had engaged in physically threatening behavior. We will ask such persons to leave the premises and not return to them. If they do, we will call 911 and ask that the Austin Police Department remove them from the property. The President has also discussed this with freeze night volunteers and the Sunday Morning Services Team.

The Trustees discussed the following:

• We should adopt a zero tolerance policy for even the threat of physical assault wherein we call the police immediately.
• Trustees were concerned about vulnerability of church space with so many open entrances. The church is working toward an eventual configuration where except during Sunday services access to the building will be through only one entrance.
• There is a need to inform all of leadership about this and to develop ways that such incidences can be handled when no one in leadership is present.

Church-Wide Covenant Process and Stephan Jonasson Visit: The Interim Minister reminded the Trustees of Dr. Jonasson’s upcoming visit. Dr. Jonasson is the Director for Large Congregations at the UUA. He will be meeting with the board for dinner on January 22, conducting a workshop from 9 am to 3 pm on January 23 on preparing ourselves to call a settled minister and offering a sermon on Covenants on January 24. After this sermon, the Transition Team will begin facilitating small group sessions to gather information toward developing a church-wide covenant of right relationship.

The Interim Minister also announced that Gini Courter, Chief Governance Officer and UUA Moderator, will be visiting the church the week of March 10^th. She will send specific details as they are known.

Report from San Antonio Meeting with UUA Board: The President reported that the meeting had been very informative and that persons from across the UUA had expressed their support for our church and our effort during our transition period. The UUA Board had expressly invited church leaders to this meeting so that they could engage with them to learn of their desires for the denomination (a process known as linkage) as the UUA Board begins adopting Policy Governance.

Board Covenant: The Interim Minister and President presented the Board Covenant, slightly revised after the discussion at the prior meeting (Appendix G, 40).

Motion: Chris Jimmerson – Adopt the Board Covenant

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Overview of New Financial Reporting: The Executive Director (ED) presented a draft version of new financial statements (Appendix H, 41) based upon a new chart of accounts for 2010 that simplifies expense categories and includes numbers as well as names for the chart of accounts. The ED gave an overview of the financial reports that will be possible in 2010 which both simplify the information given to the board but also make “macro-level” understanding of them much easier. Anyone wishing the underlying detail will still be able to request it.

The Trustees complemented the ED on how much of an improvement the new statements will be.

The President welcomed the members of the Transition Team who would be joining the Board of Trustees and the Interim Minister after a break for a separate meeting to evaluate the Interim Ministry.

With no further business, the President adjourned the meeting at 7:55 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Chris Jimmerson

Secretary

Appendices (Supporting Documents)

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.

First UU Church of Austin, 4700 Grover, Austin, TX  78756 in Room 13

In Attendance:

Trustees:  Nell Newton, President; Eric Stimmel, Vice-President; Luther Elmore, Treasurer; Chris Jimmerson, Secretary; Sheila Gladstone, Immediate Past President (Ex-Officio); Margaret Borden; Jeff Hutchens; Brendan Sterne; Michael West; Laura Wood.

Executive Team:  Janet Newman, Interim Minister (Ex-Officio); Sean Hale, Executive Director (Ex-Officio);

Staff:  Brent Baldwin, Director of Music

Call to Order

The President called the meeting to order at 6:34 p.m.

Adoption of Agenda

The Trustees present adopted the agenda (Appendix A, 1 [numbers refer to page number where appendices may be found in attached supporting document]).

Reading and Lighting of the Chalice

The Interim Minister read the opening words and the President lit the chalice.

Visitor’s Forum

There were no visitors present.

Consent Agenda Items

Minutes from the Prior Meeting: The Trustees had reviewed the minutes from the November 2009 meeting prior to this meeting (Appendix B, 12) and noted one grammar change changing the word “effect” to “affect”.

New Members and Resignations: The Secretary reported that the following had become new members since the last meeting: Gregg Welch; H.I. “Sam” Long; Deidre Autry Madres; Troy Madres; Leona Perez

The Secretary reported that Susan Lowrance had resigned since the last meeting because she had moved.

Reports: The Trustees had reviewed the consent agenda items prior to the meeting.  These included:

Interim Minister: Janet Newman (Appendix C, 9)

Executive Director: Sean Hale (Appendix D, 11)

Director of Religious Education: Lara Douglass (Appendix E, 15)

Director of Music Programs: Brent Baldwin (Appendix F, 20)

Treasurer: Luther Elmore (Appendix G, 22 – includes Finance Committee Reports)

BB A-team Report: Chris Jimmerson/Brendan Sterne (Appendix H, 51)

The Bridge Builders Action team gave an overview of upcoming events including a training on Policy Governance on February 26^th and 27^th of 2010 and a training in March for board members and facilitators on how to do the purpose and values sessions in the church. The team will poll the board soon on a date for the purpose and values sessions training.

These trainings should be very informative, exciting and motivating and the training for the purpose and values session will be the boards’ chance to participate in establishing the information we will use to develop values, mission and ends (vision) statements. The sessions with church members will begin in April and run through early May and will provide a great opportunity to listen directly to church members’ dreams and aspirations for the church. A Trustee advised the team to avoid Spring Break when scheduling these items.

The Interim Minister reported that she and the transition team would begin working with the congregation soon on developing a Covenant of Right Relationship. Stefan Jonasson, Director for Large Congregations with the UUA, will be coming to the church to assist and will have dinner with the board on January 22, 2010 followed by working with the congregation on January 23, possibly on the topic of “What a church need to accomplish before ready to call a settled minister”.

The Treasurer noted that the current membership count for the church was 567. The Secretary noted that Paradox Players would still be making one final contribution before the end of the year of the proceeds from their final production of the season.

Motion: Luther Elmore – accept the Consent Agenda Item Reports with the noted change to the minutes of the last meeting.

Second: Michael West

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Discussion and Action Items

Committee on Ministries (CoM) Proposal: The Chairperson of the CoM, which had been on hiatus, brought forward a proposal to disband the CoM. This committee is not normally maintained during the interim ministry period, and churches practicing policy governance also do not use a CoM. Stefan Jonasson had made this same recommendation for our church in the past. The CoM can end up serving as a “triangulation point” between the minister and the board. As we move forward, we will need to re-envision how the role formerly played by the committee will be fulfilled.

The Trustees discussed the following:

• Church members are likely to ask whether this committee will be revived. Under policy governance it will likely not be.
• The history of the CoM has been that the role it played varied greatly from year to year, and some church members have been frustrated that when they bought concerns about the minister to the CoM, the CoM did not have full authority to address such concerns.
• A Trustee asked if perhaps this could wait until the church fully adopted policy governance since the committee was on hiatus anyway; however the Chair of the CoM believed it was cleaner to go ahead and act now.

Motion: Michael West – move that the Committee on Ministries at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin be disbanded and that all reference to the Committee and its roles and responsibilities be struck from the church’s Policies and Procedures

Second: Chris Jimmerson

Discussion: A Trustee asked where under policy governance concerns about the minister might be brought. Another Trustee noted that policy governance grants both greater authority and accountability to the minister and because of this, monitoring of the minister’s performance falls to the board. The bylaws mention the CoM; however, this is only in reference to how its members are appointed and may be changed later.

Vote: Affirmative – 7, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Margaret Borden)

Nominating Committee Policy and Procedure Update: The Trustees reviewed a change to this policy and procedure that had been recommended by the Nominating Committee (Appendix I, 54). This change outlined new duties regarding leadership development charged to the committee and made the Policy and Procedure match the bylaws as regards this committee. A Trustee recommended removing a reference to the Bridge builders Report and replacing that reference with “In addition”

Motion: Brendan Sterne – approve the update with the change to remove the reference to the Bridge Builders Report made

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: There was no further discussion

Vote: All affirmative

Congregational Meeting Review: The trustees discussed that the meeting had gone professionally and that people came to the meeting well prepared. The Pre-Congregational Meeting had helped with this. The congregation members who had attended seemed to have supported the idea of a Covenant of Right Relationship. The Trustees discussed the need to establish a Parliamentarian position.

Interim Minister Evaluation Process: The Interim Minister presented a description of the process and the theory behind it and presented the evaluation form (Appendix K, 57) that the UUA provides. She stressed that the form is intended to be a memory “jogger” for an honest exchange between the minister and board to be held in person. This session normally take about an hour but can go as long as two hours.

The Trustees and the Interim Minister established Sunday, January 17 at 1 p.m. at the church as the time and place for the evaluation. The Secretary volunteered to send out electronic versions of the form and description of the process prior to this date.

Audit Request: The Treasurer noted that the board needed to formally request that the internal audit committee audit payroll, as this is this is this most critical area of our accounting and the place where the most corrections have been noted in the past. The board would ask the committee for a proposal on the parameters of the audit and would work with staff to ensure such parameters do not create an unachievable burden for staff. The Chair of this committee must appoint its remaining members as soon as possible so that the audit can occur in a timely manner.

The President will contact the Chair of the committee and ask that the names of the other committee members and a proposal for a payroll audit be submitted by the next board meeting.

Motion: Chris Jimmerson – Charge the Internal Audit Committee with doing an audit of payroll

Second: Jeff Hutchens

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All Affirmative.

Board Covenant: The Trustees had reviewed a draft of the covenant (Appendix J, 56) that had been prepared by the Interim Minister and the President based upon the discussion of it at the last board meeting. The Trustees discussed several ways of streamlining and editing the document while noting that there is a need to balance conciseness with making expectations explicit. The Trustees also discussed potential ways to better define some of the issues contained in the covenant, as well as some ways of rearranging the order in which the issues are presented. The President made specific notes of the discussion and the agreements that were reached among the Trustees. She and the Interim Minister will bring a revised version to the next meeting for review and approval

With no further business, the President adjourned the meeting at 9:15 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Chris Jimmerson

Secretary

Appendices (Supporting Documents)

The following are summaries of the above meetings. The minutes will be posted as soon as they are approved (there was a delay in reviewing the December 2009 minutes)

January 2010 Board of Trustees Meeting Summary

After the heavy-lifting of the December budget process, January’s meeting was fairly light. Here is a light summary of the things we covered – please remember that these are not meant to be a substitute for the actual minutes of the meeting which are being compiled by our secretary!

• We recognized three new members, and four resignations.
• The December meeting minutes were accidently omitted from our report packets, so we agreed to wait until February to approve them.
• We approved a recommendation from the Social Action Committee that will add one extra plate collection each month to benefit local non-profits. Look for details soon!
• We reviewed the reports from our Executive Director, our DRE, the Music Director, the treasurer, and the Bridge Builders team.
• Nell Newton and Sean Hale discussed recent steps taken to improve church security.
• Nell Newton and Margaret Borden gave a brief report on meeting the UUA Board of Trustees at a special meeting in San Antonio.
• The board adopted our new covenant, based upon work done in November and December. It’s cool!
• Sean Hale gave us an overview of what our financial reports will look like using a new accounting software system. They will be MUCH easier to read!

We then adjourned the meeting, had a good snack, and fifteen minutes later convened an entirely new meeting dedicated to evaluating our interim ministry. The second meeting included members from the Transition Team and our Interim Minister Janet Newman. We followed a set of questions provided by the UUA Office of Transitions, which oversees the Interim Ministry Program. The 15 questions were thought-provoking and generated a good deal of discussion about the progress of our church during Janet’s ministry. In general, we agreed that we are well on track and that Janet has been a capable leader during this transition time.

We wrapped up our evaluation work and then discussed our second year of interim ministry. Janet recommended that we seek another minister to help us with the special work of the second year. While this news was a bit sad to hear, it does reflect the excellent progress we’ve made, and we will soon assemble a search committee to find our next interim.

December 2009 Board of Trustees Meeting Summary

• We accepted several encouraging reports including great progress on planning for activities to develop a Church Covenant of Right Relationship and to pursue some of the objectives established in the Bridge Builders Action Plan. Other discussion and action:
• We recognized five new members. No members had resigned in the prior month.
• We approved a recommendation from the Chair of the Committee on Ministries that the committee be disbanded. The UUA recommends this for larger churches and it is in keeping with our move toward policy governance.
• We approved a change to policy containing the description of the Nominating Committee that the Nominating Committee had recommended.
• We discussed the process for the upcoming evaluation of the Interim Ministry.
• We requested that the Internal Audit Committee begin an audit of payroll.
• We continued our work on establishing our covenant among Trustees.

The Executive Committee meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 5:45 at the church to set the agenda for that month’s board meeting. The Board of Trustees meets on the Third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the church, usually in the gallery. You can view a list of church governance meeting dates here:

http://www.austinuu.org/wp2013/category/board-docs/2009-2010-meeting-dates/

You can view the online calendar for the Board of Trustees here (may take awhile to load):

http://www.austinuu.org/wp2013/category/board-docs/board-calendar/

Board meetings are open to church members and there is time set aside on each agenda for members to make comments and/or bring items to the attention of the board that do not require extended discussion and/or board action. Such items do not require an additional agenda item.

Committee Chairs or others who have business should first check with the Executive Team (Executive Director or Minister) to see if it is a board-level policy issue or can be resolved more quickly at the staff level. If the issue is one of policy, requiring extended discussion and/or action by the board, please work with the Executive Team to bring the item to the Executive Committee for placement on the board agenda. Please keep in mind that such requests are needed by 5 p.m. on the day before the next regularly scheduled Executive Committee meeting.

In the event that an urgent item of business becomes needed after the Executive Committee has set the agenda for that month’s board meeting, contact the Executive Team as soon as possible. Please reserve this option only for items requiring action that cannot wait until the following month.

The Board of Trustees welcome your ideas and participation and invites you to attend our meetings!

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.

First UU Church of Austin, 4700 Grover, Austin, TX  78756 in the Gallery

In Attendance:

Trustees:  Nell Newton, President; Eric Stimmel, Vice-President; Luther Elmore, Treasurer; Chris Jimmerson, Secretary; Sheila Gladstone, Immediate Past President (Ex-Officio); Margaret Borden; Derek Howard; Jeff Hutchens; Aaron Osmer, Youth Trustee; Brendan Sterne; Michael West; Laura Wood.

Executive Team:  Janet Newman, Interim Minister (Ex-Officio); Sean Hale, Executive Director (Ex-Officio);

Staff:  Brent Baldwin, Director of Music, Lara Douglas, Director of Religious Education

Visitors Present: Bill Edwards, Chair of Stewardship Committee

Call to Order

The President called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m.

Adoption of Agenda

Motion: Luther Elmore – adopt the agenda (Appendix A, 1 [numbers refer to page number where appendices may be found in attached supporting document]).

Second: Brendan Sterne

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Reading and Lighting of the Chalice

The Interim Minister read the opening words and the President lit the chalice.

Visitor’s Forum

There were no visitors other than those scheduled to present for an agenda item later in the meeting.

Consent Agenda Items

Minutes from the Prior Meeting: The Trustees had reviewed the minutes from the October 2009 meeting prior to this meeting (Appendix B, 2).

New Members and Resignations: The Secretary reported that the following had become new members since the last meeting: Suzanne Chambers, Daniel Chambers, Carolyn Lindell, Emily Sorensen, Kim Sorensen, Peg Frederick Frey, Brandon Labash, Kirsten Clay, Veronica Miller, Stephanie Mayoral Armond, Jacob Hodges, Emily Hodges, Jerry Perkins, Alice Morrow Harris, Ruby Edmond, Bonnie Nieves, Jose Nieves and Daniel Lillie.

The Secretary reported that two members had resigned since the last meeting, Mark Skrabacz, who is now in Kerrville, and Jane Laessie, who had written a very nice note wherein she had said that she had come to the realization that she is a Quaker

The Secretary reported that the following members had not made a pledge in the last 18 months and had not responded to a letter the church had sent them requesting that they contact the church if they wished to remain members; thus, they were being considered as having resigned: Moriarty, Thomas; Edwards, Leslie; Reynolds, Claire E.; Quarles, Kim; Quarles, Rob; Bostick, Bruce; Soto, Jo; Bottler, Carolyn; McAfee, Sean; Sosa, Jennifer; Doggett, Lisa; Williams, Don; Garland, Mathew; Robinson, Colleen; Fajkus, Michelle; Couvillion, Marion; Couvillion, Shirley; Garza, Bianca; Kaulfus, Jack; Nada Brahmananda, Swami; Ford, Chris.

Reports: The Trustees had reviewed the consent agenda items prior to the meeting.  These included:

Executive Director: Sean Hale (Appendix C, 9)

Director of Religious Education: Lara Douglass (Appendix D, 12)

Director of Music Programs: Brent Baldwin (Appendix E, 15)

Treasurer: Luther Elmore (Appendix F, 16 – also see Finance Committee Reports Appendix K, 35)

Bridge Builders Action Plan Update: Margaret Borden (Appendix L, 50)

BB A-Team Report: Chris Jimmerson/Brendan Sterne (Appendix G, 29)

A Trustee requested information on what was included in the potential contract from the Bridge Builders Action Team report. The Team reported that there was not yet a contract; however, after screening several candidates, two had submitted excellent proposals in terms of proposed work scope and procedures. Of the two, one was much more cost-effective and seemed best suited to the needs of the church. A Trustee asked why actual pledge collections thus far this year were going so well compared to prior years. The Treasurer commented that the reason was unknown. Several trustees noted that this might be due in part to the efforts of the Executive Director to collect credit card pledges on cards that had expired and such. The Treasurer also commented that the special Spring Campaign had contributed. The Treasurer pointed out that there had been a positive trend in plate collections for September and October.

Motion: Michael West – accept the Consent Agenda Item Reports.

Second: Brendan Sterne

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Discussion and Action Items

Stewardship Update: The Chairperson of the Stewardship Committee gave an update, noting that total pledges through November 16, 2009 had been $436,194 (see full report attached as Appendix M, 51). He recommended a resolution (Appendix H, 30) to rescind the July 2010 resolution the board had made to present a balance budget for 2010, as there is a need to build the congregation and future pledges and the budget cuts necessary to achieve a balanced budget might well make building the congregation and future pledges extremely difficult.

2010 Budget Discussion: The Trustees began a discussion of proposed changes to the budget based on recommendations and further discussions that had occurred since the presentation of the draft balanced budget (Appendix N, 52) presented to the members of the congregation at the Pre-Congregational Meeting that had been held on November 8, 2009.

Resolution to Rescind Prior Resolution to Present a Balance Budget for 2010

They began with a discussion of the proposed resolution noted above to rescind the July 2010 balanced budget resolution. The Treasurer noted that the calculations for moving funds to the Memorial Savings Fund would be done at the end of the year and that there would be enough funds held in the Schwab Accounts by the operating fund that a withdrawal from the Memorial Savings Fund to finance any deficit would not be needed.

Motion: Michael West – Approve the proposed resolution amending the second bullet point to state that any shortfall would be financed from the Operating Fund Reserve rather than the Memorial Savings Fund.

Second: Derek Howard

Discussion: A trustee noted that the third bullet point would also have to be changed and that the discussions of the budget to be held later in the meeting might also alter the specifics of the proposed resolution; thus, all that was needed to proceed was a motion to rescind the July 2009 balanced budget resolution.

Michael West withdrew his motion.

Motion: Brendan Sterne – Rescind the July 2009 resolution requiring a balanced budget in 2010.

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: There was no further discussion

Vote: Affirmative – 8, Negative – 1, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Potential Changes to Budget Proposal — Income

The Trustees then began a discussion of several changes to the proposed 2010 budget (Appendix O, 57) that had been discussed at and since the Pre-Congregational Meeting, beginning with new revenue projections. Based upon current pledges, the Trustees felt comfortable increasing budgeted pledge revenue from $400,000 to $450,000. Also, based upon current year miscellaneous income, the Trustees also felt comfortable increasing budgeted miscellaneous income for 2010 by $500.

Motion: Chris Jimmerson – Increase budgeted pledge income for 2010 by $50,000 and budgeted miscellaneous income for 2010 by $500.

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Potential Changes to Budget Proposal – Expenses

Church Closure – The Trustees discussed the proposal to budget for closing the church during the summer of 2010 to achieve approximately $50,000 in expense savings. Given the discussion of this at the Pre-Congregational meeting and the need to rebuild the church, several Trustees felt that this was not realistic or advisable.

Motion: Chris Jimmerson – Do not include a proposal to close the church during the summer of 2010 in the budget the Board of Trustees (BoT) recommends to the congregation.

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative – 7, Negative – 2, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Reduce Overall Earnings Package in Next Minister’s Contract by $5,000 – This would in effect treat the next Minister the same as all other church staff, as church contributions to the UUA pension plan for staff had been cut from the 2010 proposed budget.

Motion: Luther Elmore – reduce the compensation package in the next Minister’s contract by $5,000.

Second: Michael West

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative – 8, Negative – 1, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Increase the Director of Music’s Salary – this increase would be to balance this salary against the loss in total salary and benefits this employee would receive if the church were to switch to the UUA recommended health benefit, which is to pay 80% of the costs for staff and 50% for their dependents (currently the church pays 100% for staff but 0% for their dependents). The Trustees noted that the decision as regards what benefit policy to enact was now under the authority of the Executive Team; however, the Executive Team did not object to this particular policy change recommendation. The Treasurer noted that he supports the idea of the policy change but thought it should be delayed one year to allow further examination.

Motion: Brendan Sterne – Increase the Director of Music’s salary to offset the increased costs he will incur due to having to pay 20% of the costs of his health insurance.

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative – 8, Negative – 1, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Restore $12,000 to the Religious Education (RE) Budget – This would restore $10,000 in previous personnel reductions and $2,000 in other expense reductions for RE, leaving $5,000 in proposed cuts that RE would draw from their restricted fund to cover.

Motion: Chris Jimmerson – Restore $12,000 in expenses that had been cut from the proposed RE budget.

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: Cutting RE would harm future church growth as RE is an area of the church that is currently experiencing large growth.

Vote: Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Restore $20,000 in budget expenses for building repairs and maintenance – in prior discussions, the BoT had thought this was a budgeted line item for emergency building repairs and thus might better be taken from long-range savings; however, this has been an ongoing yearly expense and thus would be more properly considered an ongoing operating expense.

Motion: Derek Howard – Restore $20,000 in building repairs and maintenance expenses to the proposed 2010 budget.

Second: Brendan Sterne

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Increase budgeted utilities for 2010 by $4,000 and increase budgeted gift/donation/contributions by $350 – these were recommendations from the Finance Committee to reflect a more accurate projection of likely utilities expenses and to add line items for gifts to a) partner church of $150, b) UU Service Committee of $100 and c) UU United Nations Office of $100.

Motion: Derek Howard — Increase budgeted utilities in the proposed 2010 budget by $4,000 and increase budgeted gift/donation/contributions by $350.

Second: Brendan Sterne

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative 8, Negative – 1, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Split the Plate – The current 2010 budget proposal eliminated split the plate for a cost savings of $15,000. Other options such as restoring one Split the Plate per month (an expense increase of $7,500 to the proposed budget) or restoring it back to twice per month (an expense increase of $15,000 to the proposed budget) had been discussed.

The Trustees discussed the proposal with some Trustees reasoning that 2010 was a difficult financial year requiring the church to concentrate its resources internally in order to rebuild. Other Trustees expressed concern that Split the Plate is an important part of our social action for many in our church and cutting it entirely might distract from rebuilding; thus, restoring at least one per month might be worth the additional deficit amount it would create.

Motion: Luther Elmore – suspend Split the Plate for 2010.

Second: Jeff Hutchens

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative – 5, Negative – 4, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

The motions as approved above would result in the proposed budget for 2010 containing an approximately $32,050 deficit.

Transfer of $2,400 from the Caring Fund to continue paying a custodial benevolence to Victor Gonzales – this would be a transfer on the balance sheet and would not affect revenue as regards the operating budget.

Motion: Chris Jimmerson — The First UU Board of Trustees approves the use of $2,400 ($200/mo) in payment of custodial benevolence to Victor Gonzalez during the year 2010.

Second: Michael West

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative – 8, Negative – 1, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

The Trustees then discussed the need to vote on a motion to present to the congregation a 2010 budget as amended by the above votes.

Motion: Chris Jimmerson – Present to the congregation a 2010 recommended budget as amended by the prior approved motions with an approximately $32,050 deficit.

Second: Luther Elmore

Discussion: One Trustee noted that they would vote against the motion based upon concerns over the effect of eliminating Split the Plate on congregational members. Another noted that they would vote against it because they believe that the congregation must have a greater debate over the consequences of running deficit budgets when pledges are not enough to cover expenses.

Vote: Affirmative – 7, Negative – 2, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Congregational Meeting Planning: The Secretary noted that final versions of the following documents would be needed for the December Congregational Meeting:

• The budget proposal as amended by the prior motions.
• A document “redlining” the proposed minor changes to the Financial Assets Management Policy (FAMP).
• A document showing the proposed policy level changes to the FAMP
• A document showing the proposed changes to the bylaws to match the above changes to the FAMP.
• A document showing the Membership Committee’s proposed changes to the bylaws.

The Executive Committee will prepare before the meeting to ensure that mechanisms exist to fairly ensure that the Rules of Procedures as adopted at the beginning of the meeting are followed.

Contract Signing Authority: The Finance Committee and Executive Director had agreed to leave this policy as is until they consider a larger revision to financial policies and procedures early next year.

Director of Religious Education (DRE) and Director of Music (DoM) Reporting: The Interim Minister had proposed the policy as contained in Appendix I, 31. The Trustees discussed whether the last sentence (noting that these positions would report to the Settled Minister once he or she has been hired) was needed or could be addressed at the time a Settled Minister is hired. Since this had always been the intent for the organizational structure of the church, the Trustees believed the sentence could be left as presented. Another Trustee recommended that the clause containing a projected time period for the ministerial transition period be removed from the first sentence of the proposed policy, as this time period could vary.

Motion: Brendan Sterne – Adopt the proposed policy as amended by the suggestion to remove the clause on a projected time period for the ministerial transition period. (The policy would now read: “During the Church’s ministerial transition period, the Director of Music (DoM) and Director of Religious Education (DRE) shall report directly to the Board.  Although they are expected to collaborate and work collaboratively with the Interim Minister(s), the Interim Minister(s) will work with them as a colleague, not as a supervisor.  Once the Church hires a new Settled Minister, this paragraph shall become null and void and the Director of Music and Director of Religious Education shall report directly to the Settled Minister.”)

Second: Luther Elmore

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All Affirmative.

Board Covenant: The Interim Minister facilitated a discussion on developing a covenant of right relationship among board members. She noted that the reasons to have covenants included:

1.)   They make the rules for interacting explicit,

2.)   They serve as guidelines to help new people coming in to know what is expected of them and what they can expect from others and

3.)   They provide guideposts for reviewing right relationships from time to time.

She provided some examples of covenants (Appendix J, 32).

The Interim Minister facilitated brainstorming among the trustees on when they had felt meetings they have attended went well and why, stressing what behaviors had resulted in the success. She listed the results on an easel pad. The Interim Minister and President agreed to work together to consolidate this list and bring back suggestions that could serve as the basis for developing a board covenant.

With no further business, the President adjourned the meeting at 9:25 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Chris Jimmerson

Secretary

Appendices (Supporting Documents)