Location: St. Simons, Georgia

Members In Attendance:
Dan Reuter
Stan Harvey
Tracy Dunnavant 
Rob LeBeau
Kathleen Field 
Gary Cornell 
Glenn Coyne 
Kellie Brownlow 
Larry Vandenbosch  
Bill Drummond 
Ellen Heath
David Kirk
Paul Forgey
Patti Cullen
Frederick Gardiner
Kip Padgett
Mark Wilkes

Attendance by Proxy:
None

President Dan Reuter called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m. at the Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Resort in St. Simons, Georgia.  There were no proxies and it was determined that a quorum was present.

Approval of Meeting Minutes
The minutes of the July 21, 2006, Board of Directors meeting were unanimously approved as drafted.

Dues Increase
Reuter reminded the Board that the issue of increasing dues had been discussed and approved at the last Board meeting.  He said that the Board had to revisit the issue since the process set forth in the bylaws had not been followed.  He listed the amounts charged for each category of membership and added that he felt it was confusing having multiple fees.  Reuter suggested making the fee either $25 or $35 for both chapter only and APA members.  He said planning commissioners and students could remain the same.  Reuter outlined the process for amending the fees and listed when the proposed change needed to be submitted to APA.  He added that the bylaws specify that any increase in dues must be voted on by the membership at a duly advertised meeting.  Reuter suggested placing it on the agenda in the spring.  He asked Kirk about the legality of the Board’s previous vote on the issue.  Kirk said since the Board was not authorized to take action, the vote was void.  Harvey made motion to ask the membership to change the membership fee to $35 for both chapter only and APA members at the spring meeting with student and planning commissioner rates remaining the same.  Seconded by Cullen.  All in favor.

Legislative Agenda
Reuter discussed the revised legislative agenda.  He emphasized the inverse condemnation issue and added that GMA and ACCG would be meeting to discuss possible strategies.  Reuter said he has been kept abreast of the issues and actions that have been taken regarding inverse condemnation.  He advised the Directors that GPA’s relationship with GMA and ACCG has been vastly improved over the last few years.

Treasurer’s Report
Heath distributed the budget report to the Board.  She said the figures do not reflect totals from the fall conference.  Heath discussed other revenue and expenditures that would be included in the year end figures.  She added that GPA had two cds (one in the amount of $5,000 and one in the amount of $35,000).  Kirk asked if APA funds were provided in two equal installments.  Heath said they were based on the dues that were collected for the quarter.  Reuter said he felt the chapter probably exceeded 1,000 members.  He added that the Board would be discussing the 2007 budget at their next meeting.

Adminstrative Proposal
Reuter reminded the Board that they had previously discussed the possibility of hiring an administrative staff person to assist in the day to day operations of the organization.  He said he wanted to take the idea to the membership to receive their feedback on the issue.  LeBeau said the creation of the position could be tied to the dues increase.  Kirk suggested having Gail Easley discuss Florida’s experience with an administrative person.  Heath mentioned the possibility of contracting for the position.  The Board discussed the pros and cons.  Heath suggested also tying the position to increased services.  Reuter said the Board could have additional discussions at their next meeting.

Other Business
Harvey informed the Directors that a new brochure has been developed. He presented a copy for the Board to review.

Harvey updated the Board on the welcome kit project. He said the District Directors would be receiving updated information on their members, which would allow them to distribute the kits once they were completed.  The Board discussed which items needed to be included in the packets.

Harvey reminded the Board that GPA is supposed to publish a membership directory this year.  Heath said the cd format that was used in the past was quite costly. Field suggested advising the membership that directories were available upon request.  She added that this way GPA would not be paying for unnecessary copies.

LeBeau said he only had three golf shirts left.  He asked the Board if they would like to have some new ones made.  Field said she felt it was a good idea to wait until the old shirts showed wear.

LeBeau asked about the audit.  Heath said an audit committee needed to be established.  Reuter suggested adding the audit as a line item in the budget.

LeBeau said the spring conference was going to be a little different than usual.  He said the growth symposium would be coupled with the conference.  LeBeau reminded the Board that GPA would be partnering with AIA and ASLA.  He added that the conference would be most likely held in downtown Atlanta in late February or early March.  Reuter cautioned about possible financial hardships and coordination issues that could arise from the coupling.  Harvey expressed concern about logistics.  He suggested some type of social.  Reuter said he felt GPA needed to look at something less complicated.

Reuter said World Town Planning Day would take the place of the next Planners’ Luncheon.  Drummond said the students had been very busy planning the event.

Cornell informed the Board that the membership survey report should be ready very soon.  He said he was waiting on others to complete their portions before providing the final tallies.

Drummond said he would be holding the election for the student representative.  He added that he had sent an e-mail to 134 potential candidates advising them of the election.  Drummond described the process that would be followed.  LeBeau mentioned that around thirteen students were registered for the fall conference.  Brownlow added that fifty-five planning commissioners had chosen to attend as well.

The Directors discussed the Community Planning Institute (CPI).  Reuter said his only issue was with all of the trainings being held in the southern portion of the state.  Cullen mentioned that one was being held in Columbus.  Reuter said he felt another planning commissioner’s tract was needed at the spring conference.  He added that DCA was pretty much handling CPI.  The Board discussed GPA’s role in the trainings.  Coyne reminded the Board that they had previously delegated the running of CPI to DCA in a split vote.  The Board discussed the need to have more input into CPI.

Dunnavant asked if anyone knew if Sharon Caton still wanted to serve in her capacity as District 9 Director.  She added that Caton’s contact information had changed and she was unable to reach her by either e-mail or phone.  Reuter suggested seeking Wayne Kilmark’s assistance in determining her situation.

Kirk congratulated Rob LeBeau and Kelly Brownlow on another successful conference.

Reuter thanked Harvey and Bill Ross for their efforts in improving the newsletter and website.

Reuter advised the Board that the next meeting was scheduled for December 8th.  He said the time and place would be announced.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:05 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tracy S. Dunnavant, AICP
Secretary

Location: Manuel’s Tavern, Atlanta, GA

Members Participating:
Ellen Heath
Gary Cornell
Kristi Harpst
Tracy Dunnavant
Diana Wheeler
Kathleen Field
Rob LeBeau
Jeff Watkins
Eric Clarkson
Eric Boseman
Paul Forgey
Laura Keyes
Fred Boykin
Beth Reiter
Tim Preece
Cheri Hobson-Matthews

Members Not Participating:
Adam Hazell
Larry Vandenbosch
Jonathan Lynn
Frederick Gardiner
Paul DeCamp
Kirsten Berry
James Shelby
Kellie Brownlow
Patti Cullen

Members Abstaining:
David Kirk

Tracy Dunnavant, Secretary, on behalf of President Ellen Heath requested a vote by e-mail on August 26, 2009 at 11:05 a.m. Board members could cast their votes upon receipt of the e-mail through 12:00 p.m. on August 28th.

Dunnavant outlined one voting item for the Board to consider. She requested voting on the following:

Should the Board of Directors approve the following slate of candidates recommended by the FAICP Nominating Committee from the State of Georgia?

• Cheryl King
• David Kirk
• Glenn Coyne
• Steve Cover
• Ken Bleakly

Voting regarding the aforementioned issues was as follows:

• 15 in favor of the slate.
• One vote in favor of the first three candidates but opposed to including Steve Cover and Ken Bleakly.

The aforementioned slate was approved.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tracy S. Dunnavant, AICP
Secretary

Location: Manuel’s Tavern, Atlanta, GA

Members In Attendance:
Ellen Heath
Jeff Watkins
Tracy Dunnavant
Laura Keyes
Gary Cornell
Eric Bosman

Attendance by Proxy:
None

Additional Participants:
Jessica Gibson, Executive Director

President Ellen Heath called the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m.

RESIGNATION OF VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS

Heath informed the attendees that Laura Beall had resigned her position due to personal issues. She added that the Board needed to find a replacement as soon as possible due to the upcoming spring conference. The Executive Committee discussed potential candidates for her replacement. Heath said Beall had offered to help with the Spring Conference since it was coming up in March. Heath said she would e-mail the Board members and see if anyone would volunteer to take on this role. The Committee discussed the need to meet with Beall to determine what had been completed in terms of the conference. Keyes suggested asking LeBeau for the names of the individuals who served on the Programs Committee and see if any of them were willing to serve in this capacity or assist in the conference preparations. The Committee discussed Cheryl Contant’s vacancy as well and decided to approach the Board once again for possible candidates.

2009 WORK PLAN

Heath asked the Committee for comments on her proposed work plan. Cornell discussed the possibility of having a course on planning during a depression. Heath said she had talked to the APA lobbyist about giving a session at the spring conference. Bosman suggested more involvement by GPA at GMA’s and ACCG’s annual conferences. They discussed the possibility of giving a session or having a booth. Cornell said he felt there needed to be some continued emphasis on legislative advocacy in the program. The Committee discussed ways to provide legislative information to the membership.

Keyes discussed increasing membership through other related organizations. Cornell asked if GAZA would be a good merge for GPA. Dunnavant said GAZA had a lot of members who were building officials and zoning administrators. Keyes said membership was down, but felt it was due to the economy.  She discussed possibly looking at adding committees focused on housing and the environment.
Keyes mentioned that the process for updating the e-mail distribution list had been improved. She felt she would be able to provide the district directors updated membership listings at least quarterly. Keyes asked for suggestions on how to get the membership more involved in the organization. She talked about an event that will be held in district #1 and added that the Board needed to encourage more districts to hold events.

The Committee discussed the membership directory. Keyes suggested putting a password protected membership list on the web for member access only. Heath said last time a list was generated, the Chapter produced cds that were distributed at the annual conference. She suggested looking at both options in terms of cost. Heath mentioned possibly changing the bylaws regarding the membership directory.

Keyes discussed membership sponsorships. She said the Chapter currently had roughly $6,600 in commitments. She added that there were $7,200 in sponsorships last year, but clarified that some of those were annual sponsorships. Keyes said she was encouraged by the response given the state of the economy.

Gibson gave a list of what she would like to see accomplished this year. She mentioned the following items:

1. Five district event held outside of Atlanta and two within the metro area
2. Membership listing updated on a monthly basis
3. A specific theme for the fall conference with more diverse and high quality sessions
4. Georgia Tech provide two session instructors at the conferences
5. Two e-mails to the membership from their district directors each year
6. Five teleconference with webcast sessions this year (possibly transit oriented development as a topic for one session)

CONFERENCES

The Committee discussed the fall and spring conferences. Gibson said registration had been improved in terms of functionality. She added that the membership should find the process much easier to work through. Gibson informed the Committee that she was looking at changing the location of the fall conference to either Macon or the Atlanta area. She also mentioned the need to increase the length of some of the sessions. Gibson said the contract with the spring conference facility had yet to be signed, but added that she would be taking care of this detail. The Committee discussed the specific logistics associated with the conference including the mobile workshops, receptions, session topics, and a possible cost increase. 

2009 BUDGET

Bosman gave an overview of the proposed budget. He said that an amount needed to be included for cm credits. Keyes asked if enough money had been included to cover the website modifications. Heath asked if the Committee felt GPA should go to two paper newsletters per year instead of four. Keyes reminded the Committee that the content had been scaled back in the e-newsletters. The Committee also discussed the impact of the change on sponsorships. Heath said she felt that issue could be resolved in a way that would be acceptable to the sponsors. She asked if there was really enough content to publish four issues. The Committee discussed the benefits associated with more e-newsletters.

Bosman informed the Committee that he had scaled back the conference and planners’ luncheons due to the state of the economy. He said he felt the chapter would break even or make five to ten percent off the events. Keyes said she would like to have four planners’ luncheons this year. She suggested a possible box lunch session to keep down the cost.

OTHER TOPICS

Watkins suggested Café Press as an option for providing more GPA clothing and items that could be purchased by the membership. The Committee felt this was an idea that needed more research.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted:

Tracy S. Dunnavant, AICP
Secretary

Location: Augusta Marriott Hotel and Suites, Augusta, GA

Members In Attendance:
Ellen Heath
Paul DeCamp
Laura Beall
Kristi Harpst
Eric Bosman
Tracy Dunnavant
Rob LeBeau
David Kirk
Jonathan Lynn
Beth Reiter
Andrea Lytle
Gary Cornell
James Shelby
Laura Keyes
Adam Hazell
Eric Clarkson
Kellie Brownlow
Rob LeBeau
Tim Preece
Dan Reuter
Frederick Gardiner
Larry Vandenbosch
Kathleen Field
Diana Wheeler
Jonathan Lynn

Attendance by Proxy:
None

Additional Participants:
Jessica Gibson, Executive Director
Bill Ross
Jim Frederick

President Ellen Heath called the meeting to order at 12:20 p.m. There were no proxies offered and it was determined that a quorum was present.

APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES

The minutes of the April 18, 2008, Board of Directors’ meeting were unanimously approved as drafted.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Bosman provided financial statements to the Board. He gave information on what was currently outstanding and indicated that the Chapter was in very good shape financially. He added that GPA was $16,000 ahead of where they were this time last year.

Heath discussed the possibility of granting the President the power to expend a certain amount of money without full Board approval for small expenditures that periodically arise. Kirk felt the President should be given some latitude after consultation with the Treasurer. He asked Heath if she had a certain figure in mind. Heath said roughly $1,000 to $1,500. Kirk made motion to authorize, with consultation with the Treasurer, the expenditure of up to $1,500 by the President with an accounting of the expense being presented to the Board at a later date. Seconded by Clarkson. All in favor. Hazell asked if sponsorship had been discussed in the past. The Board discussed what types of sponsorships would be acceptable to the Chapter.

BOARD VACANCY

Heath reminded the Board that there was a non-AICP vacancy due to Cheryl Contant taking a position in another state. She advised the Directors that national was looking at getting more young planners involved in the organization and felt this might be a good goal for GPA as well. Reuter said he agreed with this concept. Keyes mentioned possibly adding an environmental planner such as Maya Davis. Brownlow suggested Amanda Thompson. Gardiner suggested Cheri Hobson Matthews to build on the GPA goal of creating a more diverse Board. Kirk said he felt they should look at individuals outside of the metro Atlanta area. Hazell mentioned Steve Holder from Dawsonville. Heath said each nominee would need to submit a biography and candidacy statement. Ross asked if the Board wanted him to run something in the newsletter about seeking candidates for the vacancy. The consensus of the Board was that there were enough nominees without additional solicitation. Heath asked those Directors with nominees to contact their potential candidates and have them provide their bios and statements to Gibson by October 15th.

VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS UPDATE

Beall said the spring conference had been a success. She said there were capacity issues, which served as a lesson for planning future events. Beall added that the fall conference was also doing well so far. She said there were 275 attendees with roughly 10% no-shows probably due to the economy. Beall anticipated raising roughly $5,000 off the event in excess of expenses.

Beall informed the Directors that a new administration facility had been built in Canton and that they were interested in hosting the spring conference. She added that the hotels would not be at the facility. LeBeau asked how far the hotels would be from the conference site. Beall said less than one-half mile, but added that there were not any sidewalks between the hotel and the facility. She mentioned that she was planning on exploring carpool options for communities near each other. Hazell asked if there were any other sites that had been considered. Beall said yes, but added that they were not as strong as Canton. Gardiner asked about the City of East Point. Keyes said she felt that if a group sought out GPA, then they should be given pretty good consideration. Hazell made motion to hold the 2009 spring conference in Canton, Georgia. Seconded by Brownlow. Gardiner asked about possible programs. The Board discussed how these could be improved. Lynn asked about participation from people outside of metro-Atlanta. He was advised that the spring conference had always been located near metro-Atlanta since that was where the majority of the membership is based. Twenty-one in favor. Four opposed (Reuter, Preece, Lynn, and Gardiner)

Hazell leaves the meeting and gives his proxy to Jonathan Lynn.

The Board discussed possible locations for the Fall Conference. Beall said she would more than likely try to find something on the south side of Atlanta.

Beall mentioned that GPA had been borrowing equipment for the conferences. She said they had looked at renting the equipment, but the rate would end up costing the chapter more than purchasing it outright. Beall said if GPA bought their own equipment, it could be used at district events.

Wheeler leaves the meeting and gives her proxy to Kathy Field.

CONFERENCE SESSIONS

Kirk said that a formal policy was needed to ensure that conference sessions remained non-promotional. He added that he would be happy to work with Beall on drafting such a policy. Shelby asked about the session format. He said he had received complaints from some of the members that the same speakers were used every year. Shelby suggested using moderators and panelist. Gibson said that several speakers had backed out of their commitment. She also added that it was difficult for moderators to find good speakers. Beall said she would take the issue back to her committee for discussion. Bosman said he felt it was important to have different forms of presentation. Ross added that the format would be dictated by the topic being discussed. Cornell advocated audience participation. Keyes said she felt the Board needed to be more involved in the sessions. Gardiner suggested more topics from other planning related disciplines. Kirk mentioned announcing at the annual meeting that the Board was looking for future conference sessions.

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE REPORT

Heath mentioned that Lytle and the new Georgia Tech Planning Department Chair, Dr. Bruce Stiftel, had indicated a desire to make the University’s relationship with GPA more robust. Lytle discussed the department’s growth and the issues that they were currently facing. She gave details on the speaker that the Student Planning Association (SPA) would be sponsoring for World Planning Day. She added that the SPA planned to approach GPA about a possible sponsorship. Keyes said the student page on the website needed to be updated. The Board discussed linking the students’ website to GPA’s.

PLANNING OFFICIALS’ DEVELOPMENT OFFICER’S UPDATE

Brownlow said there were 31 registrants for the conference planning commissioner’s tract. She added that she had met with the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to discuss how to strengthen GPA’s sponsorship of the Community Planning Institute (CPI). She mentioned the changes to the curriculum that were being suggested.

Jim Frederick, Department of Community Affairs, echoed Brownlow’s desire to strengthen the relationship. He added that DCA was trying to develop a training program on how to write a comprehensive plan. Frederick also said that DCA planned on broadening the umbrella of CPI to cover a variety of trainings. He distributed the tentative agenda for the comprehensive plan training. Heath said that DCA wants to continue the partnership with GPA even though they plan to expand the offerings. The Board discussed who the trainings would be geared toward. Heath said she felt the additional trainings would help further GPA’s mission to promote good planning in Georgia. Brownlow made motion to support expanding CPI with the additional trainings. Kirk seconded. All in favor.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER UPDATE

Cornell said he appreciated all the work that was done by Gibson and the other Board members who had helped secure CM credits for the sessions. He also recognized those individuals who had presented during the AICP sessions. Cornell informed the Board that the AICP test had changed again, so they would have to re-tool. He added that Dana Johnson would be heading up the project. Cornell said a new training session would be held in January or February.

Cornell said the PDO Committee had been meeting regarding ways to make CM credits more readily available. They discussed the possibility of using tapes and having satellite sessions. Cornell added that they were going to be using a survey to determine what the members’ needs were. Cornell said AICP is reviewing the costs associated with CM credits. He discussed the possibility of a rebate for this year and a one time fee. Bosman informed the Board that the Chapter’s costs for providing the credits were taken out of the AICP dues that come from APA. Cornell added that there would be a blackout period for CM providers from October 1st until the middle of November to allow for site work.

VICE PRESDENT OF MEMBER SERVICES UPDATE

Keyes said she would like feedback on GPA’s website. She wanted the Board to let her know how it could be improved. Keyes also reminded the Board that she was getting ready to have a sponsorship campaign again. She discussed some of the feedback she had received on the sponsorship level e-mail that she had sent the Board. LeBeau asked if she was still going to give the vendors the option of just sponsoring the conferences. Keyes said yes. Heath said GPA needed to continue to build a tiered option for sponsorships.

Keyes informed the Board that she was going to be creating a membership committee. She asked for suggestions on possible members that would be willing to serve.

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

Shelby said he planned to continue sending out any legislative acts that were planning related and also create an e-mail channel for the membership. Reuter said he would be happy to assist Shelby in any way possible.

GEORGIA PLANNING MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

Ross said the auction raised roughly $4,500. He added that the foundation had been incorporated and an application had been filed with the IRS for 501-C3 status. Ross said the Foundation would continue to rely on GPA’s status until the process was completed. He added that there was one vacancy on the Board.

The Directors discussed how the funds would be spent. Ross said they would be used to provide scholarships to rural and poorer communities who could not afford to send their planning staffs to the conferences. He added that the Foundation Board had adopted eligibility criteria. Heath asked how the Foundation planned to solicit applications. Ross suggested possibly creating another page on GPA’s website. He also advocated using the newsletter as well as e-mail blasts. Heath asked if the applicants had to be members of GPA. Ross said no. Harpst suggested also making an announcement at CPI.

RECOGNITION OF DAN REUTER

Heath reminded the Board that this was Dan Reuter’s last meeting. She thanked him for all of his hard work. The Board applauded his efforts and gave him great accolades for his accomplishments during his tenure.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:10 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,
Tracy S. Dunnavant, AICP
Secretary

Location: Holiday Inn Conference Center, Decatur, Georgia

Members In Attendance:
Ellen Heath
Paul DeCamp
Laura Beall
Kristi Harpst
Eric Bosman
Tracy Dunnavant
Paul Forgey
David Kirk
Jonathan Lynn
Beth Reiter
Holden Spaht
Gary Cornell
Cheryl Contant
Fred Boykin
Laura Keyes
Adam Hazell
Eric Clarkson
Kellie Brownlow

Attendance by Proxy:
Frederick Gardiner to Tracy Dunnavant
Larry Vandenbosch to Paul Forgey
Kathleen Field to Gary Cornell
Diana Wheeler to Gary Cornell
Jonathan Lynn to Adam Hazell

Additional Participants:
Jessica Gibson, Executive Director
Andrea Lytle, Student Director Elect

President Ellen Heath called the meeting to order at 2:25 p.m. There proxies were provided and it was determined that a quorum was present.

APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES

The minutes of the December 14, 2008, Board of Directors’ meeting and the minutes of the February e-vote for James Shelby for the position of Chair of Legislative Affairs were unanimously approved as drafted.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Bosman provided financial statements to the Board. He said the Chapter was in great standing and gave totals for each account. Bosman added that the figures did not reflect all of the revenues and expenditures for the spring conference. He also explained that there was a $140.00 expenditure to create the memorial fund. Bosman said $3,000 would go toward the planning history video that Reuter was developing. Cornell asked how the Chapter compared financially to its position at this time last year. Heath said the Chapter was at least where they were then if not slightly ahead. She added that this was surprising since Gibson was now on the payroll.

Cornell discussed the cost of the AICP credits to the Chapter. He added that they were unpredictable and asked if the Board wanted to make all courses CM or limit it to a certain number. Hazell said he felt additional information was needed prior to making a decision. Bosman said he had not received any invoices from APA for previous courses. Bosman said he did not feel all courses were CM credit worthy. LeBeau said a lot of AICP members did not choose to attend certain courses because they could not get credits. He added that he felt you should offer as many courses as possible.

Bosman informed the Board that APA had gone to an organization wide accounting system. He added that he had to file a monthly summary as well as additional paperwork including a year end audit.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WORK PROGRAM

Gibson said she was currently working with Beall on conferences, assisting Cornell on CM entries, helping Bosman on the budget, and helping Keyes fine-tune the scholarship program. The Board discussed using Gibson to answer website inquiries.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER UPDATE

Cornell informed the Board that having a committee gave him much more depth in trying to find new ways to provide CM credits. They discussed credits that could be obtained through programs in other states. The Board suggested putting courses offering CM credits on the website. Cornell added that he was trying to build relationships with other organizations. He discussed Sandra Parker’s efforts with the University of West Georgia. He added that the course certification process was very tedious and the application process required a great deal of forethought and expense. Hazell said the CM process was currently in a holding pattern until APA responded to the first wave of feedback. He listed certain issues that needed to be resolved. Hazell said there needed to be certain courses that were offered every time and also courses geared toward spur areas that were currently lacking credits. He added that a policy needed to be developed on how GPA would deal with other providers. Cornell said he was currently working with the Georgia Association of Zoning Administrators (GAZA) regarding their willingness to be a provider. He said he should have an answer in six months. Keyes suggested having a line item in the budget. She felt a web cast of various conference sessions could reach members who were unable to attend the conferences. Cornell said he may take the Ethics Bowl course to national.

Cornell applauded the staff at Georgia Tech for facilitating an excellent AICP training course. He asked the Board to consider expanding the course offering to twice a year. Cornell added that he would be taking the new exam this fall. He said it had been reweighted and two additional topics had been added. Cornell said the prep course must be re-tooled to meet the requirements of the new exam. He added that Dana Johnson had volunteered to undertake this effort. Cornell mentioned that one issue that had been raised was whether or not CM credits would deter AICP exam applications.

VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMS UPDATE

The Board applauded Beall’s efforts regarding the spring conference. Beall thanked Keyes, Gibson and LeBeau for their assistance. She added that conference totals should be within the budgeted amounts. Beall said she was going to start working on the fall conference as soon as possible. The Directors discussed the forms for the cm credits. Beall said she felt having the questions on the facilitator form was the best way to ensure accurate information.

Beall informed the Directors that both planners’ luncheons were really well attended. She added that they did not break even due to the extra cost of the meals and cm credit certification.

Beall advised the Board that other organizations were interested in having joint topics for cm credits. She mentioned the possibility of setting up a half day workshop in the future.

Beall said she felt the Board members needed to be more involved with the conferences. She suggested listing their names in the program or having some type of tag identifying them. Hazell suggested possibly introducing the Board members at the sessions. Keyes felt each Board member could be put in charge of a specific tract and help with recruiting sponsors. Hazell added that he would like to see the membership more involved as well.

PLANNING OFFICIALS’ DEVELOPMENT OFFICER’S UPDATE

Heath informed the Board that she and Brownlow had met with the Department of Community Affairs to discuss GPA’s involvement in CPI. Brownlow said they focused on how to make CPI more of a joint effort. She gave a short synopsis of the program. She added that GPA had basically assisted in developing the core topics, but had really not been involved since. The Board discussed ways to become more involved. Brownlow suggested having a broader range of speakers for CPI with a variety of backgrounds. DeCamp mentioned offering advanced sessions for planning commissioners who had already taken the basic course. Heath said DCA had also mentioned a Planning Academy in their session geared toward Comprehensive Plan preparers. She suggested putting together a committee to work with CPI and the new academy. The Directors discussed getting volunteers through the website and the May e-newsletter. Hazell said when the issue of CPI was discussed in the past; the Board felt it was imperative to be involved in what was considered Planning 101. Forgey asked if the Board would consider setting a target date so that this issue doesn’t get set aside until next year. Brownlow suggested setting up another meeting with DCA to discuss CPI and get more information on the Planning Academy.

Brownlow said she had been sending a planning commissioner newsletter out each month. She added that she was working on a membership brochure for planning commissioners and said she would get it out to the Board when it was completed. Clarkson said he liked the one page format. LeBeau asked if Brownlow could provide a list of the Planning Commissioners within each district. Brownlow said she felt it would be a good idea, but added that she did not have that capability at this time.

VICE PRESDENT OF MEMBER SERVICES UPDATE

Keyes advised the Board that the Chapter had seven new sponsors. She added that she would like to put together a committee to assist with the scholarship program and other areas within her area of responsibility. Keyes discussed the newsletter. She thanked the district directors that had sent in district highlights. Keyes asked the Board for any feedback they might have on the website. The Directors discussed the chapter awards. Heath suggested revamping the awards presentation. Beall said she had received feedback at the fall conference suggesting more sessions highlighting award winners. Keyes said she would like James Shelby to do a legislative overview. Heath suggested getting technical assistance from APA.

GPA VIDEO

LeBeau said taping had begun on the GPA video earlier in the week.

GEORGIA PLANNING MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

Kirk said the Georgia Planning Memorial Foundation had been incorporated, but was still seeking 501-C3 status. Heath said Bill Ross had asked that the GPA Board set up the logistics for the scholarship program. Kirk said the Foundation Board would be responsible for that task. Kirk listed the six Foundation board members.

DISTRICT BOUNDARY CHANGES

Heath reminded the Board of the regional development centers’ boundary changes. She said she would look into whether or not the changes impacted GPA’s districts.

BOARD VACANCIES

Cheryl Contant informed the Board that she would be resigning her position in the summer. She said she had taken a position with the University of Minnesota Morris as the Chief Academic Officer. Heath said someone would need to fill Contant’s position as Non-AICP at Large Director. Keyes suggested possibly looking for an environmental planner.

Heath reminded the Board that Holden Spaht will be graduating this spring. She said Andrea Lytle would be replacing him on the Board.

Heath told the Board that the only election this year would be for the President-elect position.

LIVABLE COMMUNITIES’ COALITION

Hazell asked if anyone had agreed to be GPA’s representative to the Livable Communities Coalition. Heath said Dan Cohn had taken the position.

APA CONFERENCE GET TOGETHER

Contant suggested GPA sponsor a get together in Las Vegas for the Georgia planners attending the national conference. Gibson said she had looked at renting space, but added that the cost was extremely high. She agreed to put together a list of places were the planners could possibly meet.

GPA SPONSORS

Forgey told the Board that he had a problem with The Vinyl Siding Institute being one of GPA’s sponsors. He said he did not agree with the use of vinyl siding on historic homes, which the institute is pushing at the conferences. Forgey said he felt having them as a sponsor alienates part of the membership. Beall said if the Board was going to take a position on the vendors, then they needed to be consistent. Brownlow said she agreed with Beall. The Board discussed developing criteria for selecting sponsors. They discussed the pros and cons of excluding certain vendors. Forgey said this may be an issue that he addresses personally.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:50 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,
Tracy S. Dunnavant, AICP
Secretary

Members Participating:
Ellen Heath
Dan Reuter
Gary Cornell
Kellie Brownlow
Kristi Harpst
Tracy Dunnavant
Diana Wheeler
David Kirk
Paul DeCamp
Laura Beall
Kathleen Field
Rob LeBeau
Cheryl Contant
Eric Clarkson
Larry Vandenbosch
Frederick Gardiner
Adam Hazell
Patti Cullen
Jonathan Lynn
Paul Forgey
Holden Spaht
Laura Keyes
Fred Boykin
Beth Reiter
Tim Preece

Members Not Participating:
Eric Bosman

Tracy Dunnavant, Secretary, on behalf of President Ellen Heath requested a vote by e-mail on January 30, 2008 at 9:10 a.m.  Board members could cast their votes upon receipt of the e-mail through 3:00 p.m. on February 4th.

Dunnavant outlined one voting item for the Board to consider.  She requested voting on the following:

Board of Directors, to fill the position of Chair of Legislative
Affairs: James E. Shelby —   Yes or No.

Voting regarding the aforementioned issues was as follows:

Vote:  Twenty-five in favor.  None opposed. 
The aforementioned appointment was approved.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tracy S. Dunnavant, AICP
Secretary

Location: Teleconference

Members In Attendance:
Ellen Heath
Dan Reuter
Laura Beall
Diana Wheeler
Patti Cullen
Eric Bosman
Tracy Dunnavant
Paul Forgey
David Kirk
Jonathan Lynn
Beth Reiter
Holden Spaht
Gary Cornell

Attendance by Proxy:
Rob LeBeau to Dan Reuter

President Ellen Heath called the meeting to order at 2:35 p.m. There was one proxy and it was determined that a quorum was present.

TREASURER’S REPORT

Bosman informed the Board that he had moved 2 cds into a higher interest account. He gave totals for the various GPA accounts and added that the Board needed to discuss how to handle the memorial fund.

DISCUSSION OF 2008 CONFERENCES

Heath said the committee was still trying to finalize the spring conference details. She added that the conference would be held in Decatur.

Heath mentioned possibly having a joint planning conference with the Florida Chapter of APA in a couple of years. She added that the Florida Chapter had not discussed the issue yet, but would be bringing it up in 2008. Reuter reminded the Board that LeBeau had faced a lot of coordination issues when working with other organizations on similar endeavors in the past. Heath said she felt coordinating with other planners might be easier. Reuter said he fully supported a joint conference because of Florida’s excellent growth management practices. Gary Cornell said he would like to contact John Degrove, who lives in Atlanta. The Board felt this was an excellent idea. Kirk suggested polling a few local government representatives regarding their travel policies in terms of out of state conferences. Beall said she would consider developing a survey for the spring conference. 

Beall informed the Board that she had a draft contract for the Holiday Inn in Decatur. She said the dates of the spring conference would be April 17th and 18th. The Board discussed the potential impact of having the conference so close to APA’s national conference date. They mentioned other possible dates. Spaht said it would be hard to get student volunteers if the conference was moved to May. Kirk said there would never be a perfect time and made motion to direct Beall to negotiate the contract. Seconded by Reuter. All in favor.

DISCUSSION OF VACANT BOARD SEATS

Heath asked the Board to consider allowing Cornell and Brownlow to continue in their current capacity on the Board. She added that Steve Cover would not be returning, but mentioned that James Shelby might be interested in accepting his position. Kirk made motion to appoint Gary Cornell to the position of Professional Development Officer. Seconded by Reuter. All in favor. Kirk made motion to appoint Kellie Brownlow to the position of Planning Officials’ Development Officer. Seconded by Cornell. All in favor.  Reuter asked Heath to advise Shelby that he would be happy to assist him in any way possible if Shelby decided to accept the position.

2008 WORK PROGRAM

Heath reminded the Board that she had sent out a 2008 draft of the work program for their consideration. She added that there were only a few changes made to last year’s program. Reuter said there was a strategic plan that went along with the document that would need to be adopted next year. Bosman said he felt the document reflected those items upon which the chapter should place their focus. Beall said she was fine with it as well. Kirk concurred with their opinions.

2008 BUDGET

Bosman gave an overview of the proposed budget. He went through each line item and asked for comments from the Board. Cornell mentioned that GPA would need 400 more members to have a balanced budget. Kirk said the chapter typically ended up with a budget surplus in the past. Beall reminded the Board that the chapter would have to pay for their ability to offer continuing education credits since the fee could not be passed along to the membership. She said the cost would be $50 per credit. Heath mentioned possibly increasing the cost of the conferences. She also informed the Board that Cheryl Contant felt the GRA endowment was at the point where the funds could be expended. Cornell made motion to approve the budget as drafted. Seconded by Kirk. All in favor.

MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

Kirk said he had identified the final Board member who would serve on the memorial fund board. He added that the paperwork creating the foundation should be complete in January and mentioned that he would apply for 501-C3 status shortly after that. Cornell motioned to reconsider the 2008 budget to allow for an amendment. Seconded by Kirk. All in favor. Cornell made motion to appropriate $1,000 in the 2008 budget under the “other” line item to cover filing fees and to balance the budget accordingly. Seconded by Kirk. All in favor. Heath thanked Kirk for his work on this project. Kirk added that he would be developing a timeline for distribution to the Board.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER REPORT

Cornell said his committee would be looking at other providers for AICP credited courses. He added that he would like to make a list of other credit opportunities available to GPA’s AICP members. Cornell mentioned that January 25th was the tentative date for the AICP Exam preparation course at Georgia Tech.

CHAPTER SERVICES REPORT

Heath said that Laura Keyes, Vice President of Chapter Services, had asked about possibly reprinting the membership brochures with GPA’s new logo. Heath said that this item was already in the budget. She mentioned that Keyes also asked everyone to assist in finding new sponsors.

UPDATE ON ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF POSITION

Heath said she, Bosman, and Cornell were currently interviewing potential candidates for the administrative staff position. She added that once a decision had been made, the Board would be notified of their selection. The Board discussed various candidates.

LIVABLE COMMUNITIES COALITION

Heath informed the Board that the Livable Communities Coalition was seeking an official representative from GPA. She asked for a volunteer. No one volunteered for the position. Reuter informed the Board that the coalition was very enthusiastic about GPA’s involvement. Heath said she would continue working toward finding a representative.

APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES

The minutes of the September 21, 2007, Board of Directors meeting were unanimously approved as drafted.

DISCUSSION OF FUTURE MEETINGS

Heath asked the Directors for their opinion regarding future teleconference meetings. Kirk said he did not feel the Board should have them all of the time, but felt every other meeting would be something to consider. Cullen said she liked getting together in person. Heath listed the benefits including the fact that it was a “green meeting” and it allowed greater participation from non-metro Atlanta members. Kirk suggested looking at a hybrid meeting where those who could not attend could participate via conference call. Heath reminded the Board that the next meeting would be at the spring conference.

RECOGNITION DINNER

Reuter suggested having an annual dinner to recognize those individuals who had made significant contributions to the planning profession. Kirk added that the dinner could also be used to recognize FAICP members. The Directors discussed the possibility of having one every other year.

ADJOURNMENT

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:48 a.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Tracy S. Dunnavant, AICP
Secretary