Minutes from June Board Meeting 2015

Posted by Jolie Diepenhorst 
on Aug 15, 2015
 
  1. Brief Introductions:  As this was the first meeting including the incoming board members, President Myna Ann Adkins opened the meeting asking each person to introduce themselves and give one thing about being a lion that makes them “roar.”
  2. Prior Minutes:  The minutes of the May 1, 2015 meeting were reviewed by the Board.  Lion Dwight Steen moved that the minutes be approved, and Lion Kelly Wulf seconded.  The Board voted, none dissenting, to approve the minutes. 
 
 
3.Idea For Engaging Working Professionals:   Lion Eric Reagan broached idea of getting a group of Denver Den Lions together, specifically some of the working professionals, who might want to meet at another time/venue.   He noted that he is not able to regularly attend the Tuesday meetings, and really wants to find some other ways to be a part of the Lions.  He wants to contact some other members of the Denver Den that may be in the same situation and see if they can come up with some alternative times and ways to connect and serve with the Denver Den.  The board was generally supportive of this idea.  Lion Russ Lynn noted that that they were always welcome to attend the Rude Park board meeting, or any of the other club    board meetings.  These often also occur during normal work hours, but might provide some alternate venue for staying connected to the club.  Lion Mike Hall stated that many people he might like to invite to attend as guests cannot get away during the day, and this might provide some alternatives for introducing potential new members to Lions.  President Myrna Ann Adkins suggested that this could ultimately morph into a group that would be looked at differently with respect to dues.  The initial thought is that this would be a group of our younger working professionals who cannot generally make the Tuesday lunch meetings.  However, the group would not necessarily need to be so limited.  Action: Lion Eric Reagan, with the assistance of President Myrna Ann Adkins, will put together a list of Denver Den members who might be interested in finding alternative times to meet/serve, and will see if he can get a group together to discuss the possibilities
4.  Financial Report: Lion John Fritschel provided the board with a profit/loss statement up through May 15, 2015.  He noted that there are still some expenses, especially to Maggianos, that need to be paid, and that we should ultimately end the fiscal year at about a $14,000 loss. There was some discussion of the numbers, and Lion Tish Taylor noted that we still really owe the club at large a complete financial report letting them know in detail what the club expenses are, and what their dues cover
5 Vote on Additional Board Member:  The board still has one vacant position for the term starting in July 2015.  First VP Terry Lutts was approached by Lion Ginnie Eldredge, who was interested in serving.  First VP Terry Lutts moved that Lion Ginnie Eldredge be added to the board.  Lion Russ Lynn seconded, and the board approved this motion. Action: Lion Ginnie Eldredge will be added as a Denver Den board member, serving July 2015 to June 2017.  
6. Survey Results/Dues Increase:  Second VP Fletcher Brown made a motion to raise the dues effective October 1, 2015 to the following levels: $660 for active members; $360 for affiliate members; $440 for active family members; $100 for affiliate family members; $360 for life-active members; $100 a year for life members; and $360 a year for at large members. This led to some discussion regarding the structuring of the club, and whether an increase in dues was really a better option than some of the structural changes that had been previously discussed.  A number of the members expressed their concern that a sudden drastic change in where and how often we meet, or in how the dues is structured would cause too much consternation, especially among some of our more senior members; and that a modest increase in dues would at least alleviate some of the financial drain until the structural changes could occur more gradually.  Others expressed their concern that simply raising the dues was not going to provide the long term financial stability that will truly get us out of the hole we seem to be in, and that it may inhibit some of the structural changes needed. Lion Tish Taylor once again voiced her belief that decoupling lunches from dues, and going to a pay-as-you-go model, is the best way to insure financial solvency while figuring out what mix of lunches, mixers, and/or meetings best worked for the current membership. When some of the board expressed their doubt about whether this was really a workable option, Lion Dwight Steen brought up his previous proposal of going to 2 lunch meetings a month. Lions Tish Taylor and Kelly Wulf both expressed their belief that this was a better option than the proposed dues increase. President Myrna Ann Adkins, and others had concerns that the membership would not accept such a decrease in the number of lunches without a reduction in the dues. However, Lion Tish Taylor noted that this again goes to educating the members on our finances, what our revenue is, and what exactly our expenses are.  President Myrna Ann Adkins suggested that perhaps this vote should be postponed until the new officers and board were in place. However, 1st VP Terry Lutts stated that he wanted to go ahead and have the new dues in place for 1 October.  The motion was brought to a vote and passed with Lions Myrna Ann Adkins, Terry Lutts, Fletcher Brown, Adam Writer, Russ Lynn, and Dwight Steen, voting yes and Lions Sam McKenzie, Eric Siler, Brian Henderson, Kelly Wulf, and Tish Taylor voting no.                     Action: Effective October 1, 2015, dues will be increased as follows: $660 for active members; $360 for affiliate members; $440 for active family members; $100 for affiliate family members; $360 for life-active members; $100 a year for life members; and $360 a year for at large members.  
7. The meeting adjourned at 0945.