MINUTES

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ARROYO SECO NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL (ASNC)
BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE

Meeting Minutes

Hermon Fellowship Hall
5800 Monterey Rd (corner of Wheeling Way)
Los Angeles, CA 90042

Saturday, May 16, 2009 – 10:00 a.m.

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Attendees: Mark Legassie, Brian Sheridan, Diana Pray, Tina Zabala, Roy Payan, Diane Thors, Joe Riser, Meredith McKenzie, Alexia Teran

Meeting Minutes:

I. Meeting commenced 10:03am. Chair provided brief opening remarks welcoming members to the meeting.

II. No Stakeholder comments were received on non-agenda items within the scope of committee's mandate.

III. OLD BUSINESS:

A. FY09 Budget – Chair provided updated budget, based on changes approved at April's board meeting.

B. FY10 Budget Planning – Motion APPROVED (8 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain) to reduce ASNC's FY10 budget by 10% to $45,000, due to the current City financial crisis. A 10% decrease was approved in each major category (Meeting Expenses, Office Expenses, Outreach/Comm, and Community Projects). In addition, a 20% decrease in the website services budget was approved to take into account the static nature and non-outreach design, which currently serves primarily as an archive website for board members. In the event that the website is improved to attract more stakeholders, the budget can be re-visited at that time to possibly increase the payments to a 10% decrease for FY10. The Treasurer will reduce the budget and present the final version for full board approval on June 1st.

IV. NEW BUSINESS:

A. ASNC Inventory Audit – Chair provided results of the recent audit conducted of ASNC inventory, requested by DONE. Audit resulted in a the find of a PA System not being used for 2 years by Rec & Parks that the ASNC reclaimed.

B. $1,000 Office Expense Funding Request - [Category: Office Expenses-Supplies] Motion APPROVED (8 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain) to use existing funds (no more than $1000 to allow for S/H and taxes) budgeted for office staff from the ASNC Office Expense FY09 budget to purchase a laptop and MS-Word software so the ASNC Secretary can take actual minutes during board meetings. Laptop would stay in the possession of the ASNC Secretary during her current tenure as Secretary and will be transferred to the each newly elected Secretary each year." Rationale: Our AppleOne minute-taker services will no longer will be needed, saving $500 every fiscal quarter (we were charge $504 for JANUARY-2009 through MARCH-2009 by AppleOne). In other words, the laptop will pay for itself in 6 months!

C. FY09 Budget Modification – Motion APPROVED (8 yes, 0 no, 0 abstain) to modify the FY09 budget to fund the new line item in the ASNC Office Expenses category called "Supplies" for $1,500. $600 would come from rollover "reserves" and $400 transferred from "Staff" category (anticipated leftover at the end of FY09). Rationale: Historically, purchased office supplies have been categorized under "Copier" since no category for supplies exists. However, the ASNC has purchased supplies this year (including property tags, printer toner, MS Access, paper, etc) and a new office supply funding request is also forthcoming (see Item IV.B above).

D. New Community Project Funding Requests – Discussion occurred for the following 6 new motions for community project funding requests, totaling $7,350:

1. $500, CSI CPAB Summit [Category: Education] – Motion DECLINED to allocate $500 in community project funds to send 2 ASNC stakeholders to the citywide Community Police Advisory Board's Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) summit on Sat, Jun 6 7:30am-2:30 pm at CSU in East LA. [Request Originator: Pat Griffith, ASNC]

2. $1,000, Tour de Arroyo Bike Ride [Category: Festivals & Recreation] – Motion APPROVED to allocate $1,000 in community project funds to support the Tour de Arroyo bicycle tour on May 30th, ridden in memory of Dennis Crowley – specifically, assistance with some of the out of pocket event costs, such as water/first aid safety tables throughout route, etc for the sponsor, the Arroyo Seco Foundation (ASF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. [Request Originator: Meredith McKenzie, ASF]

3. $500, Peace in the Northeast March, 6/13/09 [Categories: Public Safety/Festivals & Recreation] – Motion APPROVED to allocate $500 in community project funds to support a peace march from Fletcher/Irving Schools (3350 Fletcher Dr, 90065 & 3010 Estara Ave 90065) to Cypress Park Recreation Center (2630 Pepper Ave) in an effort to build community solidarity against gang, and non-gang violence (each year the location changes within NELA boundaries). The NELA Ministerial Association is sponsoring this one-day event. After the march there will be food, community resource booths, and musicNote: Also forwarded to both the ASNC Environment, and Culture/Arts committees for review. [Request Originator: Stan Moore, NELA Ministerial Assn, VP of Historic Highland Park NC]

4. $5,000, Heritage Square Museum Fence Improvement, Phase 2 [Categories: Environment & Beautification/ Culture & Arts] – Motion APPROVED to allocate $5,000 (revised by the Cmte from $2,500) in community project funds for a fence upgrade for the Heritage Square Museum. In 2008 ASNC approved funding but ASNC's funding start date was exceeded and the funding subsequently retracted (due to delays in project's start date). This funding is to continue to continue replacing the barbed-wire fence around the property with beautiful Victorian-era wrought iron, red brick masonry columns, new lighting, and new planters and greenery. [Request Originator: Brian Sheridan, Heritage Square Museum]

5. $2,500, Liability Insurance for Non-School Events at Jack Smith Community Ctr [Categories: Education/Festivals & Recreation] – Motion APPROVED to allocate $2,500 in community project funds to help pay for approximately 40% of 1 year of liability insurance at the Jack Smith Community Center at the Mt. Washington Elementary School for non-school events (dance classes, piano recitals, etc). This insurance is a contractual obligation with the LAUSD. This request is from the organization Friends of Mt. Washington School (FOMWS). [Request Originator: Diana Pray, Friends of Mt. Washington School]

6. $350, Beautification/ Maintenance of Stairs connecting Oneonata & Olancha Dr [Category: Environment & Beautification] Motion DEFERRED TO MT. WASHINGTON LOCAL ISSUES CMTE to allocate $350 in community project funds to continue the beautification and maintenance of the public access staircase that connects Oneonta Dr and Olancha Dr. Requested funds are to purchase plant shrubs and ground cover in the public right-of-way, and to purchase or rent graffiti removal materials/equipment . [Request Originators: Albert Winn & Paula Sirola]

E. Next B&F Meeting Date – TBD

V. Adjournment at 11:30am.