First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, October 20, 200 at 6:30 p.m.

First UU Church of Austin, 4700 Grover, Austin, TX  78756 in the Gallery

In Attendance:

Trustees:  Nell Newton, President; Eric Stimmel, Vice-President; Luther Elmore, Treasurer; Chris Jimmerson, Secretary; Sheila Gladstone, Immediate Past President; Margaret Borden; Derek Howard; Jeff Hutchens; Aaron Osmer, Youth Trustee; Brendan Sterne; Michael West; Laura Wood.

Executive Team:  Janet Newman, Interim Minister; Sean Hale, Executive Director

Staff:  Brent Baldwin, Director of Music, Lara Douglas, Director of Religious Education

Visitors Present: Bill Edwards, Chair of Stewardship Committee; Jacob Williamson, Chair of Membership Committee; Stephan Windsor, Chair of Finance Committee

Call to Order

The President called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m.

Adoption of Agenda

Motion: Margaret Borden – adopt the agenda (Appendix A). 

Second: Luther Elmore

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Reading and Lighting of the Chalice

The Interim Minister read the opening words and the President lit the chalice.

Visitor’s Forum

There were no visitors other than those scheduled to present for an agenda item later in the meeting.

Consent Agenda Items

Minutes from the Prior Meeting:  The Trustees had reviewed the minutes from the September 2009 meeting prior to this meeting (Appendix B).

New Members and Resignations:  The Secretary reported that the following had become new members since the last meeting: Rebecca Frazier-Smith, Chris Smith, Susan Stolar, Erik Mackdanz, Merlyn Dyches-Bessent, Stephanie Larsen, Juliette Owens, Stphen Owens, Daesene Willmann.

Reports:  The Trustees had reviewed the consent agenda items prior to the meeting.  These included:

Interim Minister: Appendix C

Executive Director: Appendix D

Director of Religious Education: Appendix E

Director of Music: Appendix S

Treasurer: Appendix O

Internal Audit Committee: Appendix F

 The Interim Minister reported that she would be giving a sermon on loss on the next Sunday, including loss that church members may still be feeling over the dismissal of the Settled Minister and asked for the Board of Trustee’s support in raising this potentially emotional issue.

A Trustee reported that the church had been paid $175 for the old phone system hardware by a wholesaler. The Treasurer noted that the church is projecting a loss of near what had been budgeted for the year and the members present discussed that the contingency options developed earlier in the year could be reexamined should cash flow become threatened. The Treasurer also noted that plate collections were down around $10,000 compared to the prior year though whether this could be attributed to a decrease in the number of people attending or to other reasons was unclear.

The Bridge Builders Action Team reported that they were still working to clarify responsibilities for some of the items in the report. The Treasurer asked that the members present review the options for what the Internal Audit Committee might examine (on page 29 of the board materials) as this is a decision the board will eventually make.

Motion: Michael West – accept the Consent Agenda Item Reports.

Second: Chris Jimmerson

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Discussion and Action Items

Policy Proposal on Contract Signing Authority: The Chairperson of the Finance Committee presented a proposed contract signing authority policy (Appendix G) that closely mirrored current check signing authority and noted that currently there is no definition or limit on who can contractually obligate the church. He noted that the Executive Director (ED) would be presenting an alternative policy proposal on contract signing authority and the differences between the two essentially came down to how far and how quickly the Board of Trustees (BoT) wanted to move toward policy governance (PG).

The ED presented the alternative proposal allowing the Executive to sign contracts that fall within budgeted expenses with some limitations depending upon length of the contract (Appendix P) and answered several questions regarding it. The trustees discussed the following:

• There are some practical issues regarding requiring a BoT level signature on relatively small contracts that fall within already approved budget parameters.
• It was noted that the minister would not sign contracts.
• The ED’s proposal seemed to be in the spirit of where the church is moving with PG.
• How would the policy be monitored? Through monthly reporting and if so at what level?
• Perhaps the single signature authority in the Finance Committee proposal could be raised to a higher dollar level as a potential compromise.
• How many contracts are signed each year? The ED answered that there have been very few.
• A Trustee noted that contractual authority for the ED may be needed to administer his budget.
• The Treasurer suggested that perhaps the ED and Finance Committee could get together before the November BoT meeting and draft a new version that combines and compromises between the two.

Motion:  Michael West – Adopt the proposal from the Finance Committee for now and ask the Finance Committee and then ED to bring back a combined version at the November meeting.

Second: Derek Howard

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All Affirmative

Overview of the UUA Recommended Policy for Funding Staff Medical Insurance:  The Chairperson of the Finance Committee gave an overview of the UUA recommended policy versus current church policy (Appendix H). The UUA recommends paying 80% of the costs of medical insurance policy for the employee and 50% for their dependent children. Current church policy is 100% for the employee and none for their children. Changing would mean very little in costs to the church. The Finance Committee is recommending that the BoT consider voting on making this chance at their next meeting.

Membership Committee Bylaws Change Proposal:  The Chairperson of the Membership Committee gave an overview of changes to the bylaws that the committee was recommending (Appendix I). He noted that the committee had been tasked with clarifying membership requirements and developing a new member orientation class. The recommended changes to the bylaws included adding a requirement to attend the new member orientation and adding language requiring that the contribution of record be “generous within the member’s means” (to avoid the mindset of contributing $1 to maintain membership).

He noted that the committee had engaged in long discussions over whether the new member orientation should a requirement or strongly encouraged and that there was not unanimous agreement but that there was ultimately consensus around the need to address engagement of new members.

He also noted that the committee would take responsibility for administering and tracking of the orientation, that the classes would be offered at least quarterly and that current church members would not be required to attend.

The Trustees discussed the following:

• A Trustee asked how much this would effect youth membership and the committee Chariperson answered that it would not effect it.
• The classed would be 2 sessions of 1.5 to 2 hours each.
• The Interim Minister had worked with only one church that had required a new member class but had not really implemented the requirement.
• There were some concerns expressed around whether the class a required would make it harder to join and become a member, which would indicate a preference for using the phrase “strongly encouraged” rather than making it a requirement.
• Some concerns over the practical logistics of tracking such a membership requirement and making sure that this did not fall to staff were also expressed.
• A Trustee noted that language such as “strongly encouraged” and “generous contribution” are not specific enough requirements to be placed into the bylaws and might better work within the context of the covenants that were being developed within the church. A “new member covenant” might address these issues.

The Trustees were in consensus that adding a new member covenant that would address these and other issues would be an exciting means to implement the new member class and raise contribution expectations and new member engagement.

The President asked that the Membership Committee revise the recommended bylaws changes to require the signing of such a covenant and then work with the Interim Minister and those she is assembling to develop covenants to put language around contribution expectations and participation in the new member orientation into the covenant.

Stewardship Committee Update: The Chairperson of the Stewardship Committee gave an update on the Fall Canvass (See Appendix R for details). As of the date of the meeting, 147 pledges totaling $320,000 of the $650,000 goal had been made. The Trustees and Chairperson of the Stewardship Committee discussed the following:

• Stewardship does not yet have a final projection for the canvass.
• The canvassers have encountered a number of persons who were unhappy over the dismissal of Davidson Loehr and faced a backlash over this. Eight people have refused any pledge and others who pledged last time have not returned phone calls and email messages.
• The Interim Minister would like to meet with any canvassers who encountered anger and hostility.
• Several Trustees noted that if the Team Leaders could come up with estimates of the number of times this happened that it would be useful information to have.
• Having the pledge table set up in the gallery has gone well.

The Board of Trustees’ meeting was adjourned for a break and for the Trustees to place their comments on the timeline outside the sanctuary.

Proposed Changes to the Bylaws and FAMP: The Treasurer presented proposed changes to the Financial Assets Management Policy and to the bylaws regarding it (Appendix J), the first of which were grammatical and clarification revisions to the FAMP. The bylaws changes and corresponding revisions to the FAMP were more substantive and would bring the voting requirements on the FAMP and the Memorial Saving Fund in line with the bylaws rather than requiring two votes at to consecutive, regularly scheduled congregational meetings. Besides bringing the FAMP into compliance with the bylaws, the changes would also act to make it easier for the congregation to react and take action should a financial crisis occur.

During discussion, it was discovered that a few other changes to the FAMP and a Policy and Procedure on the Memorial Savings Fund would need to be made for consistency and Trustees recommended that a ‘redline” version of the grammatical and clarification revisions to the FAMP be brought to the congregation to make it easier to see that these were relatively minor changes. The Treasurer agreed to work with the Finance Committee to make these revisions and to bring them to the Executive Committee for placement on the agenda at the Congregational meeting.

Personnel Policy: The ED and Chair of the Human Resources Committee had met on the policy and presented the revised version of the personnel policy (Appendix K). The Trustees discussed the following:

• The policy details what the Executive Team may not do, so you would not have a situation where for example an executive could be mistreating staff but being judged as complying with policy because the church was doing well overall.
• Such a policy makes it vital that the board monitor reports. There is a danger in becoming complacent and not monitoring the Executive Team.
• A Trustee expressed reservations that since some of the staff will still be reporting to the board during the interim period, the Executive Team would be making decisions for that staff even though there is not a direct reporting line. The Executive Team responded that this was on the program side and that these folks are already functioning well and as a team, with the Interim Minister ultimately responsible.
• A Trustee asked that reports for monitoring be not just when an exception to the policy occurs but include progress also.

Motion: Chris Jimmerson – approve the policy as presented.

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: There was no further discussion

Vote: Affirmative – 8, Negative – 1, Abstain – 1 (Laura Wood)

Policy Establishing Executive Team: (Included as part of Appendix K above). The Trustees had reviewed this policy revision.

Motion: Derek Howard – Approve the policy change as presented.

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: There was no further discussion

Vote: Affirmative – 8, Negative – 0, Abstain – 2 (Laura Wood and Luther Elmore)

Executive Committee Request for Authority to Establish Agenda and Determine Mailing Items for Congregational Meeting: The President noted that The Executive Committee will meet again in time to meet the calendar requirements for notice and such of the Congregational Meeting but that the next full board meeting would be too late and thus asked for the above authority for the Executive Committee.

Motion: Margaret Border – Authorize the Executive Committee to establish the agenda and determine mailing items for the congregational meeting

Second: Jeff Hutchens

Discussion: There was no further discussion

Vote: All Affirmative

Board Internal Covenant and Covenant with Minister: The Interim Minister presented two examples of covenants (Appendix L) and described the process of developing them, as well as work she had been doing with groups within the church to develop their covenants. She asked for volunteers who would like to help develop such covenants for the BoT and congregation.

Discussion of Proposals to Prepare for the Joint Board and Finance Committee Budget Meeting: The ED presented several proposals (Appendix M), which included:

1. Increasing the budgeted contributions to $50,000
2. Increasing rental income to $60,000
3. Funding all office staff positions at UUA midpoint
4. Increasing ED professional expenses
5. Matching rental expenses to rental income by investing 30% of gross rental income in the program support budget

Trustees expressed several concerns around proposal 5 and logistics involving implementing it. This was counterbalanced by the recognition that the ED and staff need to be able to manage increased rentals and or decreases in rentals as they occur (they are often unpredictable).

Motion: Aaron Osmer – Extend the meeting by 15 minutes to allow discussion to continue

Second: Luther Elmore

Discussion: None

Vote: Affirmative – 8, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Laura Wood) (One Trustee had had to leave the meeting)

The ED explained that eventually he would like to implement a new system for setting staff salaries based upon a range of issues. The Trustees discussed the remaining budget proposals; however, there was not consensus involving several of them, so the President recommended that the ED develop them and/or their rationale further and bring them to the joint board and finance committee meeting.

Motion: Margaret Borden – Extend the meeting by another 15 minutes

Second: Aaron Osmer

Discussion:  None

Vote: Affirmative – 7, Negative – 1, Abstain – 1 (Laura Wood)

The Interim Minister offered that discussion and/or action on disability insurance and Director of RE and Director of Music reporting could be postponed until the November meeting.

Bridge Builders (BB) Implementation Consultant: Funding Mechanism: The Secretary presented a proposal for funding the costs associated with the above from the Long-Range Fund rather than the operating budget. The BB Action Team and the members of the Executive Committee (EC) that had been at the last EC meeting had discussed the proposal as potentially a more fitting way to engage a consultant (Appendix Q). The Interim Minister passed around a copy of the current mission. The Secretary stressed that the work on values/mission/vision and policy governance (PG) were vital to the church and had been called for by the congregation in the BB Action Plan. The Trustees discussed the following:

• Question — is there a defined use for the Long-Range Fund? Response — its description was vague and included in a preamble in the FAMP but that it was never defined specifically as were some of the other church funds.
• Question — could a consultant work with the church to revise the current mission and thereby save money? Response – the process of defining mission/vision/values is often said to be more important that the actual statements that are the end result and therefore, especially given how long it ahs been since the church looked at its mission, there is a need to start “from the ground up”. Also, part of the consultant’s work would be helping the church with PG and we do not have this expertise internally.
• There is $10,000 currently in the budget draft for 2010 that would come out if we use this mechanism instead.
• The ED stated that the only description of the fund was in an introduction to the FAMP and described it as seed money for capital funds. He also noted that the FAMP requires the Board to review restricted funds annually and to reallocate those that are no longer active or for which their original purpose does not apply.
• A Trustee noted that the policy description of the Long Range Planning Committee fit well with this type of activity and that the fund’s intent is likely tied to that of this committee. Another Trustee noted that this seemed an appropriate use of the fund as this planning is needed before any other long-range plans such as a capital expansion could be considered.
• The President noted that work on values/mission/vision should not be put off another year.

Motion:  Margaret Borden — authorize an expenditure of up to $15,000 from the Long-Range Fund to fund the costs of a consultant and related costs for one year to help the church implement the mission/vision/values and policy governance aspects of the BB Action Plan

Second: Brendan Sterne

Discussion:   There was no further discussion

Vote: Affirmative – 5, Negative – 2, Abstain 2 (Laura Wood and Aaron Osmer)

Rental Rate Adjustment and Wording Clarification: The Trustees had reviewed this proposal prior to the meeting (Appendix N).

Motion: Chris Jimmerson – approve the proposal policy revision as presented.

Second:  Brendan Sterne

Discussion:  There was no further discussion

Vote:  All Affirmative

Adjourn

With no further business, the President adjourned the meeting at 10 P.M.

Respectfully Submitted,

Chris Jimmerson, Secretary

Appendices (Please note, clicking on the link to the left will open a file containing all appendices from the meeting in your browser window, which may be slow because it is a large file. You can also right click on the link to download it instead).

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, September 15, 200 at 6:30 p.m.

First UU Church of Austin, 4700 Grover, Austin, TX  78756 in the Gallery

 

In Attendance:

Trustees:  Nell Newton, President; Eric Stimmel, Vice-President; Luther Elmore, Treasurer; Chris Jimmerson, Secretary; Sheila Gladstone, Immediate Past President; Margaret Borden; Derek Howard; Jeff Hutchens; Aaron Osmer, Youth Trustee; Michael West; Laura Wood.

Executive Team:  Janet Newman, Interim Minister; Sean Hale, Executive Director

Staff:  Brent Baldwin, Director of Music

 

Call to Order

The President called the meeting to order at 6:36 p.m.

 

Adoption of Agenda

Motion:           Margaret Borden – To adopt the agenda (Appendix A).  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               All Affirmative

 

Opening Words

The Interim Minister read the following words:

                       MEDITATION by Robert Weston  If Love Be There

This day, setting aside all that divides me from others;

This day, remembering that the world is beautiful to one who is willing

   That it be so

And that into the open, eager heart

The beauty enters in

If love be there;

This day I will make a part of the song of life.

There may be grief but if there be love it will be overcome.

There may be pain but it can be borne with dignity and courage;

There may be difficulty but it can be turned to strength.

Remembering that the world is beautiful if I will let it be so for others whom   I meet,

This day I will make a part of the song of life.

The President lit the chalice.

 

Visitor’s Forum

Beverly Donoghue, one of two delegates to Austin Area Interreligious Ministries (AAIM), described AAIM’s dual mission:  to promote interfaith dialog and “to assist the vulnerable and the voiceless.” AAIM’s governance structure has changed from shared policy decision-making by delegates and the Board of Trustees to policy decisions by the Board only.  Delegates are now key members for encouraging broader community participation in AAIM events.  AAIM sponsors Hands On Housing, a city-wide effort to repair homes owned by low-income individuals and families who can no longer afford to make these repairs.  Interfaith dialog is promoted through AAIM’s Amazing Faith Dinner Dialogs in November and through a new program, the Red Bench, which begins tonight.  The Red Bench seeks to promote deeper listening and conversations around values shared by faith traditions.  AAIM’s 25^th Annual Thanksgiving Celebration will be held on Sunday, November 22^nd at First Baptist Church and will include an interfaith service, pot luck dinner, and songs and dances from a variety of faith traditions.  Beverly invited Trustees to participate in and promote AAIM’s interfaith events.  (See Appendix B.) 

The President requested, and Beverly agreed, to get more information on the Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UUA’s) funding to support congregational leaders’ participation in interfaith activities as a way to support AAIM’s activities.  Margaret Borden noted that two church members, Lindsay Ellison and Valerie Sterne, led AAIM’s refugee school this past summer.

 

Consent Agenda Items

Minutes from the Prior Meeting:  The Trustees had reviewed the minutes from the August 2009 meeting prior to this meeting (Appendix C).

New Members and Resignations:  The Secretary reported that Charles Hobbs had joined the congregation and that Myra and Stroud McIlvain and Margaret Harrison had resigned.

Reports:  The Trustees had reviewed the consent agenda items prior to the meeting.  These included:

Appendix D:    Director of Religious Education’s (DRE’s) Report

Appendix E:    Treasurer’s Report

Appendix F:     Director of Music’s (DM’s) Report

Appendix G:    Executive Director’s (ED’s) Report

Appendix H:    Bridgebuilder Update 9/15/09

The Trustees discussed the following items related to the consent agenda items:

The Treasurer hopes to narrow the 2009 deficit to less than $40K.  The church has been spending more than it has received since $50K was received during the Spring Pledge Drive.

The new five-year photocopier rental contract is for a black and white copier with more features and will cost $100 less annually.  Copies from the new color copier will cost ten cents each. 

Margaret Borden, who is monitoring the Bridgebuilder action plan to ensure that all action items are included, pointed out the Bridgebuilder update.  Trustees discussed the difference between policy review, or bylaws review, and policy governance.  Policy review would involve looking at a process outline should a concern about the minister arise.  Policy governance – developing the church’s mission, vision, values, and covenant — would influence the process but would not prescribe the specific steps of the process. 

Margaret was most concerned, from the Board’s perspective, about action items 5 and 13.  She was not sure how Trustees should implement action 5: to establish a governance review task force.  Action item 13 is to change the bylaws to require orientation classes for prospective members before they join.  The Membership Committee is aware of this action item and is developing a curriculum outline for the new member orientation/class to present for Trustee approval.  Margaret also pointed out that action 9 — to determine ways the church’s Council can build community and fellowship at meetings — was not a clear charge yet and needed Trustee review.

The President requested putting the Bridgebuilder Action Plan and Update on the agenda for the October meeting so Trustees would have more time could be taken to discuss specific items and issues.  She suggested the church could apply for grant funds from the UUA to offset the cost of implementing policy governance.  A trustee discussed the possibility of finding an “angel member” to help cover these costs.  It would be helpful if policy governance implementation costs could be offset by grant funds.  Another trustee inquired about the possibility of having the Interim Minister do some of the consulting mentioned for policy governance implementation.  However, the Interim Minister noted that her full-time job and the need for the policy work facilitator to have additional specialized skills would mitigate against her doing this consulting work.  The policy governance implementation team is exploring different consultants with different skill sets and different costs.

Bridgebuilder action number 3, to establish a policy governance implementation team, and action 7, to create a team to oversee development of mission-vision-values-covenant, overlap and are actually the same item.  One trustee would like the Director of Music’s input on who should be on the governance implementation team.

The Interim Minister will submit her report to Trustees later.

Motion:           Chris Jimmerson – To accept the Consent Agenda Item Reports.  The motion was           seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               All Affirmative

Discussion and Action Items

Security Task Force Report: The President reported that this item was not ready yet and would need to be postponed until the October Trustees’ meeting.

Substitute Item — Interim Ministry Contract:  The Interim Minister requested that the Trustees approve her request that a portion of her salary, $16,250, be designated as housing allowance and, as a result, be tax-free.  This request is in accordance with the Interim Ministry Contract (Appendix I), Governing Board agreements, number 1. A. 2).

Motion:         Derek Howard – To approve the Interim Minister’s request to designate $16,250 of  her salary as housing allowance.  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               All Affirmative

Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance:  Trustees agreed to postpone this item until after addressing the personnel policy.

Board of Trustees Budget Proposal:  The Treasurer passed out a copy of the 2008 Final Budget and the 2009 Budget with projected income. (Appendix J)  The President explained that the Trustees were considering requesting a line item in the budget for board expenses and would continue the discussion that began during the August board meeting.  The Financial Asset Management Policy (FAMP) gives the Trustees the authority to spend up to $10,000 outside the budget for unanticipated emergency expenses, and $10,000 could be budgeted for Trustees’ expenses.

Trustees made the following points in their discussion:

• $1,500 or $2,000 might be sufficient to cover the All-Council lunch and other non-emergency expenses that arise. 
• Trustees should base a line item for Board of Trustees’ expenses on history. 
• The budget deficit increased in May, and yet Trustees are on record for wanting a balanced budget.
• All-Council meeting expenses are not unanticipated and should be a line item in the budget.
• Prior minister liked discretionary funds and picked and chose how to spend them.  There will be more trust if the Trustees are open about a Board of Trustees’ expense line item.
• Each anticipated Board of Trustees’ expense item could be listed in the budget.

Trustees then discussed each board expense item:

1)   Funding for the All-Council Retreat

The amount in the budget is zero because it was cut.  It costs $300 for the all-day meeting to cover breakfast, lunch, and clean-up expenses. 

2)   Becoming a “Fair Share” Congregation

“Fair Share” is a budget item under Denominational Affairs.

“Fair Share” costs with 600 members: $56 per member for UUA, or     $33,600,

            plus $20/member for SWUUA, or      $12,000 –

                                             for a total of        $28,800

After further discussion, a Trustee offered the following alternative proposal to be submitted     as a recommendation for the 2010 budget:

Fund at $28 per member for UUA, or      $16,800

Plus $20 per member for SWUUA, or     $12,000

                                          for a total of     $28,800

Motion:                 Chris Jimmerson — Approve the proposal. The motion was seconded.

Discussion:         None

Vote:                     Affirmative-9, Negative-0, Abstain-1

3)   Consulting fee for vision, mission, values, and covenant development

1^st year’s package = $10,000

Large UU churches in Dallas, Portland, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Atlanta had all engaged a consultant to put in place mission/vision/values/ends and move to Policy Governance and continue to bring in a consultant annually but at a lesser degree and rate.  1^st UU in Dallas’ Board of Trustees’ President said that his congregation could not have accomplished all they had done without engaging a consultant.  A concern raised that nothing might happen on the BB Actionn without consultants and that a fully engaged process might help with Stewardship by creating an exciting environment.

Motion:           Chris Jimmerson – To include $10,000 for vision-mission-values-policy governance                      work.  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1

4)   Accountant-prepared financial statement

There are 3 levels – compiled, reviewed, and audited financial statements.  1^st UU has never had an audit report because of poorly organized information.  The plan for next year is to have a compiled financial statement – for year after year consistency, to compare operations from year to year, for continuity – having reliable historical information, and for credibility of the Trustees to the congregation (See Appendix K).  Our church would give a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) financial information monthly, and the CPA would do annual compiled financial statement.  Estimated cost:  $1,200 for compiled statement or $2,000 for compiled statement and consulting to get started.  Discussion points included:

• Our ED could do this.
• A professional CPA can provide guidance on how to handle specific transactions and how to present on a financial statement.  Church doesn’t know how to do GAAP financial statements
• Concern about whether can provide accurate financial information for January-December 2010.
• Goal:  Begin clean set of books starting in January 2010.
• Helps prevent Bookkeeper/Treasurer changes without continuity.

Motion:           Jeff Hutchens – To include a $2,000 line item for compiled financial statements in 2010 by a CPA who specializes in financial statements for non-profit organizations.  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain — 1

5)   Interim Minister Search and Settled Minister Search

Costs of our church’s Interim Minister search consisted of about $150 for cell phone charges and packages mailed by the Secretary.  Interim Minister Search Committee members paid own way to travel to listen to the Interim Minister candidate.

Our Interim Minister has always served for one year and never two.  After her evaluation in January, she and the Trustees could each consider whether an extension of her contract was desired.  She recommended electing a Search Committee in the Spring of 2010, to work steadily through Fall 2010.  In January 2011, our records would be opened up to ministerial applicants, and we would be able to see records of ministerial applicants.  The UUA’s ministerial settlement handbook is online.  Most of settled minister work in 2010 will be discussions and handled here in Austin.  Expenses will be phone calls and making copies – about $300.  Travel would not occur until 2011.

The Trustees agreed to move up the agenda item for board pledging to precede the personnel policy agenda item. 

Michael West announced that a “green” welcoming gift awaited the Interim Minister in the church’s kitchen.

The Board of Trustees’ meeting was adjourned for a break at 8:15 p.m. and resumed at 8:30 p.m.

Board Pledging

Bill Edwards, Stewardship Committee Chair, presented this agenda item.  The Stewardship Committee’s canvass goal for 2010 is $650,000, which would include $50,000 for an interior facelift and kitchen renovation or $600,000 with the current facilities unchanged.  There are 16 Team Leaders who will each get five or more canvass volunteers.  Each volunteer will contact three pledging units.  There are over 100 potential canvassers or donor prospects.  The Trustees and Team Leaders have pledged over $100,000.

This Sunday, September  20^th, the Stewardship Committee will host a Celebration in Howson Hall.  Postcards have been mailed to all members to come celebrate ourselves.  Several long-time members will be honored.  To RSVP for this event, Trustees should phone Bill Edwards or e-mail Ron Turner.

The Stewardship Committee has raised $30,000 from Team Leaders and others to match 2010 pledge increases dollar for dollar (Appendix L).  Every Trustee and Team Leader increased their pledges for 2010.  Trustees were encouraged to not request a match for their pledge increases so that other members would be encouraged to increase their pledges from 2009 and earn matches for their pledge increases.

The Interim Minister encouraged Trustees to get involved in the canvass if funds were still needed at the end of the year and mentioned doing a phone-a-thon at the end if the Fall Canvass Campaign did not reach the desired goal.  The President and other Trustees noted that Trustees traditionally get involved in the Fall Canvass and were also involved in last Spring’s pledge drive, with each Trustee signing up to call individual members.  One Trustee suggested the best time to call members about pledging is between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.

Personnel Policy

The Trustees instructed the ED to create a broad policy covering personnel issues to enable the Trustees to focus on getting results rather than on micromanaging.  He drafted revisions to pages 6-7 of the Policies and Procedures Manual to clarify who the executive team is and their roles and expectations.  The proposed personnel policy on pages 30-33 was taken almost exactly from policies at Unity Church in St. Paul, Minnesota and creates a framework for further revisions and additions as needed in the future.  (See Appendix M.)

Trustee comments on approving the draft personnel policy included:

• Page 31, no. 4 – Some concern expressed that an executive team member shall inform the President or another Trustee of violating Board of Trustees’ policy but will not be required to ask permission to do so. The Trustees could discuss and decide at the next monthly Board of Trustees’ meeting whether there should be any consequences for violating Board of Trustees’ policy.
• Concern about jumping into policy governance in the middle rather than in an orderly progression — without further reflection and with no monitoring system in place .
• Likes to see movement toward policy governance
• Page 30, no. 2 – The executive team may refuse to comply with a request from an individual Trustees or Trustee Committee if the request appears to require substantial staff time to comply.  A Trustee can accept that refusal or pursue reorienting the ED’s priorities at the next Board of Trustees’ meeting. There was concern that there did not appear to be an avenue for resolution, regardless of the importance of the Trustee’s request.  Another Trustee suggested that the Trustees could approve a Trustee to be the executive team’s liaison on a specific issue – so the Executive Team would know the importance of the request.
• Page 31, no. 5, last sentence – “Nothing in this policy is intended to interfere with mutual interaction about individual understanding of policies.”  And page 31, Policy I-B, no. 3 – “Appropriate use and delegation of power.”

The President asked if the draft policy was the direction that the Trustees wanted to go, and they agreed.  Sheila Gladstone and Derek Howard will prepare recommended edits for the draft personnel policy, preserving the meaning in the current draft, for Trustees’ review and approval at the October Board of Trustees’ meeting.  

Motion:           Sheila Gladstone – To approve the draft personnel policy in principle.  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               All Affirmative

One Trustee asked if other Unitarian Universalist (UU) churches limited the Executive Team to the Minister and the ED.  One UU church defines the Executive Team as the Minister and ED, with the Minister serving as Chief Executive Officer.  Another UU church has an Executive Team of four people.  Another UU church has three people – the Minister, ED, and Membership Director.  The Trustees decided last year that the DRE and DM would continue reporting directly to the Trustees during the Interim Minister’s tenure.  The ED has the authority to hire and fire office staff.

Floating Holiday Policy

The current “floating holiday” policy allows staff to take two of the three following holidays as paid holidays:  MLK Day, President’s Day, and Veteran’s Day.  Because tracking this attendance is cumbersome, the ED recommends eliminating Veteran’s Day as a paid holiday for staff and giving staff MLK Day and President’s Day as standard paid holidays (Appendix N).  

Motion:           Derrick Howard – to approve the proposal in appendix N, eliminating the floating holiday policy.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               All  Affirmative

Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance

The purpose of long-term disability insurance is to replace a stream of income lost by being unable to work for longer than 90 days due to disease or injury.  If a church employee should become disabled, the church could take up a collection but might not agree about how much money would be enough.  In all likelihood, not enough money could be raised.

The Interim Minister recommends that the Trustees approve the church’s purchase of long-term disability insurance for full-time staff beginning in 2010 (Appendix O).  Policy proposal 1 would be to add a statement to the Personnel Policy Manual insurance section that the church provides long-term disability insurance to all full-time staff.  Policy proposal 2 recommends funding long-term disability insurance for staff for the remainder of 2009 with unused funds in the ministerial budget.  The cost of the annual premium is one percent of the amount insured.  For full-time employees, this would amount to $2,026 per year – plus a little more if staff receives raises this year.  The UUA’s long-term disability insurance policy (Appendix P) provides for a disabled staff member who works at least half-time to receive 60 percent of his or her current salary, beginning 90 days after the injury. 

The discussion included the following points:

• Wait two months and include long-term disability insurance for church staff in the 2010 budgeting process;
• Trustees would feel terrible if a staff member became disabled and Trustees had not approved the purchase of long-term disability insurance;
• The best private employers and state agencies don’t offer long-term disability insurance for free but for purchase by employees at very low cost;
• Adding another benefit with the current deficit might be a problem;
• Concern that there is no waiting period before enrollment.  Someone who is about to “go under” could try to get hired by an employer to obtain this benefit;
• The church should pay for staff’s long-term disability insurance out of a sense of justice – of treating employees well;
• If the church had purchased disability insurance years ago for a prior janitor who became disabled, he would have benefited, and the church would not be paying him an annual amount;
• It’s difficult to justify doing this when a Trustee has never had this benefit.  Trustees would need more regionally-based evidence that this purchase is a common practice among UU churches;
• Whether the Trustees should support this purchase because a lot of other churches do this or because we want to either fund this or make this option available to staff
• It would be very positive to offer staff long-term disability insurance for free.
• ED clarification:  Church staff members already have the option of purchasing long-term disability insurance.  The only question is whether the Trustees will approve the church automatically paying for it.  No staff members have purchased this insurance to date;
• The church has a history of giving an annual 3% cost of living adjustment (COLA).  2% could be used to pay for COLA, and 1% could be used to purchase disability insurance;
• Employees do a cost/benefit analysis and decide that purchasing disability insurance is not worth the cost when balanced against other needs;
• Most UU churches purchase long-term disability insurance for their staff;
• How many other UU churches pay for disability insurance for their staff;
• Purchasing this insurance would be one way for the Board to demonstrate that we are a caring community.

The President suggested that the minister gather more information, including how many UU churches purchase this insurance automatically for their employees, and review the recommendation to purchase long-term disability insurance at the October Board of Trustees meeting.

Extension of Board Meeting

Motion:           Jeff Hutchens — To extend the Board of Trustees’ meeting for 15 minutes (at 9:43 p.m.).  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               All Affirmative

Long-Term Care Insurance (Continued)

Motion:           Jeff Hutchens — To request putting in long-term disability insurance as a line item                          in the 2010 budget as in Policy Proposal 1.  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1

The October Board of Trustees’ meeting will address long-term disability insurance as policy.  Policy Proposal 2 was tabled.

Proposal for Alana Rosshirt Memorial

The ED asked Rose Ann Reeser, who knew Alana Rosshirt, to develop a proposal for allocating Ms. Rosshirt’s gift of $5,000 to 1^st UU to honor her many years of service to the church.  Jack Rosshirt, Alana’s husband, suggested the church could use the funds for the sanctuary garden and some sort of recognition of her gift.  Rose Ann’s proposal (Appendix Q) included the following:

• Allocating $1,500 for renovating the sanctuary garden, which is now underway
• Hanging a framed certificate of appreciation in recognition of Ms. Rosshirt’s gift in the sanctuary close to the door to the garden
• Allocating $1,000 to the Public Affairs Forum
• Allocating $1,000 to Worship Services
• Allocating $1,500 to the Permanent Endowment Fund.

Discussion points included:

• Trustees should accept Rose Ann’s proposal as is;
• Trustees should allocate $1,500 for the sanctuary garden and asking Jack Rosshirt if the church can put $3,500 wherever it is most needed;
• Her gift would have a permanent impact if invested in the landscape or in the capital campaign for the building.

Motion:           Michael West – To defer to Rose Ann’s recommendation for allocation of Alana Rosshirt’s gift to the church, based on Rose Ann’s sensitivity and awareness of the church’s situation.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1

Authority to Resolve the Outcome with Donated Speakers

About four years ago, Marcus Barnes donated to the church eight Altec Lansing speakers, which have not been used.  The ED developed a proposal (Appendix R) to use these speakers to best benefit the church, including but not limited to installing the speakers in the sanctuary and selling the speakers.

Motion:           Aaron Osmer – Accept mandate proposed by the ED for making use of the donated loudspeakers.  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               All Affirmative

Internal Audit Committee Update

Jeff Hutchens noted that Eugene Balaguer volunteered to chair the Internal Audit Team.  He is a financial analyst with the city and has assisted many non-profits.

Motion            Jeff Hutchens – That Eugene Balaguer be appointed chair of the Audit Committee for an initial term of one year.  The Audit Committee Chair will be tasked with selecting two additional committee members and developing the initial draft of the policies and procedures for the Audit Committee.  Said policies and procedures will be submitted to the Board for approval no later than the November Board meeting.  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               All Affirmative

Extension of Board Meeting

Motion:           Aaron Osmer – To extend the Trustees’ meeting for 15 minutes (at 9:58 p.m.).  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               All Affirmative

Emergency Funding Request from the ED

Rental income has increased 60 percent so far this year and is projected to bring in $22,000 more than budgeted by the end of 2009.  Natalie Freeburg is spending much more time handling rental requests and, as a result, the ED is doing Natalie’s job for several hours each week delaying his work.  The ED is requesting $7,000 to take measures through December 2009 to support staff and enable the ED to carry out his responsibilities and duties (Appendix S).

The Treasurer advised that $3,400 plus of the Board’s discretionary funds were used to pay Peter Steinke.  His consulting fee was offset by $1,400 in donations, but still came from the Trustees’ discretionary funds.  Since Trustees have $10,000 in discretionary funds per year, there is approximately $6,600 in discretionary funds left for 2009.

Motion:           Jeff Hutchens – To approve $6,600 for operations of the church.  The motion was  seconded:

Discussion:   There was not further discussion

Vote:               Affirmative – 8, Negative – 0, Abstain – 2

Extension of Board Meeting

Motion:           Margaret Borden – To extend the Board of Trustees’ meeting for 15 minutes (at 10:17 p.m.).  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               All Affirmative

Executive Session

The Trustees entered executive session to discuss personnel issues.  Those who were not Trustees left the room.

Call to Order

The President called the meeting back to order at 10:40 p.m

Motion:           Margaret Borden – To approve the proposed letter from the President to negotiate with the ED regarding an adjustment to the ED’s annual leave.   The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               All Affirmative

Motion:           Brendan Sterne – That under-withheld employee contributions for health  insurance premiums not be recovered up to this point in time.  The motion was seconded.

Discussion:   None

Vote:               Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1

Adjourn:  The President adjourned the meeting at 10:44 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

 

Beverly Donoghue

Assistant Secretary

Note: The below are large files, so it may be easier to right click on them and download them to your computer.

Appendices Submitted Before the Meeting (includes all appendices not listed below)

Appendices from Items Handed Out at The Meeting (includes Appendices B, I, J, K, L, N, O

Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 6:30 P.M.,

First UU Church of Austin, 4700 Grover, Austin, TX 78756 in the Gallery

In Attendance:

Trustees: Nell Newton, President; Eric Stimmel, Vice-President; Luther Elmore, Treasurer; Chris Jimmerson, Secretary; Sheila Gladstone, Immediate Past President; Margaret Borden; Derek Howard; Jeff Hutchens; Aaron Osmer, Youth Trustee; Michael West; Laura Wood.

Executive Team: Janet Newman, Interim Minister; Sean Hale, Executive Director

Staff: Lara Douglass, Director of Religious Education; Brent Baldwin, Director of Music

Call to Order

The President called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m.

Adoption of Agenda

Motion: Aaron Osmer – Adopt the agenda.

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Opening Words

The Interim Minister read the following selection:

Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic selfhood, whether or not in conforms to some image of who we ought to be. As we do so, we will find not only the joy that every human being seeks – we will also find our path of authentic service in the world. True vocation joins self and service, as Frederick Buechner asserts when he defines vocation as “the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.

As I learn more about the seed of true self that was planted when I was born, I also learn more about the ecosystem in which I was planted – the network of communal relations in which I am called to live responsively, accountably, and joyfully with beings of every sort. Only when I know seed and system, self and community, can I embody the great commandment to love both my neighbor and myself.

The President lit the chalice.

Visitor’s Forum

No visitors were present.

Consent Agenda Items

Minutes from the Prior Meeting: The trustees had reviewed the minutes from the July 2009 meeting prior to this meeting.

New Members and Resignations: The Secretary reported that Matt Stone had joined the congregation and that Andrea Lerner had resigned.

Reports: The trustees had reviewed the consent agenda items prior to the meeting. These included:

• Director of Religious Education Report
• Treasurer’s Report
• Direct of Music Report
• Executive Directors Report
• Bridge Builders Action Plan Update and Policy Governance Team Update
• Nominating Committee Update

The trustees present discussed the following items related to the content of the consent agenda items:

The Director of RE reported that the teacher training retreat had gone very well. RE is now using the online tool Volunteer Spot to coordinate several functions. On September 6, RE will be holding an Open House where the curriculum for the upcoming year will be displayed.

The Treasurer noted that as of the end of July, the church had a net income of $2,600 but that he expected that income would not meet expenses in the next several months. He reported that use of the HEB card had been working well for purchases for Sunday morning kitchen items and might serve as a model for using such cards for other purposes. He noted that the work to replace the HVAC system in the foyer would begin the next day.

Several Trustees noted that the musical performance at church services on the prior Sunday had been beautiful and transformative.

The Executive Director (ED) reported that replacement for the photocopier would be for roughly the same pricing as the current photocopier. He also noted that the transition to the new copier room was targeted to occur by the end of the month if at all possible.

The Trustees discussed the Bridge Builders Action Plan and Policy Governance Team reports noting that a Meet and Eat to announce the plan would be held on August 19. A Trustee noted that some deadlines were immediate and that some work areas overlap, such as mission/vision/values, Policy Governance and a covenant of right relationship. Trustees made the following suggestions and observations:

• Endorse the objectives of the plan at the Meet and Eat noting that specific methods and timelines may be have to be revised as we learn more by working on implementing the plan.

• Call a meeting of the Policy Governance Team soon (as it includes persons who are assigned to work on mission/vision/values and the covenant in the plan) to discus the noted overlap and address it.

• There is a process in place for evaluating the Minister and the Executive Director

• The Minister will be asking Trustees to read “special notes” at the end of Sunday services which will include announcements such as those regarding fellowship opportunities called for in the plan.

The Trustees requested that the Secretary re-send the calendar for signing up to represent the board at Sunday services and that he bring a hard copy to the next board meeting. The Secretary will also post the committee liaison list to the website.

The President noted that the curriculum for leadership development that the Nominating Committee is putting into place is very exciting. The Vice-President noted that the committee is also looking at the bylaws and Policy and Procedures and will be presenting recommendations on bringing them inline with current actual practices. The Immediate Past-President volunteered to assist with wording changes if needed.

Motion: Michael West — Accept the Consent Agenda Item Reports.

Second: Derek Howard

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Discussion and Action Items

The President reported that the proposal to be made under the first discussion item on the agenda was not yet ready and would be postponed until the next meeting. She also noted that the agenda item for discussing board budget items may lead into the discussion to be held in the Executive Session. The trustees agreed by consensus to move the budget discussion to the end of the agenda just before the Executive Session.

Internal Audit Committee Proposal: The Treasurer presented the proposal to establish this committee. Several Trustees asked how often the committee would meet, how often and what it would audit and what its membership would be. The Treasurer noted that this policy proposal was simply to create the committee and that once established the committee would need to establish its procedures based upon the needs at that time. Jeff Hutchens volunteered to work with the Finance Committee to Identify a Chair for the Internal Audit Committee and a proposal for the committee’s work definition.

Motion: Chris Jimmerson – Approve the Internal Audit Committee policy proposal as presented.

Second: Michael West

Discussion: There was no further discussion

Vote: Affirmative – 8, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Policy on Personal Days: The ED presented a revision of the Policy of Personal Days that changed it to a Vacation Policy and made several changes to simplify tracking.

Motion: Derek Howard – Approve the Vacation Policy proposal as presented.

Second: Michael West

Discussion: There was no further discussion

Vote: All Affirmative

Policy on Pay Periods: The ED presented a policy change to place all personnel on the same payroll schedule and to simplify tracking of payroll and overtime that would create 26, 80 hour payroll periods per year.

Motion: Chris Jimmerson – Approve the revision to the Policy on Pay Periods as presented.

Second: Derek Howard

Discussion: There was no further discussion

Vote: All affirmative.

Rental Policy: The ED presented some revisions to some of the rates charged within the rental policy to make them more suitable to comparable rates elsewhere.

Motion: Michael West – Approve the changes to Rental Policy as presented.

Second: Laura Wood

Discussion: There was no further discussion

Vote: All affirmative

Discussion of Altering Board Procedure to Begin Moving Toward Policy Governance: The President noted that the Secretary had asked to discuss a potential change to how the board reviews and handles procedural changes, such as the prior three discussion items. He noted that because true policy is at present intermingled with day to day procedure in the current Policies and Procedures for the church, the Executive Team (the Minister and Executive Director) has had to bring relatively minor changes to operational procedures to the board for review and approval. This is inefficient for the Executive Team and can cause board time to be spent on these day-to-day issues rather the board being able to concentrate on broad policy and ends, values and vision and implementing the Bridge Builders Action Plan.

He suggested that the board delegate to the Executive Team the execution of policy and the corresponding written procedures, allowing the Executive Team to only bring to the board items wherein they have indentified the need for broad policy guidance. This would have the advantage of also moving closer to using Policy Governance.

The trustees discussed how this new board procedure might work and it was noted that the Executive Team would still report changes to day-to-day procedures but would not have to bring the entire procedure before the board for review and approval. In this way, the board could still monitor for compliance with broad policy. A trustee noted that many policies were written in a format that stated purpose, then policy, then procedure and that the board would be delegating the procedure section and the execution of it to the Executive Team.

The Secretary gave an example based upon the relatively minor rate changes to the Rental Policy that had just been reviewed and approved. Rather than approve such minor changes, the board would approve broad policy such as the purpose for renting church facilities (for example, “to offer space to community organizations and members whose purposes are congruent with UU principles and to raise funds for church activities”) or that would set limits on the Executive Team (for example, “facilities may not be rented to individuals, organizations or events that are inconsistent with UU values and principles”).

A trustee inquired as to whether this meant the Executive Team would then decide whether a rental was consistent with UU values. The Secretary responded that it would mean this, as Execution of Policy would fall to the Executive Team; however, another Trustee pointed out that the board will still monitor the Executive Team for compliance with policy.

By consensus, the Board of Trustees agreed to ask the Executive Team, when dealing with changes to policies and procedures needed for the day-to-day operations of the church, to bring to the board any broad policy guidance that is needed rather than bringing specific procedural changes to the board (and/or other intermediary groups such as the Finance Committee), working with the Vice-President (in his role as staff liaison) and the Secretary (in his role with the Policy Governance team) to research and suggest language for such policy. The board would then delegate to the Executive Team the execution of such policy and the procedural language related to its execution.

The Executive Team would consult with the Human Resources Committee Chairperson on policy and procedure involving potential personnel legalities and would note changes to procedures in monthly reports, (i.e. — “changed the rate charged in rental contracts for the event set up team from $22 per hour to $30 per hour to more accurately reflect our costs”).

Board of Trustees Budget Proposal Discussion: The President noted that the budget for the next fiscal year is currently being developed and that in the past the board had not provided much input on the budget until the joint meeting of the board and the Finance Committee. She raised the question of whether the board might have budgetary needs that would be submitted for inclusion in the budget as it gets developed.

The Treasurer noted that the board is on record for submitting a balanced budget to the congregation and that the Stewardship Committee had set a pledge drive goal of $600,000 to do so. If $50,000 more were to be pledged, the church could engage in the interior and kitchen remodeling that the congregation had set as the second “dream goal” for the pledge drive.

The ED noted that there were two questions for the board to consider:

1. Should the board be the governing body that sets executive compensation?

2. What are other budget items that the board may need to properly fulfill its role?

The trustees present agreed by consensus that it is the role of the board to determine executive compensation.

The President noted that in terms of other budget items the board might need to request, the Secretary and others had discussed the possibility of a board discretionary line item equal to four percent of the budget. This would have the advantage of being tied to the growth or shrinkage of the overall budget.

The trustees discussed the following concerns and thoughts regarding this concept:

• Concerns that other church groups would be constantly approaching the board to request using portions of such a fund.

• Concerns that it might be viewed as lacking transparency or as a “slush” fund.

• Such a fund would have the advantage of being available for expenses the board could not anticipate ahead of time, such as in the previous year when funds were needed for the interim minister search committee and the Bridge Builders consultant. There was some feeling that there is broad transferability within the budget which allowed for things such as hiring the Bridge Builders consultant; however, the ED noted that this had been a one time opportunity using unique money that came available because of the situation of being without a minster for several months.

• The Treasurer noted that the bylaws set a limit on board discretionary spending of $10,000.

• Concerns that such a fund might limit funding for vital church programs.

Given the concerns noted above, the trustees agreed to instead discuss a specific list of potential line items for the budget that the board might need to fulfill its duties. The following potential items were suggested:

• Funding for the All-Council Retreat

• Becoming a fair share congregation

• Hiring a consultant to lead the process of developing values/mission/vision and adopting Policy Governance to fulfill our commitment to the Bridge Builders Action Plan.

• Accountant prepared financial statements

• Costs associated with another potential minister search

The Trustees also noted a high level of support for the following budget requests that would come from other committees or persons:

• Funding for costs associated with implementing the Nominating Committee’s leadership development curricula

• The Children’s Choir

• Increased Support for Social Action

The President asked the Trustees who had suggested board budget request items to bring cost estimates for those requests to the September Meeting.

Executive Session: The Trustees entered Executive Session to discuss personnel issues and persons who were not Trustees left the room.

Motion: Jeff Hutchens — Extend the meeting by 15 minutes

Second: Aaron Osmer

Discussion: There was no further discussion on the motion

Vote: Affirmative – 8, Negative – 1, Abstain — 0

Adjourn: After the Executive Session and with no further business, the President adjourned the meeting at 9:45 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Chris Jimmerson

Secretary

August 2009 BoT Meeting Agenda and Supporting Materials

8-09 DoM report to the BoT

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at 6:30 P.M.,

First UU Church of Austin, 4700 Grover, Austin, TX 78756 in the Gallery

Members Present: Nell Newton, President; Eric Stimmel, Vice-President; Luther Elmore, Treasurer; Chris Jimmerson, Secretary; Margaret Borden; Jeff Hutchens; Aaron Osmer, Youth Trustee; Brendan Sterne; Michael West; Laura Wood.

Staff Present: Sean Hale, Executive Director; Lara Douglass, Director of Religious Education; Brent Baldwin, Director of Music

Visitors Present: Bill Edwards, Chair, Stewardship Committee

Call to Order

The President called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m.

Adoption of Agenda

Motion: Margaret Borden – Adopt the agenda (Appendix A) as presented with the correction of two typing errors.

Second: Luther Elmore

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Opening Words

The Vice-President read a selection from the church hymnal, and the President lit the chalice.

Visitor’s Forum

No visitors were present who did not already have time scheduled on the agenda.

Consent Agenda Items

Minutes from the Prior Meeting: The trustees had reviewed the minutes from the June 2009 meeting prior to this meeting.

Motion: Margaret Borden – Approve the June 2009 minutes as presented.

Second: Michael West

Discussion: None

Vote: All affirmative

New Members and Resignations: The Secretary reported that two new members, Scott Buthke and Andy Silva, had joined the congregation and that no members of the congregation had resigned.

Reports: The trustees had reviewed the consent agenda items prior to the meeting. These included:

Appendix B: Director of Religious Education Report

Appendix C: Treasurer’s Report

Appendix D: Direct of Music Report

Appendix E: Executive Directors Report

The trustees present also discussed the following items related to the content of the consent agenda items:

The trustees noted that the music report contained some very exciting items including the Artists in Residence program for the season with the Austin Chamber of Music. The Director of Music noted that no improvements to the sound system will be required for this program.

The Executive Director (ED) reported that he was close to being able to hire a new, highly qualified bookkeeper. The Treasurer gave an explanation of several income line items and funds on the balance sheet and answered several questions from trustees.

Motion: Michael West — Accept the Consent Agenda Item Reports including the new members.

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Discussion and Action Items

Policy Updates on Checking and Investment Accounts: The Treasurer presented proposed policies (Appendix F) to make signing authority for the investment accounts match that which was approved for the operating account at the last meeting. The ability to sign for payments and withdrawals from these accounts would be through a Letter of Authorization process which provides greater security and would eliminate the ability of people to do so through online access. The Treasurer noted that the Vice-President would be added as a backup signatory and for large amounts for all accounts. He answered several questions from trustees on the new processes.

Motion: Margaret Borden – Approve the signatory authority policy changes as presented.

Second: Eric Stimmel

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Stewardship Committee Budget Resolution Proposal: The Chair of the Stewardship Committee Chair presented a proposed resolution (see below) that the Board of Trustees would present a balanced budget for the next fiscal year to congregation at The December Congregational Meeting. The resolution was based upon a meeting of the congregation that been held on June 15, 2009 and had established “dream” priorities for the Fall Canvass.

The trustees discussed ways in which this priority might be presented to the larger congregation so that it might motivate greater pledging among those who had not attended the June 15 meeting and who might not be as aware of the budget needs and budget history of the church.

The trustees also expressed a desire that the development of the budget be based upon a realistic projection of the true funding needed to support the ministries, programs and operations of the church so that a true “stretch goal” could be established.

The Stewardship Committee Chair expressed his need to be true to the wishes of the church as expressed at the June 15 meeting. He presented the resolution as follows:

Whereas, the Congregation has demonstrated through the success of the Spring Canvass that it wishes to put the Church’s financial house in order; and,

Whereas, more than 100 members of the congregation met on June 15 and rank-ordered “dream” priorities to guide the annual Fall Canvass; and,

 Whereas, the highest-rank ordered choice for the year 2010 is “Balance the Budget”; and,

Whereas, the second and third rank-ordered choices are Building Interior Facelift and Kitchen Renovation; now therefore,

Be it resolved that the Board of Trustees will present to the Congregation at the Annual Meeting in December 2009

a) A balanced budget for 2010; and,

b) Funding that is secured beyond the base budget shall be allocated to fulfilling the dreams of Building Interior Facelift and Kitchen Renovation.

Motion: Michael West – Adopt the resolution as presented.

Second: Jeff Hutchens

Discussion: None

Vote: Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Proposal for the Establishment of Internal Audit Committee: The Treasurer presented a proposal to establish an Internal Audit Committee (Appendix G). The proposal would address the change to the Financial Assets Management Policy, the second vote for which will occur at the December Congregational Meeting. Several trustees asked question about the proposal including how many members would serve, how they would be appointed and what types and what frequency of audits would occur.

The Treasurer tabled the proposal until the August meeting so that it can be put into the standard policies and procedures format.

Interim Minister Search Task Force

Motion: Laura Wood — Thank the task force for their outstanding work.

Second: Luther Elmore

Discussion: None

Vote: Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Chris Jimmerson)

Nominating Committee Vacancies: The President reported that due to Shannon Vyff moving out of town and to the resignation of Mary Jane Ford, there were two vacancies on the nominating committee. Sandra Reis and Michael LeBurkien had both expressed interested in serving on the committee. The Trustees discussed procedure for moving forward as to whether to appoint replacement members or to ask the committee to appoint a Chair and then bring back recommendations.

Motion: Chris Jimmerson – Appoint Sandra Reis and Michael LeBurkien to the Nominating Committee and ask the committee to name a Chair by the August meeting of the Board of Trustees

Second: Luther Elmore

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Interim Ministry Transition Team: Michael West presented the UUA recommended Interim Ministry Transition Team and the recommended composition for it:

• 5 to 7 members

• Include Past Board Members and long-term, active members

• Do not include immediate past members of the Committee on Ministry, members of the board or their significant others.

The purpose of the team is to serve as a “brain trust” for the Interim Minister throughout the year on the history of the church and to assist with establishing meetings with leadership, etc.

Motion: Luther Elmore – Empower Michael West to put the Interim Ministry Transition Team together

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: None

Vote: All affirmative

Bridge Builders Report: The Action Planning Team (APT) Chair presented the updated Bridge Builders Report (BBR) in chronological order for items to be accomplished and responsibilities and with a graphical chart expressing this information (Appendix H). She expressed the need to bring this forward to the congregation and to begin implementation of it with it with all due haste. She called attention to the section on the justification for a consultant for the process. The Trustees discussed several ways to do so and language for doing so.

The Secretary spoke about the recent training session on Policy Governance (PG) that he had attended and noted that PG would address many of the items in the BBR. For example, PG also begins with establishing values-mission-vision and would require establishing policies addressing many of the governance issues in the BBR. He raised a concern that we not have separate groups addressing such issues but in different ways.

The President asked for some slight revisions in the format of the BBR that would provide clarity and the Chair of the APT agreed to revise the document with help and review from the President. The Trustees discussed the need to move forward with the BBR and adopt it as a board, along with ensuring that the move forward be consistent with adopting PG.

The secretary suggested the following resolution:

Resolved that:

A. We as the BoT express our extreme gratitude to the Action Planning Team for their outstanding work and fully endorse and commit to the issue areas and objectives set out in the report.

B. We hereby appoint a Policy Governance Planning and Implementation Team that will be charged with developing a plan for instituting Policy Governance (PG), including but not limited to the following specific actions:

1. Research and determine the resources that will be needed and the work plan that will be required to institute PG, beginning with a process to develop value/mission/vision/ends statements with all due haste and designed to maximize congregational participation and commitment.

2. By the August board meeting, identify any of the objectives in the BBR that would not be addressed through moving toward PG and any objectives that will need an interim process put into place during the time period before PG can be fully instituted.

3. Create a plan for educating the congregation on PG.

C. The initial PG Team will consist of Margaret Borden, Chris Jimmerson, and Brendan Sterne, the Executive Director and the Interim Minister. The PG team may recruit additional members if they determine it is needed.

D. We will present the BBR objectives to the congregation through all reasonable means, including but not limited to:

1. Publishing the BBR on the website.

2. Announcements during worship services

3. Articles in the newsletter and weekly announcements with links to the webpage

4. Schedule within one month a “Very Special Meet and Eat” or other such meeting invitation to the congregation for the APT to present the BBR objectives and the BoT to endorse and commit to them.

Motion: Eric Stimmel – Adopt the resolution as presented.

Second: Brendan Sterne

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All affirmative.

The Secretary volunteered to take responsibility for making sure a Meet and Eat or other suitable congregational meeting to announce the BBR gets scheduled and for posting the BBR to the website as soon as the edited version is available.

Human Resources Committee: The President noted that the committee needed to be reactivated and that Sheila Gladstone would like to Chair it.

Motion: Chris Jimmerson — Reestablish the Human Resources committee and appoint Sheila Gladstone as Chair of the committee.

Second: Luther Elmore

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Sponsorship of UU Fellowship for Ron Phares: The President reported that Ron Phares had requested the sponsorship of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin and gave a brief overview of what would be involved, noting it is minimal. A trustee noted that they did not have enough knowledge about Mr. Phares to make a decision

Motion: Michael West – Sponsor the fellowship for Ron Phares

Second: Brendan Sterne

Discussion: Several trustees noted the strong contributions Ron Phares has made to the church.

Vote: Affirmative – 9, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Laura Wood)

Vacation Leave Policy Change: The ED presented a proposed change to the vacation leave policy (Appendix I) designed to prevent the future accrual of large amounts of staff vacation leave that had been occurring while fairly resolving current leave accruals.

Motion: Laura Wood – adopt the revised Vacation Leave Policy as presented.

Second: Jeff Hutchens

Discussion: None

Vote: All Affirmative

Recycling Issues: The ED presented a report (Appendix J) that recycling in the church had been started on a volunteer basis but that it was no longer assigned as a responsibility to any particular person or group. He requested that the board clarify role responsibility for recycling. Trustees expressed concern that such projects occur in the church through volunteers but that volunteer support wanes over time, leaving such projects to staff. The ED had suggested the following motion to address both the issues of responsibility and authority:

The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin Board of Trustees hereby assigns to the executive director responsibility for creating and maintaining a viable program to recycle the paper, plastic, glass, and cans generated by church activities. The Board of Trustees furthermore trusts the executive director to assign this responsibility the appropriate level of priority and attention it deserves relative to the other tasks and responsibilities assigned to him, even if this means that the recycling program becomes inactive in the short-term.

Motion: Michael West – adopt the motion suggested by the ED.

Second: Brendan Sterne

Discussion: None

Vote: All affirmative

The President noted that there was an Executive Session on the agenda but that the meeting had reached its time limit.

Motion: Aaron Osmer – extend the meeting by 15 minutes

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: None

Vote: Affirmative – 9, Negative – 1, Abstain – 0

Executive Session: The Trustees entered Executive Session to discuss personnel issues and persons who were not trustees left the room, with the exception of the Executive Director who was needed to inform the discussion.

 Adjourn: After the Executive Session and with no further business, the President adjourned the meeting at 9:45 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Chris Jimmerson

Secretary

July BoT Meeting Agenda and Supporting Materials (except for Appendix E below)

July Director of Music Report (Appendix E)

July 2009 Finance Committee Reports

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 6:30 P.M.,

First UU Church of Austin, 4700 Grover, Austin, TX 78756 in the Gallery

Members Present: Nell Newton, President; Eric Stimmel, Vice-President; Luther Elmore, Treasurer; Chris Jimmerson, Secretary; Sheila Gladstone, Immediate Past President, Ex-Officio; Margaret Borden; Derek Howard; Jeff Hutchens; Aaron Osmer, Youth Trustee; Brendan Sterne; Michael West; Laura Wood.

Staff Present: Sean Hale, Executive Director; Lara Douglass, Director of Religious Education; Brent Baldwin, Music Director

Visitors Present: Rev. Janet Newman, future Interim Minister, Ron Turner. Henry Hug and Stephan Windsor appeared later during the meeting.

Call to Order and Introductions

The President called the meeting to order with all trustees present. Trustees, staff and visitors briefly introduced themselves to the church’s new Interim Minister, who will be joining the church in mid-August.

Adoption of Agenda

Motion: Derek Howard – Adopt the agenda as presented

Second: Luther Elmore

The agenda was adopted as presented.

Opening Words

The Treasurer read the selection “We need one another” from the church hymnal, and the President lit the chalice.

Visitor’s Forum

Ron Turner expressed the profound, positive opportunity this Board of Trustees will have working with Interim Minister, Janet Newman and wished the group well.

Consent Agenda Items

The trustees had reviewed the consent agenda items prior to the meeting. In addition to the prior meeting minutes, these included:

Appendix A: Director of Religious Education Report

Appendix B: Treasurer’s Report

Appendix C: Direct of Music Report

Appendix D: Executive Directors Report

The President reported that three new members had joined the church since the last meeting, Margaret S. Nott, Douglas Manger, and Pat Whalen. No members had resigned. The trustees present also discussed the following items related to the content of the consent agenda items:

A Trustee asked if there were any major items left to be completed related to the installation of the solar panels. The Executive Director (ED) reported that major work had been completed. A trustee also asked for an update on the timeline for installation of the large speakers stored in Howsen Hall that had been donated. Staff reported that this was on a timeline for October.

The Chair of the Stewardship Committee gave a verbal presentation and reported that over 100 church members had attended the Stewardship Committee’s meeting to establish a “stretch goal” to motivate increased giving for the Fall Campaign and that Elizabeth Grey had provided outstanding facilitation for the meeting. The members attending the meeting had established balancing the budget as their top priority, followed by a “face lift” for the building interior and then by updating the church kitchen. The Stewardship will get with the Finance Committee and then the Board to establish goals for the campaign. He reported that the committee had a great meeting with Rev. Newman and that she has much experience in this area.

The Treasurer presented on several ways in which he is working to streamline and simplify the financial statements and to make them more specific and organized, with a goal of completing these changes within three months. He answered several questions from Trustees on how the different reports related to one another. Several trustees suggested that setting up a separate time to do a “financials 101” for trustees would be very helpful.

Motion: Michael West – Accept the consent agenda items.

Second: Derek Howard

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All affirmative

Discussion and Action Items

Bridge Builders Report: The Action Planning Team (APT) reported that no changes had yet been made to the report since the recent Board of Trustees retreat. The APT had met with Rev. Newman and will be refining the report further as related to target dates and responsibilities.

The trustees discussed whether this report was an APT report or a Board of Trustees report and that it would need to become a board responsibility at some point.

Motion: Brendan Sterne – Ask the APT to review and revise it as needed to ensure that timelines are reasonable and consistent and appropriate accountability is assigned and then bring it back to the board.

Second: Chris Jimmerson

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All affirmative.

Committee Liaisons: The President asked that each Trustee serve as a liaison to at least one church committee and noted that liaisons did not have to attend all the meetings of their committees but would serve as the primary contact for that committee. The Trustees discussed the following in relation to committee liaisons:

• Have liaisons engage in meaningful interactions with their committees, know their purpose and association with the church and any know metrics used to measure progress / success.
• Develop liaison job descriptions to provide them with greater guidance and accountability.
• There will be liaisons for church committees but not groups.
• Some administrative and operational committees are working with the Executive Director and in these cases (for example I.T.) it might be more efficient not to have a Trustee as a liaison or at the very least have the liaison work through the Executive Director.
• Charge liaisons with being the Trustee who knows the most about their committees.

The trustees signed a list for which committees they would serve as a liaison (Appendix E).

Convening of Nominating Committee: The President reported that the Nominating Committee must be convened by the President and that she was hereby doing so. She also reported on two other items related to the committee:

• The President proposed that the Trustees also charge the committee with leadership development in addition to their role in screening and nominating leadership.
• There are more persons interested in serving on the nominating committee than open slots; however, the bylaws do not allow for expanding the membership of the committee. Having non-members participate in screening activities is not possible due to confidentiality concerns. The committee could consult with outside expertise for items such as developing leadership materials.

Motion: Margaret Borden – charge the nominating committee with preparing a leadership development program and drafting any language changes to the bylaws and policies and procedures that this new charge might necessitate, ensuring that such language is consistent with the Bridge Builders Report. Present this draft by the September 2009 Board of Trustees meeting.

Second: Eric Stimmel

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All affirmative.

Rental Policy/Contracts/Rates: The ED presented a proposed revision to the Facilities Rental Contract and Policies (Appendix F) and reviewed the major changes. Of special note was that asking for donations for alcoholic beverages is considered the same as selling them. This will need to be applied to church groups also.

A trustee recommended a slight change to the language of the document so that it would be internally consistent regarding refunds of deposits and payments.

Motion: Derek Howard – Approve the contract with the change recommended above.

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All affirmative.

Committee/Sub-Committee on Investments: The Treasurer presented a lack of clarity on the appropriate structure for the committee that had been managing investments for the church. The question before the trustees was whether this committee is more appropriately a stand-alone committee or a sub-committee of the finance committee.

The Chair of the Finance Committee presented his recommendation that investments fall under the responsibilities of the Finance Committee and gave the following discussion points:

• The Chair of the Committee on Investments has done a lot of good work and this work could continue with the committee functioning under the Finance Committee.
• Members of the finance committee have expertise that could inform investment decisions.
• Putting all fiscal activities under one committee allows for finances to be reviewed in a more comprehensive manner.
• The current system in which investments are managed independently of the finance committee has lead to instances wherein investments were not maintained efficiently.
• Placing investments within the Finance Committee would allow for housekeeping related to them, allow us to look comprehensively at finances and avoid overburdening the Treasurer.

He presented a recommended change to the language related to this in the policies and procedures (Appendix G).

The Chair of the Committee/Sub-Committee on Investments presented his recommendation that the committee be a separate committee from the Finance Committee and gave the following discussion points:

• After the FAMP was adopted, the Committee on Investments was created to invest in the stock market on behalf of the church. About 5 years ago the committee requested of the Board of Trustees atthat the committee be made a committee of the board and the request was approved; however, the policy change was never made in the manual.
• If investments were done under the Finance Committee it would involve 8 or more people which would be unwieldy.
• Not all Finance Committee members have investment experience.
• The current policy says that having a Committee on Investments that is a sub-committee of the Finance Committee is a “suggestion”.

He presented the current policy and leadership lists that listed the committee as a stand alone in the prior year but a sub-committee this year (Appendix H).

The trustees discussed the following issues related to these presentations:

• The question was raised of why it would matter if some finance committee members did not have investment experience given that we have a professional investments advisor. The Chair of the Committee/Sub-Committee on investments expressed his belief in a need to be able to speak the language of investments.
• Concerns were raised over whether this committee/sub-committee had been subject to normal Nominating Committee process and proper periodic reviews of its membership, the investment advisor, etc.
• It was noted that given the above, the church had been fortunate to have competent, honest people on the committee/sub-committee, as the lack of clarity and review of the proper structure and role for it could have failed to protect the church without such honesty and competence; thus, no matter what action might be taken we owe them a debt of gratitude and any action taken would not be a vote of no confidence.
• The investment accounts have outperformed the market in general.
• As a part of the move toward policy governance, the Finance Committee had been visualized as the single point of contact for all financial information.

Motion: Jeff Hutchens – Reaffirm that investment work is a responsibility of the Finance Committee.

Second: Margaret Borden

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative – 10, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Luther Elmore)

Change to Check Signing Authority Policy: The ED and Treasurer presented a proposed revision to the policy regarding check signing authority (Appendix I).

Motion: Margaret Borden – Approve the revisions to the policy regarding check signing authority as presented.

Second: Michael West

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All affirmative.

Resolution on New Checking Signatories: The Secretary presented a resolution that the bank would need to institute the policy above, “Resolved that the following persons be authorized as checking account signatories for First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin – Nell Newton, Luther Elmore and Sean Hale.

Motion: Derek Howard – approve the resolution.

Second: Brendan Sterne

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All affirmative

Snack Schedule: The Secretary had forwarded a schedule for when which Trustee would provide snacks at board meetings (Appendix J). The President asked that Trustees notify the Secretary if they switch schedules with one another.

Executive Director’s Goals through 2009: The Trustees resumed discussion of the ED goals (Appendix K) that had begun at the retreat and discussed the need to counter balance respecting the work the Vice-President and ED had done in establishing the prioritization of goals and the need to support the new Interim Minister, as the success of the interim ministry is paramount to the church. The ED suggested that as the Stewardship Committee is functioning very well, his top priority goals in support of Stewardship could be moved to secondary priorities and that this would allow him time to work with and support the Interim Minister (moving this goal to the top priority list).

Motion: Laura Wood — Endorse and support the ED goals with the changes suggested above.

Second: Jeff Hutchens

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All affirmative.

Holiday Policy Change: The ED presented a proposed revision to the Holidays policy (Appendix L).

Motion: Derek Howard – adopt the revised Holidays Policy as presented.

Second: Laura Wood

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: All affirmative.

Executive Session: The Trustees entered Executive Session to discuss personnel issues and persons who were not trustees left the room.

After confidential discussion, the Trustees came out of Executive Session.

Motion: Derek Howard – Extend the length of the meeting by five minutes to allow business to be completed.

Second: Jeff Hutchens

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative – 10, Negative – 1, Abstain – 0

Motion: Derek Howard – Adopt the proposed letters of agreement with the Director of Religious Education and the Music Director as presented and amended.

Second: Luther Elmore

Discussion: There was no further discussion.

Vote: Affirmative – 10, Negative – 0, Abstain – 1 (Aaron Osmer)

Adjourn: With no further business, the President adjourned the meeting at 9:35 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Chris Jimmerson

Secretary

Reports and Supporting Documents:

• Agenda Adopted at Meeting
• Appendix A — DRE Report
• Appendix B — Treasurer’s Report
• Appendix C — Music Director’s Report
• Appendix D — Executive Director’s Report
• Appendix E — BoT Liaisons to Committees
• Appendix F — Change to Rental Policy
• Appendix G — Finance Committee Chair Handout
• Appendix H — Investments Sub-Committee Chair Handouts
• Appendix I — Changes to Check Signing Authority Policy
• Appendix J — Refreshments Schedule
• Appendix K — Executive Director Goals
• Appendix L — Changes to Holidays Policy

Board of Trustees Meeting

May19th, 2009

The regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Board of Trustees of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin was held on Tuesday, May 19^th, 6:30pm at the church. 

Members present: President Sheila Gladstone, Vice President Nell Newton, Treasurer Luther Elmore, Secretary Shannon Vyff, Mark Kilpatrick (Ex-Officio), Youth Trustee Aaron Osmer, Bonny Gardner, Derek Howard, Jeffrey Hutchens, Eric Stimmel, and Michael West.

Staff present: Sean Hale, Executive Director, Lara Douglass Director of Religious Education, and Brent Baldwin Music Director.

Visitor’s present: Brendan Sterne, Chris Jimmerson, Laura Wood, Margaret Borden, John Franks, Ruth Marie and Eugene Balaguer.                                                                              

Call to Order

President Sheila Gladstone called the meeting to order at 6:37pm.

Adopt Agenda

Michael West moved to adopt the agenda, it was seconded and the agenda was adopted as presented.

Opening Words

Nell Newton gave our opening words.  She used a poem provided by Michael West: “The Good Prayer”, adapted from “The Lord’s Prayer” and in the spirit of Jefferson’s Bible:

Hear me, all ye who do good,

I honor your deeds and praise them.

May goodness continue to flow from you

 and from us all,

Until life on Earth is perfected

 and none suffer.

By our efforts

 may all be ensured their daily bread.

By our efforts

  may we forgive those who trespass against us,

  that we may be forgiven too,

  and peace reign.

Let none of us be tempted into childishness or animality

  Though it bring us momentary pleasure.

Instead, let us call each other

   to greater kindness and wisdom,

   to greater forbearance and creativity,

   in everything we do.

For in goodness lies the path

   to more freedom and more life,

In goodness lies the power,

And in goodness lies the glory,

For ever and ever.

Amen.

Sheila Gladstone thanked the incoming board members for attending the meeting, Brenden Sterne, Laura Wood, Margaret Borden and Chris Jimmerson.

Visitor’s Forum

There were 8 visitors.

Nancy Neavel shared a letter from UU Houston that was to be passed around and included in the minutes (Exhibit A).

Beverly Donoghue thanked the current board for all, all they endured for the past year and all they accomplished. She thanked them for their leadership.

 Consent Agenda:

Approve Minutes

The April minutes were approved.

New Members and Resignations:

There were 5 new members since the April board meeting and 0 resignation. The following new members were announced and recorded at the May board meeting: Name redated from web versions of minutes at the member’s request, Peter Pope, Amy Edwards McFadden, Emily Wethington and Vanessa MacDougal.

Reports

*Director of Religious Education Lara Douglass’ report is attached (Exhibit B).

*Treasurer Luther Elmore’s reports are attached (Exhibits C).

*Director of Music Brent Baldwin’s report is attached (Exhibit D).

*Executive Director Sean Hale’s reports are attached (Exhibits E).

There was discussion on the consent agenda items.

From the Executive Director’s report, a particular issue regarding the office being closed to the public on Mondays so that the office staff can have time to focus was discussed.  They will still check messages.  Derek and Bonny had questions for Sean about how it will work. Bonny said she had called 5 mid-sized area churches earlier in the day and only one did not have a live person answer the phone, it was another UU church.  Both Bonny and Derek expressed concern that there should be a live person answering our church phone, Derek pointed out that this is common practice in many businesses as well as most churches. Derek said that maybe we can have volunteers answer phones. Sheila said that we cannot discuss every staff issue and that some things we need to leave to the discretion of our Executive Director, such as our staff issues for which we hired him. She asked if anyone was willing to help coordinate volunteers to answer the phones, no one was. Sean thanked the volunteers that have been coming to help in the office but agreed that it would be hard to have volunteers there to answer the phones at all times.  Sean said that productivity has gone up when they have let the phone ring and check messages later, they are able to focus more and complete more work. Michael West suggested that with the remodel of the church office that perhaps there could be a secluded place established for people to work, allowing congregant access to the building without interrupting staff.  Visitor Chris Jimmerson, the incoming Board Secretary, said that when his workplace instated a similar policy, but to not answer the phones on Friday, they found that responsiveness was increased on the other four work week days, since staff had completed more and could more readily respond. Eric said this is a way Sean is trying to help the office staff focus on finance issues.  Bonny said she supports Sean and understands the need for office to focus, but wants flexibility to be an option. Bonny was worried that Sean’s report seemed to talk about using voice mail during the whole week. Visitor Margaret Borden, incoming Board member, said that the board is stuck in the nitty gritty right now and that she agrees with board President Sheila, that we need to trust Sean—and then ask for a report in the future, of how it is going. Jeff Hutchens agreed, and said he’d like to see a report about how the changes are going in a future board meeting.  Aaron also agreed that Sean can make decisions for the staff since that is what he is paid for, the board can be advisors but aren’t the be all and end all of what needs to be done with his job.  Nell said that the summer will be a great opportunity to see what will happen if we trust Sean to do his job.  Sheila pointed out that we don’t manage our Director of Religious Education or Music Director.  Sean assured all that in addition to the messages being regularly checked, they are looking at implementing a caller ID system and he will do a report on how the changes are going at a future board meeting.

From the DRE’s report, it was commented that RE has been having excellent attendance.  Lara said that we have a new Youth Director named Scott Butki.  Aaron Osmer our Youth Trustee said that from what he has seen of Scott so far that he is one of best Youth Advisors they’ve had in a long time. Lara said that is last DRE said he was wonderful and had been reliable as a volunteer. 

From the Music Director’s report there was a question about the Children’s Choir.  The parents of the children who had been in choir are looking for ways to continue it, as it had been cut from the budget. Currently it will not start up in fall unless funds are found. Brent said they are looking at having a benefit concert.  It was commented that the music has been excellent as usual and Brent was thanked for his work.

From the Treasurer’s report, Luther pointed out that some of the old restricted funds were closed and moved.  There is currently $66,000.00 outstanding from the Spring Stewardship campaign that raised the $100,000.00 amount to close the deficit.  The Finance Committee has been working on a new format; Sean has been using Quick Books, which has not been clear to use and not compatible with all our systems.  Stephan Windsor and Eugene Balaguer have been helping set up a new system that will be compatible and will work better.  Sheila said that in the past the Finance Committee has been working separately from the board, now they’ve moved their meeting time to work with the board more.

ACTION:  Derek Howard moved to approve the consent agenda items, the movement was seconded, the vote was taken and the consent agenda items were passed.

Stewardship

Bill Edwards passed out a report for stewardship, (Exhibit F).  He invited everyone to the celebratory potluck being put on by Stewardship this coming Saturday. Our incoming Interim Minister Janet Newman will be visiting our church in June and will be attending a dinner hosted by Stewardship on Monday June 15^th at 6:30pm.  The focus will be to gage from our congregation what we should focus on as a theme for the Fall Stewardship campaign. There will be a presentation by Stewardship at the dinner, and a discussion—Stewardship will then present to the board at the next board meeting.  A few things have been suggested as a Fall Campaign focus such as creating a second minister position.  Bill said that the Fall Campaign will be plain, simple and by the book.  We do need to identify what will inspire our members to give, but also the “real deal” is that we must change the culture our church has with giving. 

Sean pointed out that in his “08 Incomplete Pledge Report” that there was $90,000.00 in incomplete pledges; this was 17% of all pledges. Other churches usually have 3 to 8% of their pledges unfulfilled to normal attrition; people moving or having hardship/losing jobs etc.  We have not been collecting this information on why our members are not fulfilling their pledges and are implementing systems so this can be done.  Mainly this much higher than average rate at First UU was due to internal problems. 25% of credit card pledges were incomplete; this is mostly an administrative issue.  Fixing these problems will help Stewardship.  Setting up a system on how to handle the sensitive calls, determining when to have follow up calls, or how to help when help is needed is all going to make Stewardship’s job easier.  Sean is looking at other churches and how they do this, and also looking at other organizations.  Ron Turner has been helping Sean with this.  The goal to get this new system in place is for ’10, but it may be starting to help with fall ‘09’s Campaign. Luther said that our rate of unfulfilled pledges compared to other churches is shocking. He feels a lot of this comes back to the culture of our church that must be changed.  Derek asked what our rate of unfulfilled pledges has been in past years.  Mark said that we’ve budgeted 5% into our budget for unfulfilled pledges in past years.  Sean said that we do have the raw data, but it would take a lot of time and talent to find out the actual figures.  Michael West said the staff time is better spent focusing on our present and future as a priority till we get extra staff.

Paradox Players

Anne Edwards passed out a paper with the history of Paradox Players (Exhibit G).  She says that they realize that some of their history with First UU has been lost over the years.  She thanked Chris Jimmerson for checking in the Policies and Procedures to see that Paradox Players is an “affiliated group”. Paradox Players got its start at First UU as being part of worship, and it then expanded into a part of church community.  Today it serves our church community and greater Austin community in many ways.  Local non-profits can buy a performance for five hundred and get all the profits from that performance’s house.  For all the other performances the full proceeds are donated to our church.  Paradox Players is currently funding and helping with the remodel of the church office. They appreciate all the support they get from First UU with meeting spaces, use of the copy machine, donating of props, and wonderful stage/lighting facilities.   They choose plays for their interesting artistic or political value and how they relate to or exemplify ono of our UU principles.  Actors say that working with Paradox Players feels more like being in a family, compared to working in other theatre groups, due to their diligence with upholding standards of respect. Paradox Player performances are also a portal for members of the greater Austin community to learn about and come into our church. One performance of each play has free childcare provided. Chris Jimmerson added that the opportunity to engage our greater Austin community with our UU principles during the Q&A with the audience after each play helps educate people.  Many plays such as Necessary Target deal with important current issues that are touchy subjects in our society. 

Congratulations First UU Member Lee Leffingwell Austin’s New Mayor

Sean Hale passed out a card for board members and senior staff to sign, congratulating Austin’s New Mayor, our First UU member Lee Leffingwell.  Lee has been a long time member and supporter of First UU and we wish him the best with his new position and thank him for his support of First UU in years past and presently.

Board Appointees to Nominating Committee

Sheila said that we were supposed to appoint the board appointees to the nominating committee in April.  We are in a wonderful situation where we have more volunteers than we have space, in particular for the Nominating Committee.  Jennifer Lohlin was appointed to the Nominating Committee to fill in a vacancy in spring, the Committee has been happy with her work.  Jeannette Swenson would like to see the Nominating Committee develop a strong focus on training and encouraging leadership.  Sandra Reis has similar ideas and also wanted to serve, but the two positions the board appoints to nominating are filled.  Shannon Vyff will be moving to England in August, so there will be another opening on the Nominating Committee and they may choose to include Sandra then. 

ACTION:  Michael West moved to approve the board appointees to Nominating Committee of Jennifer Lohlin and Jeanette Swenson, it was seconded, the vote was taken and the approval passed.

Interim Search Task Force

Michael West wanted his report attached so people can have it as reference in the future (Exhibit H)

Janet Newman will be starting as the Interim Minister at First UU this September 1^st. She has even offered to come and start doing some work early without pay. She’ll be here June 15^th through 17^th to meet with church leadership, committees and congregants. There will be a dinner hosted by Stewardship Monday the 15^th at 6:30pm that she’ll be attending, as well as a dinner at 6:00pm Wednesday the 17^th.  She is moving from Alabama where she has been the Interim Minister for the past year, she is originally from Florida.  She specialized in being an Interim Minister, you can read more of her philosophy and work on her website—she usually completes her work in a year, we have offered two years of employment to her—but she’ll address how things are going next January to see if she thinks we need that or not, as she usually only needs one year to get her job done.  Michael West said the quality of the candidates was excellent.  All 4 that were presented to First UU had great experience; only 1 was not a specialized Interim Minister.  Janet’s background has included dealing with funding problems, property problems, big church splits, dismissals, retirings and more.  She has come up with Right Relations as solutions in some congregations, this is something that has been suggested for our and we look forward to her views on it. The references for all the candidates were quite candid about their strengths and weaknesses. All the candidates were highly recommended—the task force took the feedback they received from the congregation through surveys and meetings, to choose the candidate that would be best for First UU’s needs. Michael west will email the 9 things he thinks a Task Force should do in the future.  1. Start forming earlier 2. Meet earlier 3. Have good communication about time commitments before starting.  4. Have teleconference ability by phone or net set up before beginning. 5. Have fed ex set up.  6. Work with the tech team early on about creating surveys. & discuss and collect what relevant documents are needed for the candidates to review. 7.Create secure church overview packets online instead of mailing packets, as this would save mailing money and be easier for the candidates.  8. Begin checking references before packets are fully put together and shared. 9. Form an Interim Search & Welcoming Committee to help with their transition into our community. Michael said that all the candidates surprisingly knew a lot about our church and its recent activities by reading documents up on our web site. They all had great and valid suggestions. All the candidates were positive, encouraging and all were very well informed about the dismissal and its various issues. Michael spoke with District Executives about our recent work, including how we’ve put together the Interim position, how we’ve hired the consultants and how we are moving forward, the feedback has been very positive and favorable of the job we’ve been doing. They were impressed by how we have more people wanting to be on the board than we have board positions, that we’ve filled a hundred thousand dollar gap in our budget.  They had not heard that we are a “toxic church”; Sean noted that he also did not hear that from the UUA people he talked with or other churches.  Several of the people Michael talked to had known Davidson. They had a good understanding of what went on and were supportive of our work into the future.  There was a round of applause for all that the Interim Search Task Force did, and thanks for choosing such a stellar Interim Minister.  The Interim Task Force members are Michael West, Chris Jimmerson, Gary Bennett, Nance Benet, and Dale Witaker Lewis.

Pre-School RE Teacher

Our DRE has the authority to hire and fire our RE staff. She had the position for pre-school teacher advertised, and approached some parents about it with no luck on filling it. Her husband Bill Douglass agreed to be the teacher and said he’d love to come back and do it again. All on the board said he was a wonderful pre-school teacher. Sheila said he’d helped her daughter to overcome her shyness when he taught her in pre-K. Shannon said that she’d co-taught with him and he presented our UU ideals in a funny and engaging way that the children really responded to.  Aaron said he is excellent and much loved by all the age groups. If approved he’ll be under the supervision of Cyndi Stein the RE assistant and he can go to the board if he has any problems. 

ACTION: Bonny made a motion and it was seconded to approve Bill Douglass as the Pre-School teacher, the vote was taken and it was enthusiastically unanimous that “Mr. Bill” will be our Pre-School teacher.

Policies and Procedures Update

Sean presented a proposed update to our Policies and Procedures. He worked with Eric Stimmel to set up a default for board meeting and congregational meeting dates.  We have needed to formalize them for a while; this will make it easier for people considering a board position to see if they can commit to the time.  Nominating Committee will be able to show incoming board members the set schedule. Previously the incoming board has set the year’s meeting, and this causes it to change for year to year and it has not been able to present the next year’s calendar to incoming board members.  Having formalized dates helps the Senior Staff to be able to plan their upcoming years.

ACTION: Derek moved to approve the proposed Policies and Procedures wording regarding meeting times, the movement was seconded, the vote was taken, and it passed.

Board Approval Committee Chairs recommended by Nominating Committee

The Board is supposed to approve the Committee Chairs before the Spring Congregational meeting. Since the board did not do that in the meeting before the Spring Congregational meeting, the board is will do it at this meeting right after the Spring Congregational Meeting. 

ACTION: Derek moved to approve the Committee Chairs, it was seconded and the movement was approved.

Good-Bye to our departing board members

Sheila thanked the departing board members. Last year Mark made cute poems, today at work she spent time hand making book marks that have a chalice traversing rough waters with an inspirational poem.  She thanked the outgoing board members for what they went through, for all the hours they put in—for the compassion and strength that they showed.  Jeff and Luther gave presents to the outgoing board members. Emily Wethington gave baskets of gifts to them as well. Emily Wethington also gave gift baskets and cards signed by many church members to all board members as thanks for the year of service on behalf of Fellowship Committee.

Transition Issues

There will be an upcoming board retreat Saturday June 14^th from 10:00am to 4:00pm where the incoming board and continuing board can talk about what the goals are for the next year.  The Edwards will be hosting at their beautiful ranch home, any board members that would like directions or additional information on what will be covered can contact Nell Newton.

Nell moved to extend the meeting 15 minutes at 9:36; the movement was seconded and approved.

Executive Session

Eric Stimel brought an issue to the board that required an executive session. Where staff is asked to leave while the board discusses a staff issues.  As we convened our senior staff and visitors were asked to leave so that we could discuss an issue regarding severance agreements. The issues were discussed, the background and what was being requested of the board. The board cannot take action during executive session since it is not public and thus not official. The board came out of executive session and took action on what they had discussed.

 ACTION: Nell moved that a draft proposal for severance coverage for the DRE and MD would be presented for approval at the next board meeting, the movement was seconded, and it passed. 

Calendar

The calendar dates are listed on the back of the meeting agenda.  The incoming Board Secretary will be setting the next year’s schedule at the next board meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:00pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Shannon Vyff, Secretary

Supporting Documents (Appendices A and F will be scanned and added soon)