December 2000--State Council and Foundation Board meeting--Sacramento, November 18-19
Originally set for Fresno in conjunction with the Advocacy Workshop, a lack of suitable meeting and lodging accommodations obliged the State Council to convene in Sacramento last month. Saturday was devoted to extensive discussion of issues and the framing of proposals and actions which were further refined on Sunday when motions were acted on. The CDR Foundation Board of Directors followed the same procedure in its sessions over the two days.
STATE COUNCIL:
LITIGATION
The ARCO case is close to settlement with damages to be awarded to several plaintiffs, including CDR, but there are still some issues remaining about how long ARCO will be given to come fully into compliance. In another matter, persons in Long Beach are pursuing violations of the ADA by the MTA Paratransit operation. A report on the Dare case, concerning charging fees for parking placards, and the related Garrett case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court is expanded on in a separate article elsewhere in thes New World
LEGISLATION
Pat McPartland, CDR's legislative coordinator, presented a report on the organization's accomplishments--and defeats--in the legislative session just concluded. The full report is found elsewhere in this New World.
TRAVEL EXPENSES
The State Council liberalized the mileage requirements for reimbursement to State Council members for travel to council meetings. The council also added an allowance for one night's hotel costs. For details consult your State Council delegates.
BUDGET
A budget for fiscal/calendar year 2001 was approved. It is 12% larger than the 2000 budget owing to some upward adjustments, including increased costs for membership maintenance.
MEMBERSHIP The membership committee reported that the number of members had remained essentially stable through the year. There have been many new members, but a number have been dropped for failure to pay long overdue dues. The policy is that members who are more than three months in arrears will receive a letter so notifying them and that they have a 45-day grace period to renew. No penalties or back dues are assesed.
NEXT MEETINGS:
January or February in the North Hollywood-Burbank Area
April in the San Francisco Bay Area
CDR FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
CHAPTER DONATIONS
A matter of a how a chapter can accept donations was discussed at the State Council and referred to the CDR Board. The State Council indicated that chapter may accept any donation offered to it. But because CDR (and its chapters) are non-profit organizations falling under the 501.c.4 tax category, a donor may not claim a tax exemption for the donation. If a donor wants a tax exemption, then the donation must come to the CDR Foundation which has the requisite 501.c.3 IRS status. The Foundation would then make the money availaable to the chapter under appropriate conditions. The administration of this policy is under review.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Michael Dunne, Foundation Executive Director, reported on the Fresno Workshop he gave on November 17 and his other activities. His presentation is printed elsewhere in this New World.
FUNDRAISING OBJECTIVES
The Fundraising Committee, chaired by Ralph Black, presented some alternative suggestions for projects the CDRF might seek funding for in the coming year.They were based on input sought from State Council members. The Board decided to pursue three projects: 1) to provide a seminar and some form of ongoing networking for college-age persons with disabilities exhibiting interest and talent for assuming leadership responsibilities in the disability movement, 2) seek funding for a training coordinator, clerical support, and the resources to significantly expand the amount of training we currently provide, and 3) seek funding to poay for costs associated with travel of delegates to Stte Council meetings, committee meetings and workshops.
BY-LAWS
Discussions were initiated, with no actions taken, on reducing the size of the Board of Directors from approximately 20 to a maximum of nine. A major reason would be to make certain kinds of corporate insurance affordable. A by-laws committee was formed consisting of Laura Williams, George Moore, Hugh Hallenberg, Michelle Ellis, Ralph Black, Joe Blake and Ben Rockwell.
NEW WORLD, WEBSITE MANTENANCE CONTRACTS RENEWED
The Board approved renewing the contracts with Gwyn Tracy for production of New World and the Yolano Chapter for maintaining the website.
BUDGET
A budget for fiscal/calendar year 2001 was adopted. It calls for a 16% over the 2000 budget, largely owing to a full year salary for the Executive Director.
NEXT MEETING
The CDRF Board will meet next in conjunction with the CDR State Council.