GPA Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Date: December 14, 2007

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