Trustees in attendance: Sue Allen; John Appledorn; Abe Bruckman; Paul Ciupa;
Steve Henstridge; Greg Huth; Christine Kowalski; David Lawhun; Alice Ratka; Dane Reich;
Lynea Derwis; Matt Reitz

Excused absence: Jim O’Connor;

Staff: Robyn Sandys;

Matt Reitz called the meeting to order at approximately 6:05 pm, followed by introductions.

Minutes: The minutes of the July 17, 2008 Board Meeting and August12, 2008 Executive Committee Meeting were approved.

Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer’s report was read and accepted.

Executive Director Report: The Executive Director presented her report which is found in the narrative that accompanied the meeting agenda.

Councilman Cummins provided $4,000 for a contractor to cut grass on vacant / abandoned property in Ward 15. The purpose is to keep grass cut between the times the City does it. The Board approved a Mr. Boros, who provided the lowest and best terms, pending confirmation that he has Worker’s Compensation coverage and the insertion of a “hold harmless” clause in the contract.

The Board discussed the award of the Old Brooklyn News delivery contract to John Magic. It was noted that he will not handle the delivery of the Old Brooklyn Business Directory because his performance in that regard was unsatisfactory. During the discussion it was noted that the selection process involves price quotes rather than “public bids.” The Board voted to award the contract. Greg Huth voted against the award, citing Mr. Magic’s poor performance with the business directory.

The Housing Fair went well. Some changes were recommended for the future.

The Board left the final decision regarding the color of the OBCDC logo to the Executive Director.

Lawsuits: OBCDC counsel is going for a motion for summary judgment and dismissal in the Panas case. The status of the Zeleny case is per the narrative. OBCDC out of pocket will not exceed the $5,000 insurance policy deductible.

The Annual Meeting will be at the Gavin Lee Party Center. The $200 covers the cost of set up and clean up. The $200 does not require additional approval because it is already in the budget.

Councilman Kelley will reimburse the Movie Night expense (estimated $600) because he is allowed to co-sponsor such an event. The Board approved a motion to expend the $600 pending reimbursement. Dave Lawhun questioned the need for a motion since there was $1500 in the budget for miscellaneous expense. He abstained from the vote.

The town hall meeting for members to discuss the Code of Regulations will be held on September 29th. The Gavin Lee Party Center is not available on that date. Robyn will check to see if the Zoo has some available space.

Committee Reports:

Board Development: At the beginning of the meeting, Lynea Derwis introduced the new candidates (currently eight) for the Board. During her report, she presented a breakdown of available Board seats by membership category and available candidates (including Board members seeking re-election) in each category.

Everyone who submits an application for a Board position will appear on the ballot. To avoid confusion as to who is running for election in each membership category there will be separate ballots showing the candidates running in each membership category. Those receiving the most votes in each membership category will fill the available seats.

Code of Regulations: Greg Huth reported that both a document comparing the current Code with the proposed changes and a document showing the only the full text of the proposed Code are posted on the OBCDC website. Both documents will be included in the materials mailed to the members in advance of the Annual Meeting.

He explained that the Committee did a comprehensive review, reorganizing the Code, making it gender neutral, and making substantive changes. The changes include the creation of the membership category of “voting member”; a provision that representatives of community organizations can become ex-officio non-voting members of the Board; a revamped Personnel Committee; and major changes to the nomination and election process for Board members. To avoid possible confusion at the October 21st Annual Meeting as to which Code governs the Meeting, the effective date for the new code will be October 22, 2008.

Greg Huth asked for comments from the Board on the proposed changes. The re was concern that the “voting member” provision would reduce revenue from dues and not require measurable commitment. The possibility of giving the Board the option of sunsetting the provision after a year was discussed. There was concern that the requirement that fulltime positions be publicized for 30 days was too long and could result in the loss of good candidates. There was concern over the Personnel Committee involvement in an employment termination. An attorney will review this provision.

Councilman Report:

Councilman Cummins was present and reported the following: Security patrols in both wards have begun. A local Market Fresh store on Denison was featured on a National Public Radio program. Councilman Cummins is supporting an effort by Mr. John Young to change the zoning on a century home on Valley Road to allow the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to lease it. Leasing the property would bring in five jobs. The councilman wished to thank Barb Spahn for organizing a meeting at Harmody Park concerning maintenance and safety on the walking trail.

Councilman Kelley was not present.

Other Business:

Dave Lawhun was named to the Personnel Committee to work on the annual appraisal for the Executive Director.

Dave Lawhun passed out budget information related to a series of questions he had emailed to the Executive Director prior to the meeting. The Executive Director will respond.

Adjournment:

Matt Reitz moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:05 pm. Motion approved.