MINUTES of ACTV Board of Directors Meeting

Date: Thursday, January 11, 2007

 

Call to Order:

The meeting convened at 7:35 PM, Isaac BenEzra presiding.

 

Board Members present: Isaac BenEzra, Ernie Urvater, Josna Rege, Anna Carter, Alan Root, Dennis Steiner, Vladimir Morales

 

Board Members absent: Mary Paris, Paulette Brooks, Jean Haggerty, Lacey Johnston

 

Quorum status: This constitutes a quorum of the Board.

 

Others Present: Jim MacAllister, Kathleen Fisher

 

Approval of Minutes, December Board Meeting

The Draft Minutes of the December Board Meeting were presented to the board for amendment and approval.

MOTION:

A motion was made and seconded to:

Approve the draft minutes of the December Board Meeting as amended.

The motion passed unanimously.

 

Treasurer’s Report (see November budget, with notes))

Treasurer Anna Carter presented the November 2006 Budget Report.

MOTION

A motion was made and seconded to:

Accept the November Treasurer’s Report, subject to audit.

The motion passed unanimously.

 

President’s Report

President BenEzra reported on the status of the ongoing contract negotiations with the Town of Amherst and responded to questions from the Board. Control over the capital funds from Comcast is still an outstanding issue. 

 

—Mr. BenEzra also discussed various options under consideration for subsidized sources of person-power at the station, specifically, student interns from the University and colleges, and positions for two half-time Senior aides. A discussion ensued on what kind of need there was for additional staff or volunteers, and in what areas of the organization’s work. Mr. Morales recommended the creation and implementation of a work plan.

 

IED’s Report, December 2006 (see attached report)                                                   

—IED Jim MacAllister screened two versions of a proposed disclaimer to be run on ACTV.

MOTION
A motion was made and seconded to:

Approve disclaimer  #2

The motion was approved 6-0, with 1 abstention.

 

—Mr. MacAllister announced the upcoming Piano Benefit Concert, scheduled for March 10, 2007. Mr. Urvater is working to raise money to cover the $300 musician fee. Mr. Morales suggested that ACTV involve the young people who meet at ACTV as ushers for the concert.

 

‑—Mr. MacAllister distributed copies of the draft Newsletter for Board review and comment. The board gave content-related feedback to the IED, and design-related feedback to member Kathleen Fisher, who had volunteered to do the design.

 

Board Executive Session (personnel matters)

MOTION

After the Executive Session, a motion was made and seconded to:

Hire James O’Connor as Program Manager at a starting salary of $27,000, as of January 1, 2007.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

Personnel Committee Report

The Personnel Committee will be reviewing the IED’s evaluation of staff members and also carrying out the IED’s evaluation over the next month. The committee requested that the board send letters of evaluation to them before January 16th, the date of their next meeting.

 

Outreach Committee Report

ACTV T-shirts:

MOTION

A motion was made and seconded to:

Approve the recommendation of the Outreach Committee for a T-shirt logo and to print 50 shirts at the outset. It was requested that the Outreach Committee get a comparison quote from Collective Copies.

The motion was approved unanimously.

 

Fundraising Committee Report

In his fundraising committee capacity, Mr. Urvater raised a policy question on the issue of ACTV’s making and selling DVDs of programs, either to raise funds for itself, or to share funds with another individual or organization. He asked the Board for their input.

 

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 9:58 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Josna Rege

Clerk, ACTV Board of Directors