The
HWFC
Board of Directors met on Wednesday, January 2 and Tuesday, February 5.
January Meeting
Budget
There were several
suggestions for changes to
the proposed budget, which was to be discussed with the membership at a
meeting
later in January.The Collective
Management Team requested an increase in the advertising budget to
0.61% of
sales and the Board agreed.It was also
noted that a larger amount would need to be budgeted for health
insurance,
since more staff members have signed up for this benefit than
previously.
Donations Policy
It was agreed that the
donations policy will be
discussed with the membership at the January membership meeting and
voted on at
the February meeting.
Cooperative Law
Some Co-op
representatives will meet with an
expert on cooperative law for training.
Fundraising for the New
Store
The two programs planned
to raise money for the
new store were reviewed.A Board member
will take charge of announcing the two programs and getting fundraising
started.
Creating Change Document
The newest draft of the
procedure for
instituting change to Co-op policies was reviewed.It was questioned whether, in a
referendum initiated by Board,
there needed to be a “con statement” highlighting reasons not to vote
for the
change being requested.It was decided
that in such a case the Board does not need to include a con statement,
but
should include a statement of how the Board has come to request the
change and
possible issues of concern.
Membership
Currently, credited work
hours for members who have left the Co-op remain on the books.It was agreed that such hours should be
dropped and not kept on the records.
Shopper’s Helper Program
It was decided to make
changes to this program.
February Meeting
Personnel
A revised draft of the
dispute resolution for
personnel matters was reviewed.The
Board commended those who had worked on this document.It was noted that because the Co-op now
has
more than 50 employees, the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
applies
to the Co-op.This will be included in
the employee manual.
Strategic Planning
A retreat for strategic
planning was planned for
early February.Participants will start
going over the raw member survey data.
Board Vacancies
There will be four open seats
when elections for the Board are held this spring.Some members have already expressed
interest in running for these
seats.Applications will be made
available for other members who wish to stand for election.Since “meet the candidates” events have not
been well attended in the past, it was decided to make this kind of
event a
part of upcoming membership meetings in March and April.
Plastic Use at the Co-op
There was a discussion
about the possibility of
discontinuing the availability of plastic containers and bags at the
Co-op.It was noted that these items
could probably not be eliminated at this time, but that the Co-op is
working
toward this goal by raising prices for bags and containers.A staff member will check on the possibility
of obtaining small cloth bags for use in the produce and bulk
departments.
Physical Plant
Infrared heaters have been
installed in the Front End, which should help cashiers and others who
work near
the front door in cold weather.These
can be removed and used in the warehouse at the new store when we move.
Nutrition
The committee liaison
reported on the New York Farming and Climate Instability Forum held in
Albany
on January 30.
Upcoming
Membership Meetings
Preparations were made
for the upcoming February
and March membership meetings.
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 Board Meetings page
Upcoming Meetings
Meetings are scheduled
for the following
Tuesdays: March 4 and April 1.Meetings
begin at 5:30 at the Community Room at the Co-op. Date,
time and location can change,
however, so it is recommended that anyone planning to attend confirm
these.
