Council Meeting Minutes for November 3, 2009

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Agenda

  • Finances
  • Lease
  • Arts Business Seminar Recap
  • Duquesne Law Clinic Update
  • Broadley Donations
  • Council Nominations
  • Art && Code Planning
  • Door Update
  • Heat Update
  • MAC Update

Minutes by Agenda Topic

Finances

  • Marty spent some time going through the financial paperwork
  • Online banking access is reenabled
  • Hacky Halloween money, sticker money, etcetera was deposited
  • Approximately two months of operating cash on hand, not including PayPal funds
  • Six month memberships are renewing
  • The council agrees to pay this month's rent after this meeting
    • There are 29 members in good standing
  • The council agrees to pay the remaining balance on the improvement loan (bathroom, etcetera) after this meeting
    • There are 29 members in good standing

Lease

  • The lease was reviewed
  • The lease has not changed substantially since it was sent out in September
    • It describes the agreement we've been operating under for the last two months
    • Rent targets have changed but the lease clearly indicates that they are targets based on membership
    • The lease is month-to-month
  • The council agrees to sign the lease after this meeting

Arts Business Seminar Recap

  • The meeting was illustrative
  • It seems unlikely based on the seminar that HackPittsburgh can attain 501(c)(3) status
  • The paperwork and overhead appears to be daunting and recurring
    • Meeting minutes must be more detailed
    • Donations must be meticulously tracked
  • The level of formality is much above what we have now
  • Insurance can be $5k/year
  • The council feels that we don't have the manpower to pursue this right now
  • The recommendation of the council is not to pursue 501(c)(3) status
  • The recommendation of the council is to pursue some other form of incorporation
    • LLC is the fewest hoops and the easiest to maintain
  • The recommendation of the council is to take additional steps to ensure membership guidelines, charters, and bylaws are accurate and up-to-date
  • Liability was discussed

Duquesne Law Clinic Update

  • They want an updated
  • They have a meeting set up with Marty on 11/23
  • They no longer have an operating agreement with us (Nick signed it)
  • They've also lost our paperwork
  • They want our proofs of publication
    • We need to find out from Nick where it ran (they have one but not the other)
  • They want a retainer agreement
  • The question of nonprofit vs. LLC will be posed to the membership tomorrow
    • Based on the outcome, Marty will meet with the clinic to move forward
    • If we choose not to be a nonprofit, we may need a lawyer to handle/manage the paperwork

Broadley Donations

  • How do we ensure we make good use of the donations?
  • What can we do to give back to the family and ensure that they see that the donation is being put to good use?
    • They've requested photos
    • They've requested stories about what we're doing
  • Suggestion:
    • Solicit thank you notes from membership
    • Solicit honorarium suggestions from membership
  • We need an inventory of what works and what doesn't
  • We need to find a place for things
  • We need to get things usable
  • We need to mark items that are dangerous (e.g. high current power supplies, etcetera)
    • They'll straight-up keeeeel you
  • These will be topics for the membership meeting tomorrow
  • Volunteers will be requested for these tasks
    • These will be high-value volunteer opportunities

Council Nominations

  • Nominations will be accepted tomorrow
  • Nominations will be announced after the meeting via email tomorrow
  • Bios will be solicited via info@, then redistributed to the mailing list from info@
  • Voting will be at the Sunday meeting
    • Email votes to info@ will be accepted until the Saturday before the Sunday meeting

Art && Code Planning

  • Marty will pick up the last-minute presenter addition at the airport
  • Forest will be a Sunday gopher

Door Update

  • The door is almost there
  • Mechanics, new knob, and strike plate are in
  • Electronics are next
  • Enclosure is forthcoming
  • Matt will handle card distribution

Heat Update

  • It's friggin' cold in here
  • Landlord is visiting the PCKIZ on the 13th to discuss heating
  • Matt and Marty will discuss with the landlord after tonight's meeting
  • Discuss insulation volunteering with membership tomorrow

MAC Update

  • Matt Mets has taken up the charge
  • No reply from the MAC as of yet

Action Items

Forest:

  • Blog about the upcoming meeting and all the stuff we have going on right now Done. Schmarty 15:45, 1 December 2009 (EST)
  • Be a Sunday gopher at Art && Code Done. Schmarty 15:45, 1 December 2009 (EST)

Marty:

  • Follow up with Duquesne Law Clinic Done. Details at next council/members meetings. Schmarty 15:45, 1 December 2009 (EST)
  • Discuss heat with landlord tonight - Done. Dale plans to have our heat in in a week or so. Schmarty 09:51, 4 November 2009 (EST)
  • Pick up the last-minute Art && Code presenter on Thursday Way done. Schmarty 15:45, 1 December 2009 (EST)
  • Set up for RFID card distribution after Art && Code craziness Done! Schmarty 15:45, 1 December 2009 (EST)

Matt:

  • Pay the rent - Done. Schmarty 09:51, 4 November 2009 (EST)
  • Pay off the loan - Done. $23 was the final amount and ends our IOU payments. Schmarty 09:51, 4 November 2009 (EST)
  • Sign the lease - Done. Schmarty 09:51, 4 November 2009 (EST)
  • Discuss heat with landlord tonight - Done. See above. Schmarty 09:51, 4 November 2009 (EST)


Jon:

  • Track down the proof of publication - Done Jonathan 23:26, 11 November 2009 (EST)
  • Take over management of the mailing list, ensure it is up to date with membership list, sign-in sheets, etcetera - Done Jonathan 23:26, 11 November 2009 (EST)