Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia

Board of Trustees

Minutes of March 9, 2011 Meeting

Attendance 

Members present were:  Don Mohr (Co-President), Pat Mohr (Co-President), Barry Ahrendt (President-Elect), Linda Brennison (Treasurer), Michael Sullivan (Secretary); Members at Large: Ivy Coleman, Marcia Fletcher, Elizabeth Harris, Andrea Pixley, and Walter Patterson; and Ex-Officio Members Connie Hudson (Finance Committee Chair), Neal Jones (Minister), and Joe Long (Past President).  Also present were Ann Cargill (Bookkeeper), Jerry Cover (Building and Grounds Committee Chair), and Ann Johnson (Personnel Committee Chair).

Call to Order and Establishment of Quorum

The meeting was called to order by Don at 6:33 PM.  He noted a quorum was present.

Reading and Check-In

Joe recited a brief biblical verse.  All present gave brief personal updates by way of checking in.

Approval of Minutes

On a motion by Linda, seconded by Barry, the minutes of the meetings of February, 9, 2011 and February 23, 2011 were unanimously approved. 

Consent Agenda

The Minister’s Report, DRE Report, and Administrator’s Report were accepted on the consent agenda.

Treasurer’s Report

Three issues were presented and discussed as part of Linda’s report.

1. RE account changes. Ann Cargill explained changes that have been made to the Religious Education (RE) accounts in consultation with Lisa Eason, Director of RE, and the Treasurer. These simplify the transfers of funds into and out of restricted RE accounts and assure more consistency in reporting.  Among the specific changes are new line items under Temporary Restricted Accounts to show RE Committee Carryover (850000) and RE Registration Fees (850004), and a simplification of RE revenue and expense account lines in the Board Report.
2. Budget performance. Linda reviewed the February 28, 2011 financial reports. Overall revenue and expenses are on target.  In response to questions raised by Michael, she explained the reasons for negative variances for three line items.  The budget projection for Miscellaneous Contributions (502600) was overstated as it was apparently based on contributions received last year for our new chairs.  Bookkeeper Wages (621101) reflects a non-recurring special circumstance of extra hours for our Bookkeeper to correct the year end pledge reports as well as to assist the new Finance Committee Chair and members.   Finally, Jerry Cover reviewed the unanticipated plumbing and electrical repairs that account for the negative variance for Building and Grounds (6220003).  These have reflected the aging structure of our building, such as the need to replace flush valves in the bathrooms and electrical outlets in the kitchen.  Michael asked that next year’s budget be guided by this year’s history.  Joe has been coordinating the Finance Committee’s process of developing the next budget.
3. Recommendation for financial consultation. The Treasurer distributed a report of the Audit Committee which consisted of herself, Barry, Connie, and Michael.  The report summarized the reasons for obtaining financial consultation from outside the Congregation and researched various options including an audit ($6,000 to $8,000) or a review ($3,000 to $4,000).   The committee also explored a less expensive alternative which they felt to be more in line with our developmental needs, namely, an independent expert assessment of our internal controls and finance procedures.  In this regard, they interviewed Jackie Breland, a CPA who specializes in this type of assessment for non-profits.  A motion was made by Marcia, seconded by Ivy, to approve the recommendation of retaining a CPA to conduct a customized financial assessment of our internal controls and accounting procedures, at a cost of up to $2,500.  The vote in favor was unanimous.  A follow-up motion was made by Michael, seconded by Andrea, to retain Jackie Breland, CPA, to conduct the financial assessment as described in her proposal letter and to be paid for in the next fiscal year.  The vote in favor was unanimous.  (See Attachment 1 for Breland proposal.)

Personnel Issues

Ann Johnson presented the Personnel Committee’s recommendation regarding Nursery supervision.  An increase in hours for Ivey Kaiser and a change in her title have been requested by Lisa Eason, DRE, to improve coordination and supervision of childcare providers in the Nursery.   On the recommendation of the Personnel Committee, a motion was made by Walter, seconded by Ivy, to add one hour per week to the duties of Ivey Kaiser at a cost of $10 per hour, and to make her Nursery Supervisor, effective 4/1/11.  The vote in favor was unanimous.

Proposed amendments to the Bylaws

Barry presented the proposed revisions to the Bylaws that had been preliminarily discussed at the last Board meeting (see Minutes of February 23, 2011).  These include proposals for:

• updating references to UUCC instead of UUFC
• clarifying the financial contribution and waiver requirements without reference to an annual basic cost of membership
• reducing the waiting period for new member voting eligibility from 30 days to 15 days
• retaining an effective date of bylaw revisions in the document.

In addition, a revised proposal for an honorific category of membership called Distinguished Life Member was presented; no consensus could yet be reached on this and it was accordingly tabled.  A motion was made by Barry, seconded by Walter, to approve the proposed Bylaw amendments for the Congregation’s consideration and approval.  The vote in favor was unanimous.  (See Attachment 2 for Proposed Bylaw Amendments.)  The proposed amendments will be posted on the website and formal Notice will be sent to Members at least 15 days in advance of the Annual Meeting when they will be voted on.

Updates

Don presented brief updates on the Canvass in which 29 persons have volunteered to meet with all the Members, and on the progress being made in soliciting bids for our building renovations.  The Board will host another Congregational Conversation after the service on March 13, 2011.

Executive Session

The Board convened an Executive Session at 8:19 PM for the purpose of discussing the Minister’s evaluation that had been prepared by the Executive Committee.  The participants were Board members except for the Minister.  There was unanimous agreement that Rev. Neal Jones exceeds expectations on all the performance dimensions assessed (Administration; Ministry to the Congregation; Ministry to the Community; Denominational Involvement).  A motion was made by Michael, seconded by Elizabeth, to approve the Minister’s Annual Evaluation and the recommendation for a 5% increase in salary.  The vote in favor was unanimous.  The assessment and recommendation were shared with Neal following the Executive Session.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:38 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael Sullivan, Secretary