Group Conscience minutes for July 9, 2024
Present in person: Jason H., Rocky, Tom J.
Present via Zoom: Kathy L.
Absent: Theresa W., Becky B., Lauren H., Monica F.
Opened meeting with Serenity Prayer
Regular Reports
Treasurer’s report (Jason H.); Jason summarized the income, expenses, donations to local organization, available cash, and prudent reserve from June 12th to July 8th. Jason noted that there are several donation envelopes since July 1 which have not yet been deposited
Literature and Chips report (Theresa W.); nothing new to report
Webmaster’s report (Lauren H.); nothing new reported, but Lauren did put a more direct link to the Group Conscience Zoom meeting on the 511 website (Thanks!)
GSR Report (Monica F.); nothing new to report Keymaster’s report (Kathy L. is interim keymaster); see discussion below
Old business
White Boards are complete and mounted. Thanks to Michael H. and Randy!
Saturday night 6 PM meetings have begun; Mark P. is chairperson. Going well, new pamphlets will be available which mentions this meeting.
Are the meeting dates/times on master schedule and pamphlets consistent with the Melrose Group website? Not yet.
Painting the rooms? Current results of poll as of July 6: 12 votes cast, 10 Yes, 1 No, 1 Don’t Care. Service work question had same counts. How to proceed? Michael H. will lead.
Movie night? Current results of poll as of July 6: 9 votes cast, 9 Yes, 6 Yes to service work.
We have a DVD player; internet connectivity (if needed) would have to use a hotspot from a phone. Movies do not have to be AA “approved”. Note that we will also need DVDs lent or donated. How to proceed? Need someone to lead this.
Blinds: Melrose Inc. says it would be OK to replace blinds. Kathy L. will look at options/styles to see what is practical. Tom J. will take some rough measurements so that costs can be estimated.
Seating: poll (via a signup sheet) to see whether to repair or replace? Defer action until poll results are available.
Expenditures: for spending on projects, should there be a threshold above where we poll the fellowship for approval? Should this be an absolute amount (e.g., $500) or perhaps a percentage (e.g., 25 percent) of available cash on hand? There was discussion back and forth about what is “available cash on hand”; available cash on hand = account balance – prudent reserve – (rent + literature + chips + coffee).
Jason would like a better idea of our monthly/quarterly spend-down so that we have some basis for planning. Most thought that an absolute ceiling on project cost should be established, although we currently don’t have enough historical data to see how available cash fluctuates; so a solid cost ceiling evades us at the moment.
What is the process? GC would identify a need, poll the fellowship to determine interest, get a ballpark cost estimate for the project, then proceed to Group Conscience for final approval.
New Business
Need an alternate GSR. Kathy suggested we can go without one for a while. GSR participates in meetings, area objectives/literature, outreach activities.
Need a permanent keymaster? Erin S. is otherwise involved for a while, so Kathy L. will serve as interim keymaster until Erin can resume the role. Kathy did not yet have the keymaster records, though.
What is the key policy for Melrose Inc.: Melrose, Inc. charges 511 GC $50.00 for issuing new keys, each of which has a number stamped on them. They don’t track who has the keys once handed over, but they expect 511 GC to track them.
Key policy for Melrose Group: Currently, one key is issued to each chairperson/chair team. There are also a small number of keys issued to “elders” for special circumstances. The keymaster tracks who are issued keys by number. Chairs are expected to pass keys on to new chairs as terms end, and to notify keymaster. In the past, some keys have been lost and thus 511 GC has paid to replace the key.
Should 511 GC charge people who lose keys? Comment 1: individuals should be responsible for the keys and reimburse GC when a new one is issued as a result. Comment 2: individual may not have $50 available to replace key. What happens then? Comment 3: one person complained that they were donating their time and stated GC should cover costs of lost keys. Comment 4: if 511 GC covers costs of keys, then there are no consequences of being careless with keys Comment 5: losses make the building vulnerable to unauthorized access. Summary: ongoing discussion needed (Zoom connectivity was poor, stalling conversation).
Kathy mentioned that she had found two keys recently but had not reconciled them with Erin’s records.
Regarding GC meeting minutes: Rather than asking multiple times for input, wait a week after sending them out for comments. If no changes/comments, release to webmaster for publishing and print copies for meeting room.
Rocky moved to adjourn, seconded by Tom J., all voted “aye”. Meeting was adjourned.
Closed meeting with Serenity Prayer at 8:00 PM
Next Group Conscience meeting will be August 13, 2024 @ 7pm.@ 511 Melrose or attend via Zoom.
Zoom Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/join
Zoom Meeting ID: 82449437492
Meeting Password: 448391