Troubled Times Inc.: January 9, 2000 Log

Log
Board Meeting
January 9, 2000

MS-Chat0001
MS-Chat0001
1/9/00 1:00:48 PM,Nancy,Will the meeting come to order, lacking a quorum by 1 member.
1/9/00 1:00:53 PM,Clipper,Helena is standing by
1/9/00 1:01:07 PM,Nancy,I stand corrected, we have a quorum.
1/9/00 1:01:27 PM,Gerard,okay no need to make the phone call to Michel :)
1/9/00 1:01:34 PM,Nancy,The 1st item on the agenda is acceptance of the anonymous gift of $16,800 - fee. More than anticipated.
1/9/00 1:02:22 PM,Nancy,The gift was qualified, as noted in the Agenda, so acceptance means we are agreeing to fund hydoponics with aquaculture, and the radio stuff. Extra funds left over need to be clarified, as noted.
1/9/00 1:02:55 PM,Gerard,For what I read we should accept it...
1/9/00 1:03:02 PM,Roger,I move that we accept the $16,800 grant as noted in the agenda.
1/9/00 1:03:15 PM,Nancy,I suggest we accept, with the caveat that the last item light duty farm equipment not be agreed to until clarified, and any extra funds held for that purpose, pending clarification, etc.
1/9/00 1:03:17 PM,Ron,I second Roger's motion
1/9/00 1:03:21 PM,Nancy,A 2nd on the motion?
1/9/00 1:04:21 PM,Gerard,I second, but Ron already did
1/9/00 1:04:31 PM,Nancy,A motion has been made and seconded to accept the some $16,800 in stock cashed out by the Treasurer yesterday, minus fee, with the caveat that the farm equipment qualification be clarified and extra funds held until that time, other funds can be spent. All in favor say yes, opposed say no.
1/9/00 1:04:32 PM,Nancy,Yes
1/9/00 1:04:51 PM,Ron,yes
1/9/00 1:04:56 PM,Jan,Yes
1/9/00 1:05:00 PM,Clipper,Yes (awaiting Shirley's reply)
1/9/00 1:05:07 PM,Gerard,yes
1/9/00 1:05:12 PM,Roger,yes
1/9/00 1:05:49 PM,Nancy,While we're waiting for the votes to come in, I'll move to Agenda item 2. We have in face more than $16,500 to disburse, more like $18,000, as the stock was more than anticipated. Any discussion or questions on Item 2? We don't have this cash in hand, yet, but the Detective will be sending it soon, we anticipate.
1/9/00 1:06:19 PM,Nancy,Diana called him and stated that she has the money, and was given until the 3rd week in January, I think, to pay. Court order, etc.
1/9/00 1:06:49 PM,Clipper,Good
1/9/00 1:07:00 PM,Nancy,The motion passes.
1/9/00 1:07:24 PM,Roger,What are the consequences for her should she not pay?
1/9/00 1:08:13 PM,Gerard,Jail???
1/9/00 1:08:22 PM,Clipper,We could put a lean on her house.
1/9/00 1:08:35 PM,Nancy,Agenda item 3 is detailing what the grantor's request can be allocated to. In November, for the 3 years budget, Ron and I costed out hydroponics and aquaculture, and radio antenna (intercontinental). We were more careful going into this meeting, to include all misc. costs that would pop up, etc. We think we have a close accounting, as presented in the Agenda. Any questions on those costs, as outlined?
1/9/00 1:09:12 PM,Clipper,None here
1/9/00 1:09:25 PM,Ron,I made a mistake on the antenna cost ... let me get it
1/9/00 1:09:26 PM,Nancy,Jail, I think. Now there is not only an arrest warrant out, she has been 1. found guilty, 2. confessed (admitted it).
1/9/00 1:09:37 PM,Nancy,Clipper, she has no house.
1/9/00 1:10:11 PM,Clipper,Yes, but the court only tell her she has to pay, they do not enforce it.
1/9/00 1:10:48 PM,Nancy,The details, which I didn't include in the Agenda, are that they located her in North Carolina, the outstanding warrant had a NC sheriff call Pottsville. She MOVED BACK to Pottsville, and they had been watching her all this time. When she moved into town, the cuffs went on.
1/9/00 1:10:58 PM,Clipper,She has a house. I heard her talk about it in the other group.
1/9/00 1:11:36 PM,Ron,The tower is $3,869.95 rather than the amount on the agenda ... total is $6,655.65
1/9/00 1:11:36 PM,Clipper,

Yes, to the motion that the gift be accepted, and the suggested caveat.
Shirley

1/9/00 1:11:40 PM,Nancy,She was given 3 weeks to pay up, and my understanding is that is now, or in a couple weeks at most. THEN she would be in contempt of court, in addition, and this would be jail, I think.
1/9/00 1:12:17 PM,Roger,The funding breakdown looks fine to me. I will be very interested in the successes, etc. of the hydroponics (per a discussion Clipper and I have started...).
1/9/00 1:12:27 PM,Nancy,In Pennsylvania, one can wipe the record clean by paying the bill, so she has heavy motivation to pay. Else, she is, per the record, a criminal.
1/9/00 1:13:03 PM,Clipper,Lets hope she does.
1/9/00 1:13:12 PM,Gerard,Yes
1/9/00 1:13:17 PM,Nancy,Did you know she was in NC, Clipper?
1/9/00 1:13:47 PM,Clipper,No. Thought she was in Pa again.
1/9/00 1:13:55 PM,Nancy,OK, an extra $655 for the radio.
1/9/00 1:15:19 PM,Nancy,Here's the interesting part. I had JUST, a day earlier, asked Ron if we could not locate her. He found a web site which looks for current address, and we paid $40 and discovered a recent PA address, same zip as Pottsville. So we were calling the Detective, and he said THAT MORNING he was trying to reach me! One of those in the airwaves things, I guess.
1/9/00 1:15:55 PM,Clipper,Hehehe
1/9/00 1:16:20 PM,Roger,Quantum singularity
1/9/00 1:16:24 PM,Clipper,(Cool music Gerard)
1/9/00 1:16:38 PM,Nancy,OK, Agenda Item 3 has several parts, and we should take them one by one or as a group.
1/9/00 1:17:00 PM,Gerard,ok
1/9/00 1:18:02 PM,Ron,BTW, with the Gift Pool transfer and the stock the bank account will soon be at $19695.
1/9/00 1:18:15 PM,Nancy,Is there any question on the disbursement suggested? We just agreed to disburse for hydro and aqua and radio, I think, but I think a separate vote to spend the AMOUNT outlined would be appropriate. If we include the extra $655, then all these would amount to $12,000 or so. Leaving some $4,800 - fee remaining.
1/9/00 1:18:49 PM,Nancy,Can we approve these given items, the hydro and aqua and radio, as outlined, and then move on to other disbursement separately? A motion, etc?
1/9/00 1:18:49 PM,Gerard,No question from my side
1/9/00 1:19:32 PM,Clipper,I make a motion we approve these given items
1/9/00 1:19:56 PM,Ron,I second Clipper's motion.
1/9/00 1:21:17 PM,Nancy,A motion has been made and seconded to approve spending $4,000 on hydroponics and aquaculture, as outlined in the Agenda, and $7,905 for radio stuff, also as in the Agenda and Ron's note. All in favor say Yes, opposed say No.
1/9/00 1:21:18 PM,Nancy,Yes
1/9/00 1:21:24 PM,Gerard, yes
1/9/00 1:21:35 PM,Jan,Yes
1/9/00 1:21:37 PM,Ron,yes
1/9/00 1:21:49 PM,Clipper,Yes ( waiting Shirley's reply)
1/9/00 1:22:12 PM,Roger,Yes
1/9/00 1:22:47 PM,Nancy,While we're waiting for the votes to come in, let me say that offline Roger and Toni and I have been talking about farming for seed, renting farmland or equipment, etc., as John Kelso's $100/mo is adding up and then this latest mention of farm equip. Roger, do you want to speak to this item?
1/9/00 1:23:38 PM,Nancy,However, we are not ready for this yet, it's not in the budget, has not been costed, etc., but should be out there for thinking about, etc. Future.
1/9/00 1:24:05 PM,Nancy,I did add a sentence to the Seed TEAM support proposal, along these lines, making it broad enough to receive such funding.
1/9/00 1:24:38 PM,Roger,Sure, I talked with my father just last night about this sort of thing. His suggestion was to start a dialog with local vegetable or truck farmers concerning equipment, etc. they use.
1/9/00 1:24:44 PM,Nancy,The motion passes.
1/9/00 1:24:51 PM,Clipper,

Yes, to motion to spend money on hydroponics and radio things.
Shirley

1/9/00 1:26:17 PM,Nancy,I think we should allocate some funds for a professional audit, per our Bylaws and as this gift flies past the $5,000 mark, big time. We have NOT costed this out, and a CPA would hardly give us an estimate until he/she saw the books, the state of our affairs, etc. So I would suggest a max amount to be spend, on CPA time only, else Ron as Treasurer needs to come back for more allocation, etc. Thoughts?
1/9/00 1:26:27 PM,Ron,what is the URL for the agenda, please?
1/9/00 1:26:43 PM,Roger,10 acres would be a good starting point and could be manage by a handful of dedicated folks. We wouldn't row crop the entire 10 acres, but use small plots widely dispursed and separated enough to prevent cross-breeding.
1/9/00 1:26:47 PM,Gerard, http://www.zetatalk.com/nonproft/jan0900a.htm
1/9/00 1:27:14 PM,Nancy,Roger, outside of keeping an eye out here, for vacant land that might be loaned free of charge to us for this purpose, we don't plan on doing much. Would appreciate your research into this!
1/9/00 1:27:37 PM,Nancy,/nonproft/jan0900a.htm
1/9/00 1:29:07 PM,Roger,Sure. There is a vegetable farmer near here. I've talked with him once or twice. He's not organic, and employs a team of 8 or 10 hands, but he could give me some ideas re: equipment.
1/9/00 1:30:05 PM,Nancy,Also, a long awaiting proprosal is the Admin & Ops, which Jan insisted we have out there and which NOW it seems could get an allocation. In addition, there are $495 in vouchers awaiting approval from the Board, Admin & Ops type expenses. This would mean that we could have a motion and vote to set aside $1,000 for an audit, MAX amount to be spend by the CPA (we don't tell him/her that, of course), $500 for 2,000 Admin & Ops, and the $495 for outstanding vouchers. $1,995, disbursed, etc.
1/9/00 1:30:53 PM,Nancy,Thoughts? A motion?
1/9/00 1:31:17 PM,Clipper,I make amotion we do the above as it seems to be needed.
1/9/00 1:31:31 PM,Ron,I think it's time to make this stuff official. To be paid as money is available.
1/9/00 1:31:44 PM,Ron,I second Clipper's motion.
1/9/00 1:32:40 PM,Nancy,A motion has been made and seconded to allocate $1,000 toward 1st CPA audit, $500 into Admin & Ops account for year 2,000, and to approve $495 in outstanding A&O vouchers as outlined in the Agenda. All in favor say Yes, opposed say No.
1/9/00 1:32:42 PM,Nancy,Yes
1/9/00 1:32:50 PM,Roger,yes
1/9/00 1:32:54 PM,Ron,yes
1/9/00 1:33:16 PM,Jan,Yes
1/9/00 1:33:20 PM,Clipper,Yes ( waiting Shirley's response via email)
1/9/00 1:34:03 PM,Gerard,yes
1/9/00 1:34:15 PM,Nancy,The motion passes.
1/9/00 1:35:39 PM,Nancy,I've been doing some number work on my hand calc here. $16,800 - $4,000 hydro, etc. - $7,905 radio - $1,000 audit leaves $3,895, I think. we will lose some funds due to a fee, brokerage fee.
1/9/00 1:36:52 PM,Ron,We will also need to buy lights for the hydroponics.
1/9/00 1:37:48 PM,Ron,Plan is to use florescent so shouldn't cost very much.
1/9/00 1:38:43 PM,Nancy,Ron mentioned that we have $19,695 in the checking. We are holding $2,000 as I recall, for the White's donation toward bermed hut with metal roof. We also are holding $150 or so lumber for the worm beds. If I add all this together, comes to $19,945, right?
1/9/00 1:39:58 PM,Nancy,I think the $1,200 for hydroponics includes about $300 for lights, as the 6x6 unit was $849 or some such. We're covered, I think.
1/9/00 1:40:25 PM,Nancy,So we're done allocating until we get more funding, which is, by the by, anticipated!
1/9/00 1:40:36 PM,Ron,reserved funds are $287 accounts payable + $736 already approved expenditures.
1/9/00 1:40:54 PM,Nancy,Agenda Item 4, Gift Pool closure, report by Clipper. Take it away, CLIPPER!!!
1/9/00 1:41:09 PM,Clipper,

Yes, to allocating money for audit, admin and ops, and outstanding vouchers!
Shirley

1/9/00 1:42:19 PM,Clipper,Last week. I closed out the gift pool account here in Fairbanks, Alaska as it was no longer needed as we now have a bank account in Baraboo. ...
1/9/00 1:42:54 PM,Nancy,I would, simultaneously to save time, like to get the last vote required out of the way, or in process anyway. This is Item 5, the wording on 2 new video proposals, which have already been talked about last time but the wording was not before the Board to accept, etc. Please note the 2 links from Item 5, and if there is no objections, a motion, etc., please.
1/9/00 1:42:59 PM,Clipper,Having two banks was pointless and any one sending in doantions can just as easily send them to baraboo.
1/9/00 1:43:48 PM,Clipper,All paper work associated with the old gift pool account has been mailed to the treasurer via snail mail. Certified/return reciept.
1/9/00 1:43:59 PM,Nancy,Many thanks to Clipper for maintaining this route during the transitional time between Diana to Ron. For over a year, there, after Diana resigned, we had no corp account, so the Gift Pool was very much needed.
1/9/00 1:44:36 PM,Nancy,Well, until Ron opened an account here in Baraboo, we had no corp account either! Diana used her personal account, which came up in her hearing, by the way.
1/9/00 1:45:30 PM,Nancy,Her excuse to the judge was that her ex-husband emptied her bank account, though only her name was on it. The Detective told me he pointed out that her personal account should NOT have been used anyway :-) a point I had made in my video deposition, etc.
1/9/00 1:46:14 PM,Clipper,We all sleep in the bed we make :-)
1/9/00 1:46:16 PM,Nancy,The 2 new video proposals are 1. Ron's is for backpack survival, 2. Nancy's is for solution sets, such as windmills, worm beds, etc.
1/9/00 1:47:22 PM,Nancy,While I'm waiting for a motion on those 2 proposals, which are less than a page long, either of them, and NO MONEY is being disbursed, just they would appear on the web as proposals, I'll address Item 6, next months agenda.
1/9/00 1:47:27 PM,Ron,I move that we accept these changes/additions as specified
1/9/00 1:47:46 PM,Nancy,A 2nd?
1/9/00 1:47:56 PM,Roger, I second the motion
1/9/00 1:49:05 PM,Nancy,Hopefully, in mid-late Feb, we will have the Gift Pool accounting received via snail mail, the CPA audit completed, and a balance sheet available for Board Review. I must get an annual report out by March, to Delaware, and will include that Balance Sheet in it.
1/9/00 1:49:20 PM,Nancy,Next month, therefore, will be an accounting month, annual report month, etc.
1/9/00 1:49:47 PM,Ron,Roger seconded the motion ... vote?
1/9/00 1:49:53 PM,Nancy,A motion has been made and seconded to place 2 new video proposals on the web, as outlined in Agenda item 5. All in favor say Yes, opposed say No.
1/9/00 1:49:56 PM,Nancy,Yes
1/9/00 1:49:59 PM,Gerard,Yes
1/9/00 1:50:02 PM,Ron,yes
1/9/00 1:50:03 PM,Roger,yes
1/9/00 1:50:05 PM,Clipper,You should have the gift pool info in the mail Monday or Tuesday
1/9/00 1:50:10 PM,Jan,Yes
1/9/00 1:50:29 PM,Clipper,Yes (waiting Shirley's reply)
1/9/00 1:50:34 PM,Nancy,Also, Ron will be forwarding to us, during that meeting, any suggestions the CPA has for us, or other such financial improvements or safeguards, etc.
1/9/00 1:50:48 PM,Ron,Clipper, great! Now I will be able to close out the books for '99.
1/9/00 1:51:13 PM,Nancy,Indeed, and the CPA will be looking for this, etc.
1/9/00 1:51:23 PM,Nancy,The motion (video) passes.
1/9/00 1:51:35 PM,Ron,Nancy, did the new Ops budget include funding for QuickBooks Pro? $150.
1/9/00 1:52:42 PM,Nancy,Not in the outstanding vouchers $495 approved for 1999. The year 2,000 did not specify. We have $500 in there, and how to spend this was not specified.
1/9/00 1:52:42 PM,Ron,It will allow me to make reports in HTML and also export to Excel.
1/9/00 1:53:21 PM,Ron,ok
1/9/00 1:53:32 PM,Nancy,I think, in that we are going to have MANY transactions, that this would be an excellent purchase. Our bylaws state that we need to keep the Internal Auditor up to date, and this is a way to comply with software across borders issues.
1/9/00 1:53:56 PM,Clipper,I agree
1/9/00 1:54:04 PM,Nancy,Should we have a quick vote on this, so you can proceed?
1/9/00 1:54:21 PM,Ron,Then I move that we approve $150 to purchase the update to QuickBooks Pro.
1/9/00 1:54:25 PM,Clipper,Do we need one?
1/9/00 1:55:36 PM,Nancy,This Quickbooks update allows Ron to put out hypertext pages, not the GIF that Jan finds hard to read. Also, the copy that was purchased for Jan cannot be sent to him, legally, borders thingie. I would mention that I could accept the Quickbooks that had been purchased for Jan as part of a disbursement to repay me, etc., as I could use this for other (personal) purposes. So the funds would not be wasted.
1/9/00 1:56:27 PM,Roger,I second Ron's motion.
1/9/00 1:56:29 PM,Nancy,We allocated $120 for Jan's copy, which he can't receive and I would take as payment in goods, later, and the new upgrade is only $30 more.
1/9/00 1:56:57 PM,Nancy,A motion has been made and seconded to purchase $150 Quickbooks upgrade to create hypertext pages of books. All in favor say Yes, opposed say No.
1/9/00 1:56:58 PM,Nancy,Yes
1/9/00 1:57:04 PM,Ron,yes
1/9/00 1:57:08 PM,Jan,Yes
1/9/00 1:57:16 PM,Gerard,yes
1/9/00 1:57:40 PM,Clipper,Yes (waiting Shirley's reply)
1/9/00 1:58:00 PM,Clipper,

Yes, to placing the two new video proposals on the web.
Shirley

1/9/00 1:58:28 PM,Roger,yes
1/9/00 1:58:44 PM,Clipper,For the record
1/9/00 1:59:24 PM,Nancy,Let me report, also, that I will be getting plumbing and electrical upgrading done here, which will include the basement half that the hydroponics and aquaponics will be housed in. It happens that I'm in an area that has received a federal block grant for rehab'ing old housing. This house is 100 years old, has nob-and-tube wiring, lead in the plumbing in places, etc., and was heartily approved for a loan. As homeowner, this is no interest and payback when I sell ths house.
1/9/00 1:59:37 PM,Nancy,So, infrastructure costs are behind us, in this regard!
1/9/00 2:00:02 PM,Nancy,The motion passes.
1/9/00 2:00:32 PM,Clipper,That is good Nancy!
1/9/00 2:00:33 PM,Nancy,This concludes the business to be undertaken today. Unless there is something additional to be addressed, I'd entertain a motion to adjourn.
1/9/00 2:00:55 PM,Clipper,I make a motion we adjourn
1/9/00 2:01:03 PM,Ron,I second.
1/9/00 2:01:36 PM,Nancy,A motion has been made and 2nd to adjourn. All in favor say Yes, opposed No.
1/9/00 2:01:37 PM,Nancy,Yes
1/9/00 2:01:37 PM,Clipper,

Yes, to purchase of Quickbooks. Money well spent!!!
Shirley

1/9/00 2:01:42 PM,Ron,yes
1/9/00 2:02:05 PM,Gerard,yes
1/9/00 2:02:06 PM,Jan,Yes
1/9/00 2:02:11 PM,Clipper,Yes (awaiting Helenas reply)
1/9/00 2:02:48 PM,Roger,yes
1/9/00 2:03:12 PM,Nancy,The motion passes, the meeting is adjourned.