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News at a Glanceby Nancy Ellegate The HWFC Board of Directors met on Tuesday, November 12 and Wednesday, November 20. November 12th Meeting Future Management Structure Senior management and several Board members have been discussing possible future management structures. Several types have been identified. A particular lateral system is being considered seriously. Coop Manager Search There was an update on the manager search. It was proposed and passed that the Search committee invite interview questions from the senior staff and Board. These questions will be reviewed and culled by the committee, and then presented to the senior staff and Board for consideration. Standing Rules Much of this meeting was devoted to discussing and voting on proposed standing rules. The following items were passed: - Special Board Meetings. If three directors agree that a special Board meeting should be held, the president or the president's designee will arrange a date and location for the meeting and provide at least one week's notice to the Board, and will also post a notice of the meeting in the store. - Conduct of the Meeting. The attributes of using Robert's Rules of Order, as opposed to consensus, were discussed. It was decided that consensus will be used. If a time limit on an item expires and consensus has not been achieved, the Board may extend discussion, postpone discussion until the next meeting, call a special meeting to deal with the issue, or send the issue to the appropriate committee for further work. When there is a time limit and a decision is needed by the end of the meeting, the person responsible for the agenda item may request that the item be handled using Robert's Rules of Order. Board meetings are open to all Coop members. Any member may participate in discussions as time permits, but only directors can vote. The meeting facilitator has the discretion to limit discussion to the Board members when time constraints require. - Minutes for Executive Sessions. Two separated sets of minutes shall be recorded for an executive session. One set will be non-confidential and will be included with the minutes for the rest of the meeting; a second set shall remain confidential and be included with confidential Board documents. The non-confidential minutes will indicate the reasons for the session and a public statement of any resolutions approved by the Board. - Adoption, Amendment, Suspension of Standing Rules. The standing rules may be amended or revised by a two-thirds vote of a quorum of the Board. Proposed amendments or revisions must be proposed in writing, posted in the Coop, and voted on at the next Board meeting. November 20th Meeting Board Positions The Board elected new officers, as follows: President - Lynne Lekakis; Vice President - Virginia McEwen; Treasurer - Howard Brent; Secretary - Craig Willis. The Board appointed the following Board liaisons to Coop committees: Communications - Craig Willis; Finance - Howard Brent; Membership - Virginia McEwen; Nutrition and Education - George Broeckx; Personnel - Linda Lawrence and Lynne Lekakis; Special Events/Community Relations - Kinga Zalavary. Committee Budget Highlights It was decided that the Membership committee's budget will be increased to $2,500, since the committee cannot currently meet the costs of membership dinners. At future dinners, the requested donation will be raised to $5 as well. There is currently no Bylaws committee, so the $1,000 budgeted for this committee is now reduced to zero. The Personnel committee budget is increased from $100 to $500, since the committee occasionally has meetings outside the Coop. Reset There has been some informal discussion of a "reset" (reorganization of space at the Coop). There was concern that this had begun without input from the Board. The interim general manager reported that staff discussions of a potential reset were at a very preliminary stage. She noted that they had begun as a result of needing to plan strategically to accommodate a number of short-term improvements being considered, such as expanding the meeting space, moving coolers, and adding dropped ceilings. Northeast Cooperatives The Board voted to approve the proposed merger of Northeast Cooperatives with United Natural Foods. Coop Manager There was an update on the Coop manager search process. Executive Session The Board met in executive session at the end of the meeting. Minutes Minutes of all meetings are available at the Coop. Minutes of the most recent meeting are posted on the bulletin board. Upcoming Meetings Board meetings are scheduled for Wednesdays, January 22 and February 26. Meetings are held in Channing Hall at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, 405 Washington Avenue (at Robin St.) at 6:30 pm. It is recommended that anyone planning to attend a meeting confirm date, time, and location. |
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