Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia

Board of Trustees

Minutes of May 16, 2012 Meeting

Attendance 

Trustees present were:  Barry Ahrendt (President), Ann Johnson (President-Elect), Linda Brennison (Treasurer), Michael Sullivan (Secretary); Members at Large: Ivy Coleman, Elizabeth Harris (via Skype), Buzzie Kelly, Walter Patterson, and Bauer Westeren; and Ex-Officio Members Neal Jones (Minister) and Don Mohr (Past Co-President).  Also present was Robin Scherer, Personnel Committee Chair, Lisa Eason, Director of Religious Education (partial attendance), and Mike Paget, Leadership Development Committee Chair (partial attendance).

Call to Order and Establishment of Quorum

The meeting was called to order by Barry at 6:41 PM.  He noted a quorum was present.

Reading

Barry read a selection by Molly Ivins[1].

Approval of Minutes

On a motion by Barry, seconded by Don, the minutes of the April 18, 2012 and May 9, 2012 meetings were unanimously approved.

Consent Agenda

The Minister’s Report, Administrator’s Report, and Treasurer’s report were received on the consent agenda.  The DRE Report was removed for further discussion.

Construction Update

Don reported that Chris Corbett, a contractor, will be installing the permeable pavers in the courtyard in the near future.  He will also repair the soffit in that area.  The cost is anticipated to be less than $3,000 for labor and materials, approximately half of the previous estimate.  Rev. Neal Jones will conduct a dedication of our renovations on Sunday, June 17, 2012.

Discussion of DRE Report

Michael Sullivan asked for further information about two fiscal items that were mentioned in the DRE report.  Lisa clarified that the RE program would pick up the costs for their new laptop and for their parenting workshop honorarium of $1200 to Dale McGowan in the fall.  They will charge $25 person for the workshop.  Lisa also reported that in-house efforts by our custodian to repair a roof leak in the RE wing have not worked.  Walter will direct the Building and Grounds Committee to obtain estimates for repair of the roof leak.

Annual Meeting Agenda and Leadership Development Committee Recommendations

Michael Sullivan has circulated a preliminary Notice of the Annual Meeting in the Unigram and via the bulletin board posting[2].   The final Notice will be circulated after the Board’s approval of the agenda.  In this regard, Mike Paget presented the Leadership Development Committee’s election slate of Officers, Trustees, and Leadership Development Committee members, to be elected at the Annual Meeting:

Co-Presidents-Elect:  Ivy Coleman and Robin Scherer

Secretary:  Bauer Westeren

Trustees:  Caroline Eastman, Bob Whitaker, and Michael Walker (completing Bauer’s unexpired term)

Leadership Development Committee:  Joe Long, Karl McCollester, Don Mohr

Nominations will also be taken from the floor with the consent of the nominee.  Mike Paget noted that we have a deep roster of members with leadership skills.  There was brief discussion of the Past President position potentially becoming vacant due to Barry’s relocation, but Barry indicated his availability to serve for the foreseeable future.  A final Notice of Annual Meeting will be circulated 15 days in advance.

2012-2013 UUCC Budget

Ivy and Robin led the Board through a line by line review of the proposed 2012-2013 budget.  After lengthy discussion, a number of changes were agreed to in order to arrive at a balanced budget. (See Attachment.)  The proposed budget of $238,950 represents a 4% increase over the 2011-2012 budget.  It includes increases to all staff salaries due to raises, adjustments per UUA compensation guidelines, or increase in hours (DRE from 25 to 28 hours per week).  Other highlights of the budget include increased plate collections due to the success of the new Share the Plate policy; more realistic fundraising projections; increased expenses for building maintenance due to aging components; and increased debt service payments for recently completed renovations.  A motion was made by Barry, seconded by Ann, to approve forwarding the proposed 2012-2013 budget to the congregation for approval at the Annual Meeting.  The vote in favor was unanimous.  There will be a Congregational Update for discussion of this budget after the service on May 27, 2012.

Other Business

Other items were deferred until the next meeting due to the lateness of the hour.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 9:30 PM.

Respectfully submitted by Michael Sullivan, Secretary

[1] “So keep fighting for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don’t forget to have fun doin’ it. Be outrageous… rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through celebrating the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was!”  – Molly Ivins

[2]

Preliminary Notice of Annual Meeting for 2012

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia will have its annual meeting on Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 12:30 PM.  All attending are requested to sign in so that we can confirm a quorum and have a complete record of attendance.

List of Items to Be Voted On:

1. Approval of meeting minutes of May 22, 2011, October 2, 2011, and March 11, 2012
2. Election of Officers, Trustees, and Leadership Development Committee members
3. Adoption of 2012-2013 budget
4. Consideration of proposed Bylaws Amendments

Item #1 is currently available on our website http://www.uucolumbia.org/.  You can find the minutes by clicking on the Board of Trustees tab in the left column of the home page, then looking under Congregational Minutes.  Details on Items #2 and #3 will be provided 15 days in advance.   

Summary of Proposed Bylaws Amendments under Consideration

1. Alphabetize the list of Standing Committees (Section 8.1).
2. Simplify the posting requirement for Congregational Meetings (Section 6.7), by deleting the sentence with strikethroughs:

6.7              Members’ List for Voting

Prior to any Annual or Special Meeting, the Board Secretary shall prepare an alphabetical list of the names of all Members who are entitled to notice of the meeting and to vote at the meeting. The Board Secretary shall post the list prominently at the Congregation’s principal meeting place no later than fourteen (14) days before the meeting.

Please note this does not change the Notice of Meetings requirement of 15 days or any of the voting provisions in the Bylaws (Section 6).

Respectfully submitted by Michael Sullivan, Board Secretary, 5/10/12