January 2025 Board Notes

Date:

01/14/2025

Attendance:

Board Attended: Alli Cassel, Kevin Ehrler, Alyssa Johnson, Christina Kramer, Hope Kronen, Bruce Levine, Nick Nelson and Jeannette Wallen
Board Absent:
Observers: Emily Haack and J.C. Horvath

Notes:

Anime Twin Cities Board Meeting Minutes

January 14th, 2025
7:00 PM

Board Present - Alli Cassel, Kevin Ehrler, Alyssa Johnson, Christina Kramer, Hope Kronen, Bruce Levine, Nick Nelson and Jeannette Wallen

Public – Emily Haack and J.C. Horvath

Agenda is available in the link in the description of the livestream, these meetings are counted for attendance for voting rights please comment your name in the chat and fill out the google form in order to gain voting rights.


Agenda

  • Recap off cycle board actions and votes
    • Dave Vetrovec was selected as the Anime Detour Financial Operations Assistant reporting to Jeannette
       
    • Jeannette, Dave, and JC were all given credit cards
      • This is so they can help process payments.
         
  • Planned Discussions from scheduled visiting parties/ATC Partners
    • None
       

Coordinator Updates
 

  • Coordinator Position Open: Charities
  • Coordinator Position Open: Communications
  • Coordinator Position Open: Special Events
     
  • Anime Detour – J.C.
    • We have a staff meeting this Sunday. Please come to that in person or online.
      • Anime Detour Planning Meeting
        • January 19, 2025 1-2 PM
        • Brookdale Library, 6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy
        • Suite 800, Brooklyn Center, MN 55430, USA
        • Meeting Room ABC
           
    • Besides that the most important thing is if you have not filled your Eventeny application we need those in by the end of the month to be guaranteed to get your staff badge and hotel benefit you have to apply before the end of the month to be guaranteed those, so if you haven’t or you know people who haven’t then get them on that by January 31st.
       
  • Finance - Jeannette
    • Dollar amounts:
        • Business Checking: 414,253.70
        • Education Fund: 3,098.27
        • Business Market Rate Savings (Community Fund): 14,506.78
           

15 Minute Break (If the preceding topics take little time, the board may vote to skip this)

Motion to Skip
Hope Seconded
All in Favor (All of the present Board)
Motion Passes
 

Current Month Board Topics
 

  • For the bank accounts, Jeannette will be added as a key executive. Sky and Kim will be removed as key executives from the bank account.

     
  • Presentation of Bylaws Proposal – Below we give context on the Bylaws and then go over specific revisions, specific excerpts are also included.
     
    • We worked with Steven Opheim who is a lawyer who specializes in Bylaws, and we did a couple of revisions back and forth with him.
       
    • The Purpose section “Article 1” is the exact same.
       
    • Voting members are people who go to meetings that we did not change. We changed that you no longer must live within 400 miles to be a voting member.
       
    • We changed that the bylaws stated the amount for dues (which was $15) we took that out so it can be a policy going forward if we need to change the amount of the dues we don’t intend to but it makes it easier to make those changes in the future.
       
    • “The Board shall be composed of between three (3) and nine (9) directors, as determined at the annual meeting of the members.”
       
    • “Section 3.2. Directors shall have a term of two (2) years; and serve staggered terms by dividing the total number of directors into two groups. A director may not serve more than two consecutive terms.”
       
    • The Bylaws describe if someone wants to resign, or someone is removed what we need to do.
       
    • “Section 3.9. The Board of Directors may appoint a coordinator for each official ATC Branch, with such service to be reviewed annually.”
       
    • “Section 3.7. A director may be removed from office, with or without cause, by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present at a duly held meeting; provided that not less than five (5) days’ and not more than thirty (30) days’ notice of such meeting stating that removal of such director is to be on the agenda for such meeting shall be given to each director.”
      • So basically, if a member on the board needs to be removed, we need to give everyone at least 5 days notice that it’s being considered before we meet so they can build a defense for themselves.
         
    • We have to have meetings, and we can have special meetings, there is just a note for how you can have them.
       
    • Before we had a lot of details about when the annual meeting would be which was removed it now just says we will have one, and we can decide it but most likely it will still be after Anime Detour. It is on the calendar for this year.
       
    • If all directors agree to meet and can attend, then there is no need to wait on having a meeting if everyone agrees to the meeting.
       
    • Directors will not be compensated besides being reimbursed for things we have to spend money on for the board.
       
    • This is a bigger change. We will have President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer and all these officers will get voting rights so every director will have a two-year term, but the officers will be chosen annually. So, the next meeting we vote in people then the board chooses who will be President, VP, Secretary and Treasurer. So, we are just voting for who is on board and then the board will vote on the positions from within. You can, if something happens, resign from your officer position but you can still stay on board as a normal director, without having your officer role.
       
    • The finance stuff is pretty boilerplate.
       
    • “ARTICLE VII AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS Section 7.1. Approval. Amendments to the Bylaws must be approved by two-thirds of the voting members who cast their votes during a duly held meeting or via electronic voting platform.”
       
    • “Section 7.2. Notice. The proposed amendment and notice of any meeting regarding bylaw amendments must be provided to all members at least fourteen (14) days prior to the meeting. In the case of electronic voting, members must be given a seven (7) day period to cast their vote.”

       
  • So, for our current bylaws, we will send an email to the voting membership tonight with these proposed changes, then we will send it again in 1 week, the week after that we can vote so two weeks from now January 28th that vote will be open 7 days so on February 4th we will have the results on if the bylaws are passed or not. Once the bylaws pass, we will be able to work on the policy updates which are listed below. We would want them to put in writing, so we have a standard way of doing each of these items.

     

Open Session (up to 30 minutes)

  • Any members of the community can bring new business to discuss with the board
    • None

       

Open Board Projects/Future Meeting discussions

  • Bylaws Update (In Progress)
  • Policy Updates
    • Bans
    • Coordinator Reviews
    • Board Training (In Progress)
    • ATC Policies Document
    • Conflicts of Interest
    • Whistleblower                                                           


Motion to adjourn
Bruce Seconded
All in favor (All of the present Board)
Motion Passes
 

7:16pm meeting adjourned.


Please contact atcboard@animetwincities.org or atc_secretary@animetwincities.org if you would like to be added to the agenda for discussion items.