News
at a Glance
by Nancy
Ellegate
The HWFC
Board of Directors met on Tuesday, December 19.
Bylaws
The proposal to have a dedicated
group ready to work on bylaws revisions when needed has been refined
and was
discussed. It was suggested that a proposal for a bylaws change require
three
supporters from this panel; proposals without three supporters would
not go to
the membership. Board members discussed the size of the panel and its
workings,
and a number of suggestions were made. The committee on Board/
Governance
committee issues has been working on this and will meet to come up with
a
formal proposal to be presented to the membership.
The Board
was urged to think about potentially needed bylaws changes to be
considered by
the panel once it is established.
Governance
The committee asked
the Board to clarify the policy regarding individual Board members
discussing
issues with Co-op members outside of formal meetings. The Board
affirmed that
there is no policy prohibiting this; it is a matter left to the
judgment of individual
Board members.
The
Governance committee also requested that the Board develop a permanent
procedure
for the conduct of membership meetings. Board members noted the
advantages of
flexibility for different facilitators and circumstances, but also the
benefits
of some consistent guidelines. It was generally agreed that Robert’s
Rules of
Order do not fit the Co-op context — they are designed for adversarial
situations. One of the Board members will come up with some suggested
guidelines for membership meetings.
Grievance
Procedure
The
Personnel committee asked the Board to approve the grievance procedure
for
employees before the revision of the Personnel Manual is completed and
approved. The committee feels the previous policy is inadequate and it
is
important to have a better policy in place. The Board agreed and the
policy
will be circulated among the staff.
Store
News
The
operations
and administrative coordinator went over the lease renegotiation that
accommodates
the additional space the Coop is renting.
Unused
Coupons
The
Finance
committee has been considering what to do with the balance from past
end-of-the-year
coupons that members did not redeem (over $3,000). It was suggested
that the
Co-op donate an equivalent amount to the Community Foundation.
Donation
Allocations
The
Co-op’s past allocation of donations was outlined. About a third of all
donations are small gifts made throughout the year, mostly in-kind
(that is,
donations of Co-op products). These are made to small groups, usually
at the
request of Co-op members. Of the remaining two-thirds of the donation
budget,
20% goes to the Community Loan Fund, which makes loans to small
entrepreneurs and
non-profits; 80% goes to the Coop’s fund at the Community Foundation of
the
Capital District, which makes donations mainly to local non-profits.
The
Finance committee recommended that this pattern of allocation be used
for 2007
giving, and the Board agreed.
New
Position
At
the
request of the Collective Management Team, the Board agreed to create a
part-time
merchandising coordinator. This person will work on the appearance of
the store
and ways to make shopping easier.
Member
Information
The
Collective Management Team requested input from the Board on what
should be
included in the member information area at the front of the store.
Suggestions included
membership information, the Coop Scoop, recipes, brochures on
products and
the Co-op meeting calendar.
Board
Issues
The
revised
Standing Rules for the Board were approved.
The Board
planned a mini-retreat for late in December to discuss committee work
plans for
the coming year and other issues.
Budget
The budget summary for 2006 and the
projected budget for 2007 were presented. The summary, along with
updated
figures, were to be presented at the January budget meeting. The Board
asked
questions and discussed a number of individual items.
Capital
Expenditures
The
operations and administrative coordinator discussed planned capital
expenditures for the store in the coming year. The Board agreed with
these, and
encouraged the staff to go ahead and purchase previously authorized
items.
Executive
Session
The Board
met in executive session at the end of the meeting.
Minutes
Minutes of all meetings are
available at the Co-op; minutes of the most recent meeting are posted
on the
bulletin board. They are also available on the Co-op’s website, as
password
protected files. See instructions on the website (www.hwfc.com)
on
obtaining a password (see the Meetings section and go to Board
Meetings).
Upcoming
Meetings
Board meetings are
scheduled for the following Tuesdays: February 27, March 22 and April
17.
Meetings begin at 5:30 pm in the Co-op’s Community Room. Date, time and
location can change, however, so it is recommended that anyone planning
to
attend confirm these.
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