{news} minutes of Feb 2005 SCC meeting(quorumless),part 3 of 3

Thu Mar 3 22:39:31 EST 2005

NOTE:  THE FIGURES AT THE END OF THE REPORT OVERLAP ON MY COMPUTER SCREEN;  FOR A MICROSOFT WORD COPY OF THE OFFICE REPORT PLEASE CONTACT ME AT edubrule at sbcglobal.net.

Appendix 3

CT Green Party SCC - Office Committee Report - 2/22/05

Prepared by Kelly McCarthy, Hamden Chapter

I. Original Proposal from Fairfield Chapter for an Office Committee (10/2004; Appendix 5)  

PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s),or group of individuals): 

Fairfield County Greens

CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email):  

Eddie Friend, P.O. Box 1747 Darien, CT 06820, 203-854-5900, Route12eddie at aol.com

SUBJECT (10 words or less):  

Creation of Office Committee

 BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: 

The office space rented in Hartford has become a contentious issue which has disrupted the SCC. This committee would be charged with formulating a plan that would consider the feasibility of continuing to support the office space and the associated insurance issues

PROPOSAL: 

We propose that the Office Committee be formed to prepare a report to the SCC concerning the future of the office space in Hartford.  The committee would have two main considerations.  If the office is to remain open, how would it be funded?  If the office were to be shut, how would the state party maintain the liability insurance that is necessary for chapters to hold events?  This committee would recognize the need for a timely report and recommendation to be made to the SCC in order to resolve this issue.

II. January 25, 2005 SCC Meeting:

Office Committee is requested by SCC to convene before next meeting; Kelly McCarthy volunteers to

work on Committee and convene before the Feb meeting.

III. Office Committee Meetings: 

February 19, 2005 (10.30 am @ New Haven Lib) & March 12, 2005 (10 am @ Hartford Office) 

Debating the merits of the office space in Hartford is not the purpose of this Committee. Business is primarily conducted by individuals via email and/or phone. Report and options/recommendations are approved by review at meetings; consensus is not required and, therefore, several options will be presented for a vote by Chapter Reps at the March 29, 2005, SCC meeting.  

Send additional information re: fundraising and/or insurance to the Office Committee c/o Kelly McCarthy (kelly.mccarthy at aya.yale.edu; phone 203-230-9726); Any additional information must be substantiated and  received by March 12, 2005, to be considered by the Committee at their final meeting. Additional information deemed relevant will be provided to Chapter Reps by March 14th via email or post. 

III.  Background Information

A.     CTGP use of office: 

Nov 2002 - Feb 2005: 1 of 28 SCC meetings were in Hartford office

Mar 2003 - Jan 2005: 13 of 18* Executive Committee meetings were in Hartford office 

* this number does not include EC meetings that were held via conference call or cancelled

Various Committees* (Internal Elections, Diversity, etc.) used office for meetings as needed 

* at least 2+ confirmed since 2003

GP Strategy Meeting/Focus Group Jan 2005

Candidate Appreciation Day 2004

New Years Party 2001

Other events? (records not currently available)

B.     Greater Hartford Chapter use of office:

Regular Chapter meetings

Three 1st Dist. State Senate runs by Mike DeRosa

Two City Council runs by Elizabeth Horton-Sheff

Other local campaigns in Hartford 

Progressive movie nights: approx. every two weeks

Several fundraisers for Hartford Chapter's support of office space

Other events

C.    Other State Chapters:

No other Chapters reported direct use of the office for their events. Some Chapters stated that 

they were able to obtain riders for Chapter events connected to the State's general liability office  insurance policy. One Chapter stated that they were unable to schedule use of the office when they attempted to do so.

D.    Other Greens:

Nader & Cobb have visited and spoken @ office in 2002-2004

The GPUS has met there sometime in last 4 yrs.

E.     Non-Greens:

Undercurrent Newspaper previously met @ office*

VOTER meets periodically (current)*

"Bring the Troops home Now" meets weekly for upcoming events (current)*

* No funds were received by the CTGP for their use of the office

F.     Comments on financial situation of offices from CTGP SCC Meeting Minutes*:

* available online @ www.ctgreens.org

November 14th, 2000: The state committee approved of keeping the Hartford office open. Rent and utilities will be split evenly between the Greater Hartford Chapter and the State Party.

November 28th, 2000:  New Haven Office--The state central committee approved keeping the New Haven office open with the understanding that the New Haven chapter would be responsible for all expenses. It was further agreed upon that other chapters could open offices as long  as they raise the money themselves.

March 27, 2001: Our insurance policy is up for renewal; the rate for this year is $1236 (last year's cost about $1500). This covers events and offices; and candidates can get coverage for their campaigns for only $1. Note: Our current policy costs less than it did previously but only covers events occurring in the Hartford Office, unless we purchase an additional rider for an event on an event-by-event basis. (Ex. This meeting is not covered by our insurance, so if you hurt yourself, please don't look to us.)

May 29, 2001: Treasurer's report: .the CTGP are currently down to $360, with a $400 bill looming at the end of the month, for rent on the Hartford office.  The biggest drain on funds is that office.  B. Proposed solutions: 2. Chapters should make every effort humanly possible (and morally palatable) to promote sustaining memberships, either through credit cards or checking accounts, so that the state will have a fixed minimum monthly income.  We should have at least 30-40 of these in order to subsidize the newsletter and at least part of the Hartford rent. .  5. Hartford candidates using the Hartford HQ's for their campaigns should bear part of the rent burden.  After the election, the decision to maintain a state HQ in Hartford should be revisited.                Note: This is the first mention of a "State HQ" in the available SCC minutes.

G.    Comments about future need of state office space:

It has been suggested that we may have Green candidates for CT state-wide offices in 2006. 

This implies that we may have a need for a state office space somewhere before election time in November 2006, and this issue should be addressed at that time. However, until then, we must still address the current funding and insurance issues of the state office space in Hartford.

H.     Various office facts:

·         You can schedule a meeting/event at the office by contacting Mike DeRosa & putting your name on the calendar in the office.

·         To date, there is no log kept on use of the office space.

·         Various individuals (approx. 11) have keys to the office space.

·         There is no lease; the office is rented month-to-month.

·         The city of Hartford taxes the contents of the office (which have been donated by members of the Green Party, primarily the Hartford Chapter); the CTGP paid for these during 2004.

·         Bills are sent to: Electric bill: Chris Reilly / DeRosa A 2000; 418A New Britain Ave. Hartford, CT 06106 ; Phone bill: Chris Reilly / CT Green Party; 1 King Arthurs Way Apt 4. Newington, CT 06111.

·         In the case of a fire, contents of office are either covered by office policy or personal insurance of individuals loaning items.

Proposal issues addressed in IV. Funding: 

If we are to continue allocating funds for a state office space in Hartford, to what extent do we do so? And how do we raise the funds necessary to sustain it in the long-term?

IV.  Funding -

A.     Total % of all State funds spent on office in 2004:

Total amount minus office insurance costs: $4,741.12; % funds received = 76%*

Total amount including office insurance: $5,577.35; % funds received = 90%*

* Totals reflect ½ of office rent & total of utilities and taxes. Represents a disproportionate distribution of funds. The SCC may need to address its funding priorities in light of this. See attached chart.

B.     Amount necessary to keep office running*: 

* State's estimated monthly portion paying only half of rent & utilities according to SCC minutes; currently paying all of utilities. 

Estimated average monthly payment: $306.00

% of monthly spending: 70% *

C.    Present balance of State funds:

We received two large, one-time donations this month, totaling about $1,000. Our current 

balance is $1,601.66. We have enough to pay for this month, if you don't take into consideration our debt and other one-time expenses that need to be approved by the SCC. Our annual meeting/internal elections (as estimated) would wipe out our balance. 

At some point (probably within 6 months), we will most likely receive a one-time gift of 

approximately $12,000+. We do not have this money in our hands as of yet. It is the opinion of our Treasurer, Bob Eaton, that these funds should not be used for normal operating expenses that should be covered in the long-term by a successful fundraising campaign. 

D.    Amount earned by State @ office events/for operations of Hartford office*: 

* total funds raised in 2004

CTGP: -0-

Hartford Chapter: unknown

E.  Total State debt: 

(1) office related (including balance owed to Chris R.): $2,650 all office debt owed to Chris

(2) other/not office related balances owed: $6,125.78 total debt owed to Chapters ($4,481.76 assuming Hartford Chapter repays negative balance); $594 in non-office debt owed to Chris.

F.  Current balance of debt/credit for all 12 Chapters; % of total debt:

            See graph: all chapters have positive balances except for Greater Hartford.

G.  Greater Hartford Fiscal Report:

Amount contributed by the HGP PAC for office expenses (2004): $ unknown (half of rent only) 

Financial status of Hartford Green Party PAC: unknown

Amount of funds raised by HGP PAC in 2004: unknown 

I.         CTGP Fundraising Plan*: 

* Fundraising plan should address current/fixed expenses as well as previous debts. 

                        See attached CT Green Party Fundraising Plan, provided by Tom Sevigny. 

J.      Feasibility of fundraising plan given current debt/income ratio:

If we continue funding the State office space at the current rate and pay off our debts (total owed to Chris R. & only half of what is owed to our Chapters) with the one-time gift ($12,000) we will be receiving in the future, we will be out of money again in approximately one year.*

* If we paid the entire debt owed to all chapters, then we would be out of funds in approximately 3 months.

-$3,244            Debt owed to Chris Reilly

-$3,062            Debt owed to Chapters (half of total)

-$   830            Yearly insurance cost

-$   680            Other fixed costs (800 #, CC processing, etc.)

-$3,672            Cost of ½ office rent & utilities (12 months)

-$11,488

We have additional expenses that have not yet been approved by the SCC for fundraising, insurance riders for future events, internal elections, etc., and those are not included in the account above. 

As we do not have a current budget for this fiscal year (4/04 to 3/05), nor one for next year, it is difficult to say exactly how long these funds should last. However, in 2004, our expenses totaled  $10, 713.19 and we received only +$8,294.00 from our fundraising and in-kind donations, which left us with a negative balance of -$2,419.19. 

So, if we assume we continue supporting the office at the current rate, have the same fixed expenses and have about the same costs for additional expenses, we will spend approximately $10,700 for our next fiscal year (4/05 to 3/06). If we add to this amount our debts (Chris Reilly and half of what is owed to our Chapters-although they could request the entire amount), our expenses for the year will total $17,006. That means we will likely use at least $8,712 of the expected one-time gift of $12,000. At best, this will leave us with about a three thousand dollars to prepare for our activities in 2006; at worst, this will leave us with nothing. 

Taking into account our sluggish and largely unsuccessful fundraising plan, it seems

obvious that we do not have enough funds to sustain our current fixed expenses and spending rate in the long-term. 

Proposal issues addressed in V. Insurance: 

If do not continue allocating funds for a state office space in Hartford, how would we maintain the necessary liability insurance? And what would be the estimated expense of doing so?

V.  Insurance -

A.     Explanation of coverage*:

*Information confirmed with Rose Irish, our agent with Joseph Krar & Assoc., Inc.

The total spending for insurance in 2004 was $1,273.03 (including the office policy, riders &

fees). In 2004, our insurance only covered events in the Hartford Office and two specific events that we obtained riders for (see below). 

The SCC needs to address the issue of continuing our current coverage type, which does not provide CTGP general liability coverage for the vast majority of meetings/events held by Chapters, or of upgrading to a more comprehensive policy, which might provide complete coverage but would obviously cost more. 

However, a more comprehensive policy may be unnecessary, as most meetings are held in public buildings and homes, which are already covered by the owners' policies. Exceptions that may require us to provide our own insurance, would include holding events in an outdoor venue, requirements of a larger event organizer, bringing alcohol into buildings, etc.  

B.     Cost for office insurance (yearly/monthly):

General Liability Office Policy: $830 paid yearly as a lump sum by CTGP

Total cost for office expenses & policy to maintain insurance*: $4,502/year; $375/month

* Based on estimated $306/month office expenses

C.    Total cost for additional event riders in 2004:

Total: $436.80 for two events; average cost of $218; $104 not reimbursed 

(Jilson Square=$332.80/reimbursed; DNC2RNC=$104)

D.    Cost estimate for various insurance situations:

(1) Umbrella General Liability Insurance: Unknown (Two underwriters are still working, but this would provide more coverage than we have currently. We are also looking into what the USGP and other state chapters do for insurance.)

(2) Event-by-event Gen. Liab. Insurance Policies: $100+/event; cost varies by event but general top-end estimate was $500 (confirmed w/ three agencies); this type of coverage would require us to purchase an event policy in advance of the event & generally takes more time than a rider to secure (approximately 3 weeks prior to the event)

(3) Cost of rider for SCC meeting (25 people) w/ current policy: $ ?

E.     Feasibility of insurance options:

Assuming the CTGP wants to continue our current level of coverage, i.e. with the ability & main

purpose of covering events that we would normally purchase separate riders for, than the estimated costs would be as follows-

1. Cost for 2 events per year without the general office policy (high estimate):  $1,100 (avg. $200-2,000) 

2. Cost for 2 events per year with the general office policy (not including office expenses): $1,270

3. Cost for 5 events per year with the general office policy (not including office expenses): $1,924

4. Cost for 5 events per year without the general office policy (high estimate): $2,750 (avg. $500-5,000)

5. Cost for 2 events per year with the general office policy (including office expenses): $4,938 

6. Cost for 5 events per year with the general office policy (including office expenses): $5,592

See attached graph.

            As these estimates show, if we do not continue allocating funds for a state office space in Hartford, than we still can afford comparably inexpensive coverage. If we only plan on providing insurance for a couple of events per year, then the total cost of the insurance is nearly the same in #1 (purchasing single event policies) & #2 (total insurance cost not providing office expenses). 

Likewise, the costs in #3 & #4 show the benefits of maintaining the office policy itself, if we plan on insuring more than two events per year (as is outlined in the Fundraising Plan). Clearly, if we continue paying for a general office policy and half of the office expenses, the cost (regardless of the number of events) eclipses any other option. 

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