Board minutes VCOG March 2007

Board minutes VCOG March 2007              
Minutes, Spring Board Meeting
Friday, March 23, 2007
Norfolk Marriott
Norfolk, VA

Present: Wat Hopkins, president; Dorothy Abernathy, vice president; Ed Jones, secretary; Lee Albright; Lucy Dalglish; John Edwards; Craig Fifer; Peter Maroney; Lawrence McConnell; John Moen; Robert O'Neil; Matt Paxton; Rod Smolla; Jesse Todd; Ginger Stanley, Virginia Press Association; Peter Easter and Barrett Hardiman, Virginia Association of Broadcasters; Frosty Landon; Megan Rhyne.

President Hopkins called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.

Hopkins presented a report from the Search Committee for a new executive director. Three individuals and one management firm are being considered. The committee plans to ask the current individual candidates to augment their applications. It also plans to re-advertise the position to try to deepen the pool of possibilities. As of now, the committee is leaning toward hiring an executive director, rather than contracting with a firm.

The deadline for new applications will be April 30. The Search Committee will convene by conference call on May 8, with interviews scheduled for May 21. It will make a recommendation to the Board of Directors at its June meeting. Possible fallback plans are to ask Frosty Landon to extend his time as executive director, or to appoint Megan Rhyne as acting executive director.

McConnell moved approval of the minutes of the fall board meeting in Richmond, with Easter seconding. The minutes were approved unanimously.

Discussion ensued on the Financial Report. Landon noted that a check for the $200,000 grant from the Knight Foundation is expected by the end of April. Landon recommended that about $13,000 be shifted from the endowment account to the operating budget to help cover expenses of the 10th Anniversary Gala. O'Neil moved approval of that recommendation to transfer an amount not to exceed $14,000." It was approved unanimously.

Discussion ensued on the Membership Report, which included 12 new applicants and two renewals. All applicants were approved unanimously.

Discussion ensued on a proposed bylaw amendment, to be inserted following after their election" in Article 3, Section 3:

"In the event of an at-large vacancy, the Board of Directors may appoint an acting at-large director to serve until the next annual membership meeting. At the annual meeting, members shall elect an at-large director to fill the remaining portion of the term."
The amendment is aimed at dealing with at-large vacancies that occur before the end of a term, such as the recent retirement from the board by former President Paul McMasters. It was noted that this amended procedure would give the board the same flexibility to fill interim at-large vacancies as that now enjoyed by the Virginia Press Association and the Virginia Association of Broadcasters with their board slots. The proposed amendment was approved unanimously.

It was announced that Matt Haynes, a student at the University of Richmond Law School, will become the VCOG intern for the summer.

Landon advised the board that he has submitted two grant applications to the National Freedom of Information Coalition. One is for $3,000-plus for a technology fund to purchase a printer, projector and software. The other is for $10,000 for a demonstration project in which VCOG would partner with NFOIC on developing Web site features such as credit-card processing and training podcasts. Landon expects to hear from NFOIC on these two grants in four to six weeks.

In New Business, Hopkins and Landon noted an Executive Committee recommendation for changing VCOG's check-authorization policies. The new policy would mandate that VCOG checks of $1,000 or more require written authorization from the treasurer or the president. Those approvals can be in the form of e-mails. The proposed change in policy was approved unanimously.

Landon noted that NFOIC would be interested in VCOG hosting a national NFOIC conference in Northern Virginia in the spring of 2008. The Executive Committee recommended that VCOG not agree to host this meeting, due to the transition in executive directors, the difficulty of raising funds so soon after the 10th-anniversary fund-raising campaign, and the high costs of holding a conference in Northern Virginia. No dissent was offered to the Executive Committee recommendation not to host the 2008 conference. Dalglish said she hoped VCOG would consider hosting such a meeting in 2009.

Discussion ensued on the recent controversy in Virginia concerning access to concealed-weapons permits. Landon was authorized to issue a statement on behalf of VCOG saying that the FOI Advisory Council, which is now considering this issue, should complete its study before any possible changes to law or policy are considered.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Ed Jones
Secretary

Norfolk, VA

Present: Wat Hopkins, president; Dorothy Abernathy, vice president; Ed Jones, secretary; Lee Albright; Lucy Dalglish; John Edwards; Craig Fifer; Peter Maroney; Lawrence McConnell; John Moen; Robert O'Neil; Matt Paxton; Rod Smolla; Jesse Todd; Ginger Stanley, Virginia Press Association; Peter Easter and Barrett Hardiman, Virginia Association of Broadcasters; Frosty Landon; Megan Rhyne.

President Hopkins called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.

Hopkins presented a report from the Search Committee for a new executive director. Three individuals and one management firm are being considered. The committee plans to ask the current individual candidates to augment their applications. It also plans to re-advertise the position to try to deepen the pool of possibilities. As of now, the committee is leaning toward hiring an executive director, rather than contracting with a firm.

The deadline for new applications will be April 30. The Search Committee will convene by conference call on May 8, with interviews scheduled for May 21. It will make a recommendation to the Board of Directors at its June meeting. Possible fallback plans are to ask Frosty Landon to extend his time as executive director, or to appoint Megan Rhyne as acting executive director.

McConnell moved approval of the minutes of the fall board meeting in Richmond, with Easter seconding. The minutes were approved unanimously.

Discussion ensued on the Financial Report. Landon noted that a check for the $200,000 grant from the Knight Foundation is expected by the end of April. Landon recommended that about $13,000 be shifted from the endowment account to the operating budget to help cover expenses of the 10th Anniversary Gala. O'Neil moved approval of that recommendation to transfer an amount not to exceed $14,000." It was approved unanimously.

Discussion ensued on the Membership Report, which included 12 new applicants and two renewals. All applicants were approved unanimously.

Discussion ensued on a proposed bylaw amendment, to be inserted following after their election" in Article 3, Section 3:

"In the event of an at-large vacancy, the Board of Directors may appoint an acting at-large director to serve until the next annual membership meeting. At the annual meeting, members shall elect an at-large director to fill the remaining portion of the term."

The amendment is aimed at dealing with at-large vacancies that occur before the end of a term, such as the recent retirement from the board by former President Paul McMasters. It was noted that this amended procedure would give the board the same flexibility to fill interim at-large vacancies as that now enjoyed by the Virginia Press Association and the Virginia Association of Broadcasters with their board slots. The proposed amendment was approved unanimously.

It was announced that Matt Haynes, a student at the University of Richmond Law School, will become the VCOG intern for the summer.

Landon advised the board that he has submitted two grant applications to the National Freedom of Information Coalition. One is for $3,000-plus for a technology fund to purchase a printer, projector and software. The other is for $10,000 for a demonstration project in which VCOG would partner with NFOIC on developing Web site features such as credit-card processing and training podcasts. Landon expects to hear from NFOIC on these two grants in four to six weeks.

In New Business, Hopkins and Landon noted an Executive Committee recommendation for changing VCOG's check-authorization policies. The new policy would mandate that VCOG checks of $1,000 or more require written authorization from the treasurer or the president. Those approvals can be in the form of e-mails. The proposed change in policy was approved unanimously.

Landon noted that NFOIC would be interested in VCOG hosting a national NFOIC conference in Northern Virginia in the spring of 2008. The Executive Committee recommended that VCOG not agree to host this meeting, due to the transition in executive directors, the difficulty of raising funds so soon after the 10th-anniversary fund-raising campaign, and the high costs of holding a conference in Northern Virginia. No dissent was offered to the Executive Committee recommendation not to host the 2008 conference. Dalglish said she hoped VCOG would consider hosting such a meeting in 2009.

Discussion ensued on the recent controversy in Virginia concerning access to concealed-weapons permits. Landon was authorized to issue a statement on behalf of VCOG saying that the FOI Advisory Council, which is now considering this issue, should complete its study before any possible changes to law or policy are considered.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:05 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Ed Jones
Secretary