FICRA BOARD MEETING MINUTES
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Board Attendees: Jim Braden, Hal Goodell, Mimi Miller, Lesley Murphy, Deb Pishek and Howard Stapleton were in attendance.
The meeting was called to order at 7:08 pm by Howard Stapleton. Denise Parrish was absent and excused. Tony Moore led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Jim Braden introduced several guests present for the FICRA Trust Board Meeting so they could leave when they needed to. See the Trust minutes for details.
Minutes from the November 9, 2017 FICRA Board Meeting were approved with no changes.
Public Comment: There was no public comment.
President’s Report: Howard expressed his appreciation for the volunteers that made the Christmas Tree Lighting and Concert successful this year.
Treasurer’s Report: Mimi Miller reported the following figures for the month of November, 2017:
- FICRA Checking Beginning balance $44,813.78 Ending balance $21,938.78*
- FICRA Money Market Beginning balance 18,651.60 Ending balance 18,653.90
- FICRA PayPal Beginning balance 1,160.02 Ending balance 1,183.99
- Membership 305 for 2017-2018, 165 from prior year have not renewed
* $23,150 was transferred from FICRA to the Trust in November for the Sports Field.
Committee Reports:
- Finance – Did not meet in November.
- Publicity – No report.
- Social Activities – We are exploring some new event ideas, including a Country Western band and a magician. There are funds available for events and new ideas are encouraged.
- Membership – Hal Goodell is still working on a reminder letter for those who have not yet renewed their memberships.
Unfinished Business: None.
New Business:
- FICRA Preliminary 2018 Budget Discussion – Howard distributed a preliminary 2018 FICRA Budget for Board discussion. The proposed budget parallels the spending philosophy embodied in the approved 2017 budget. During the discussion, the Board recommended some changes via straw polls for a revised Budget:
- Revenue and Expenses pertaining to clothing sales should be transferred to the FICRA Trust Board Budget to assist FICRA in complying with IRS 501(c)(7) regulations requiring that 65% of revenues be derived from membership fees.
- FICRA will not be sponsoring a Student Speaker Competition or Scholarship in 2018.
- Advisory Positions – The Board discussed using more ad‑hoc advisory positions instead of formal positions and committees. Individuals previously involved with committees, possessing specific skills and/or knowledge, or representing areas of interest within the community could resource FICRA activities. The website and social media could be used to locate potential volunteers.
- Jim noted that the process for creating the 2018 Directory needs to get started. Jim is not willing to manage the process again, so we need to find a lead for this effort. Jim is currently maintaining and updating the master list.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:09 pm. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 9, 2017.
Respectfully submitted by Jim Braden/Howard Stapleton, for Denise Parrish, Secretary