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Executive Committee Meeting

Jan 14, 2010

A meeting of the Florida Trail Riders Executive Committee was called to order at 8:00 p.m. on January 14, 2010 via teleconference. The president determined a quorum was present.

Roll call was as follows:

Present:

I. New Business

Jack Terrell presented a report on Land Use challenges facing FTR in Tallahassee this year. A coalition of businesses and recreation interests has launched a second-year effort to pass a bill that protects liability releases signed by minors. OHV title fees again have been "swept" ("stolen") by the Legislature and the Division of Forestry. A recurring expenditure in the Division of Forestry budget takes $484,000 of OHV title funds and uses it to pay personnel costs at two State Forests. FTR needs to join the effort to pass legislation to protect the legality of minor releases. We need to amend the T. Mark Schmidt OHV Safety and Recreation Act to remove the OHV title fees from the Division of Forestry's Incidental trust Fund and place them in a stand-alone OHV Trust Fund. Work is needed in the legislature (that passes the annual budget) and with the executive branch to prevent the Division of Forestry from taking $484,000 in OHV title fees to pay for Croom OHV area personnel but does not require the revenue from the park to go back into the fund. Jack recommended that we hire the Peebles Group as our lobbyist to represent FTR's interests in these matters. The fee for the year is $10,000. Jack made a motion to spend $10,000 from the Land Use Fund to retain the Peeples Group to represent FTR in 2010. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Allen Pearce reported that Dudley has requested the deposit for the banquet trophies and it has been paid. Carol and Tiffany reported that the Banquet Committee received three quotes and Dudley's quote was the lowest. In addition, it is slightly lower than the price last year.

Sam Mento has requested that the BOD members be allowed to attend Executive Committee Teleconferences. All members of the committee agree that this is a good idea. Concerns about keeping the meetings orderly and timely were expressed. Our current set up does not provide many options. Allen has been researching some other companies that may offer us more options such as the ability to allow BOD members to listen only or review a full tape of the meeting. One company even offers the option to unmute the listeners if needed. There are also charges incurred with most companies so the cost will need to be reviewed before any decisions were made. One possible option would be to have BOD members pay the charges incurred if they chose to sit in on a meeting. Allen will continue to research these options and keep us informed. Allen will respond to Sam's request to update him on our progress.

II. Old Business

At the January 9, 2010 meeting, the financial situation was discussed and we agreed to meet tonight to formulate some ideas.

Land Use Fund: Jack Terrell expressed concern that this fund will dwindle down to nothing if we do not find a way to increase our general operating account. Joe Steidl suggested that we set a cap on the fund and always maintain that amount. All funds beyond the cap would be retained for general operation. Jonny Simpkins stated that the BOD approved a $5.00 increase in dues to be designated for a Land Use Fund. Allen Pearce reiterated that the BOD can approve a dues increase but cannot designate how the money is used. The Executive Committee at that time and going forward has never changed that designation and the money has been designated for the Land Use Fund. However, a separate fund was never established and the money was in the general fund account. A completely separate fund was created last year to keep the fund in tact for the future.

Benefit Hare Scramble: A suggestion was made to have a 15th Hare Scramble each season designated as a Benefit Race for the general fund. The race would be sanctioned at the discretion of the Board of Directors each year. Allen Pearce will work on the necessary proposals.

Magazine: The magazine was discussed at great length. It was suggested that we limit the number of issues each year. The meeting schedule for the season was reviewed and it was determined that it would be near impossible to have a consistent printing schedule. Joe Steidl suggested that we use the website for publication. Jack Terrell pointed out that the rulebook references the word "publish" and does not state specifically the manner of publication. We could make the magazine a web-based publication only. The format could be simpler without pictures or graphics. This would allow us to do away with the printed and mailed version. The loss of income from advertising revenue and the additional costs of the upload on the website were discussed. However, these amounts would be nominal compared to the current costs. Jack Terrell will work on the necessary proposals to present at the Board of Directors meeting in February.

Executive Director: It was agreed that position was a necessity at the time it was created. It was also agreed that it continues to be a good thing for FTR to provide consistency to our members on the administration side. FTR is an extremely large organization and it takes a great deal of commitment to ensure the scoring equipment is properly cared for and consistent performance at the events. The Executive Committee will not be making any changes to this position at this time.

Banquet: Jonny Simpkins expressed concern about the contract with the Hilton for the 2010 Banquet. Jack Terrell made a motion that two members of the Executive Committee would meet with the hotel representative to clarify the questions. The motion was seconded. Tiffany St. John asked that the motion be amended to include Toni Ryll, Banquet Chairperson and/or Donna Hazeltine, Assistant Banquet Chairperson at this meeting since they are familiar with the workings of the banquet. The amended motion was seconded. The motion with the amendment was passed unanimously. Jonny Simpkins sent an email to Tiffany and Carol requesting the email addresses of the banquet committee members and asking for the banquet committee to work with the finance committee. Tiffany St. John forwarded his request to Toni Ryll. Tiffany expressed her concern that the banquet committee would have a difficult time making decisions if it has to go through the Executive Committee and the finance committee with every decision. The purpose of having two members on the Banquet Committee was to ensure that the EC and Banquet Committee worked hand in hand. Jonny will have access to all information as an EC member. He can bring any issues from the finance committee to the banquet committee and address any concerns with spending through the Executive Committee. Any budget questions would be directed to the Treasurer. Tiffany and Carol informed everyone that the banquet committee is very aware of the current financial issues and is doing everything possible to keep expenses as low as possible.

Joe Steidl made a motion to adjourn. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 10:20 p.m.

Tiffany St. John
Secretary

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