APRIL 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES
APRIL 2023 BOARD MEETING MINUTES
April 19, 2023
By Elizabeth Henry
Board Members present:
Abbey Bethel, President Abby Goodson, Director Stephen Shuman, Director
Adriano Martinez, President-Elect Margi Koors, Director Connie Suydam, Director
Debby Brown, Treasurer Craig Markham, Director
Elizabeth Henry, Secretary Amanda Ramcharan, Director
Abbey Bethel called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. John Haas, General Member, was in attendance.
Board Introductions
Secretary’s Report
Elizabeth Henry reviewed her understanding of the Secretary role and informed other new Board Members about the procedure for publishing meeting minutes.
Treasurer’s Report
Debby Brown reported on the status of SRG financials as fiscal year-end approaches. The SRG has Revenues year-to-date of almost $52,000 and Expenses to date of approximately $43,000 (net ~$8,800). Cash balances total approximately $84,000, not including a separately held account with a $10,000 donation pledged to the Beautification Committee.
4. Committee Updates
Margi Koors presented as the Membership Committee Liaison:
The annual Membership Drive will take place May 3, 2023, 6 – 9 p.m. Budget is $7,500.
Two contracts were presented for approval by the Board: one to the South Broadway Athletic Club (venue) for $400 and one to musicians to provide entertainment for $100.
All check requests will need to be processed in time for presentment on May 3, 2023.
Margi Koors made the motion to approve the contracts. Seconded by Abby Goodson. All voted in favor.
The motion passed.
Margi Koors also provided STAR Award nominations to the Board. No objections to any presented. A change in membership dues was discussed to streamline and simplify processing as well as improve membership record-keeping and vote counting. The Board agreed to revisit in May for presentment to General Membership.
Old Business
SRG Committee Chair Appointment
Abbey Bethel selected Chris Currington for Chair of Community Involvement and Events.
Connie Suydam made the motion to approve the appointment. Craig Markham seconded. Margi Koors requested her enthusiasm be noted for the record. All voted to approve.
The motion passed.
Mardis Gras, Inc. – SRG Representative Seat
The SRG President is to appoint representatives to the Mardis Gras, Inc. Board, and one of the three SRG seats is term-limited June 2023. Members discussed potential recruits as well as how best to communicate the opportunity more broadly to the neighborhood, including having an MGI Board Member present at the upcoming Membership Drive and detailing the job description in the SRG email blaster.
New Business
Seventh Director Position
Abbey Bethel proposed appointing a Director to the Board with a one-year term because the seventh Director position is not currently filled by an immediate Past President (Secretary note: the Bylaws reference this position in Article VII). It was discussed that in the recent election, Aaron Terry had the most votes for Director of anyone who had not been elected to the Board.
As such, Margi Koors made the motion to install Aaron Terry to the position of Board Director. Adriano Martinez seconded. All voted to approve.
The motion passed.
Board Liaison Assignments for 2023- 2024
Beautification Committee – Connie Suydam
Communications Committee – Abby Goodson
Community Involvement & Events – Stephen Shuman
Development Committee – (open)
Historical Committee – Craig Markham
Membership Committee – Margi Koors
Parlour Tour Committee – Stephen Shuman
Plan Review Team – Amanda Ramcharan
Properties (Soulard Station) – (open)
Safety Committee – Aaron Terry
FY 2024 Budget
The Board discussed how it would receive and review FY 2024 budgets and/or presentations from Committees. Abbey to reach out to committee chairs to communicate the timeline. Budgets will be due June 1. Any presentations will be held on June 21 in lieu of a Board meeting. General membership will have the opportunity to approve committee budgets in July.
It was discussed if there were sufficient funds to reimburse food and beverage expenses for monthly meetings. Abby Goodson made the motion to approve incurring such expenses. Craig Markham seconded. All voted to approve.
The motion passed. Margi Koors will provide food and beverage for the meeting in May.
Board Retreat
Abbey Bethel provided an overview of the purpose of a Board Retreat. The hope is to have an established list of goals to share with general membership so the Board may provide updates on progress throughout the year. Some new members were in favor of having the retreat this summer while others felt they needed more time in their new position first.
The Board ultimately determined that it is in a unique position to synthesize goals presented from the various committees during the budget proposal period, so it will plan to align its vision with those of the committees.
When the committees are presenting their budgets, they will be tasked with clarifying their goals for the year, and those goals will inform the Board’s own big-picture goals.
Margi Koors made the motion to adjourn at approximately 8:35 p.m. Adriano Martinez seconded. Unanimous approval.
The motion passed.