12/6/16 Board Meeting
Presiding Officer - Jeff Monks
Minutes recorded - Polly Porter
Members Present - Jim Willmann, Lori Dobbin, Carol Limaye, Randy Thompson and Bill Cason
- Meeting minutes for 11/10/2016 meeting approved
Open Items / Future agenda items:
Old Business:
- Randy - Update on plant sale
- Jeff - TSBVI storage rule - Status of cleanup
- All - List of potential projects for 2017 and estimated costs. Costs to be provided by person in charge of proposed project.
- All - Front gate sign for emergency contact
New Business:
- Jim - Draft policy change for secondary gardener rule changes.
- Jim - Provide content to Polly & Sharon for web site and Weeder on inactive garden pilot rules.
- Jeff - Provide estimated costs for garden weather station.
- Jim - Provide content for the Weeder on entering hours and if we will extend to the first week in January.
- Carol - Draft a new financial policy for donation to School for the blind from Spring Plant Sale.
- All - Future board discussion to determine if we want to increase our reserves.
- All - Future board discussion on if/how we want to increase revenue.
- Carol - After further discussion on financial goals prepare a budget with different scenarios based on raising the yearly plot rental.
Plot Report
- 62 people are on the waiting list
- 0 plots available.
Secondary gardener inheriting plots from primary gardeners - Discussion
- The rules should be the same for the primary and secondary gardeners with the exception of billing.
- Secondary gardeners should not be allowed to become a primary gardener on multiple plots due to primary gardeners leaving. Exceptions may require board approval.
- There are several plots that would not be able to follow a rule change that may need to be grandfathered in. We need to identify the number of plots this applies to.
Action Item:
- Jim - Write up policy changes based on discussion.
Inactive garden plot - PILOT
- All zone coordinators agreed to wording of policy
- All board members approved
- Pilot begins today
Action Item:
- Jim - Provide content to Polly and Sharon for web site and Weeder.
Workday Refreshments funds - request from Charlotte
- All board members agreed to limit to $25 per workday.
Action item:
- Jim - inform Charlotte.
Plot size changes
- Jeff proposed combining 2 quarter plots (south, west corner) to make 1 half plot. All board members approved.
Financial Report
- Suggested change - Remove fall plant sale as income. Instead show net Income and offset with estimated donation.
- We will set aside a reserve of $3,000 for 2016 special projects that will not be done until 2017. This will be reflected on the next report.
Budget Discussion
- Water budget should be for a dry year.
- We should expect an increase in trash collection and utilities.
- We need to purchase a new broad fork and other tools.
- Should we change the way we calculate what we give to the School for the blind? Possibly a percentage of the profit instead of a percentage of gross sales. Should we have a minimum or maximum?
- Reserves / Revenue
- Current reserves have about 2 years' worth of gross revenue.
- Should we work towards a goal of having a larger reserve so we are prepared for a catastrophe? What if we lose our land and need to move to a new location. What if the spring plant sale profits are low.
- If we decide to increase our reserves we would need a plan to increase reserves over the next ~4 years with a certain percentage increase per year.
- If we decide to raise the level of reserves with a rate increase, we need to define exactly why the increase in reserves is needed and what it would be used for.
- Ways to increase revenue
- Increase in plot fees. They have not changed for about 10 years. We could not make this change until it is ratified by members. If ratified it would change in 2018 with new members charged the new rate immediately.
- Raise cost of work hours
- Look at costs of plants for plant sale
- Penalty for late yearly plot payments.
Action Items
- Carol - Draft a new financial policy for donation to School for the blind from Spring Plant Sale.
- All - Future board discussion to determine if we want to increase our reserves.
- All - Future board discussion on if/how we want to increase revenue.
- Carol - After further discussion on financial goals prepare a budget with different scenarios based on increasing the reserves to $200,000 over 4 years. May include raising the yearly plot rental.
Recording of hours / late payments
- We need to make sure people know there is a deadline for recording hours. Will we extend the deadline to first week in January? If we do have the extra week we don't want to include in the Weeder until 12/29.
- Discussion of implementing penalty for late payments. Would not be able to ratify site rule amendment before next billing period, but site rule change can be a considered for 2018.
Action Item:
- Jim - Provide content to Polly for Weeder.
Porch Project
- Project needs to be expanded to deal with the middle where people are stepping off. Either block it off with rail or add a step.
- Project needs to be expanded to include a railing on the south steps.
- This project will be funded by the special projects reserve from 2016.
Picnic tables
- All agreed to tell Robert to paint the picnic tables Red Cedar wood color.
Weather station
- There is interest in installing a weather station at the garden. Initial cost is about $200. It would require an internet connection about $30-$40 per month. With this weather at the garden would be available to all from a web site.
Action Item:
- Jeff - provide cost estimates at the next meeting.
