In Attendance:
Ethan Calhoun, President
Lisa Jackson, Past President
Jeanne Anne Marsh
Norman Pope, Treasurer
Tom O’Bryant
Nayna Mistry, Secretary (Zoom)
Others in Attendance
Chrissy Marlowe
Unable to Attend:
Toussant Kirk (Vice-President)
Randy Mannino
Sharon Fenneran
1. Call To Order
President Ethan Calhoun called the scheduled board meeting of GAZA to order at 10.08 a.m.
2. Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Meeting
Minutes of the previous board meeting held on February 7, 2024, at the Carl Vintson Institute of Government, 201 North Milledge Street, Athens, GA. Minutes were distributed to all in attendance in the new binders. (Minutes were emailed out to the members who could not attend this meeting).
After review, Lisa Jackson made a motion to approve the minutes. Her motion was seconded by Jeanne Anne Marsh, which then passed unanimously 5-0.
3. Financial/Treasurer’s Report
Norman Pope gave a summary of the Financial/Treasurer’s Report citing total expenditures of $6,657.18 and a current checking balance of $40,842.94. Norman Pope stated that the total funds, including the CD and Edward Jones investment account, were $60,860.76. He explained that the Sponsorship account is kept separate for private funds and the balance is $8,500.00. President Calhoun asked for a motion on the financial/treasurer’s report. Jeanne Anne Marsh made a motion to accept the financial/treasurer’s report as presented. This motion was seconded by Tom O’Bryant which then passed unanimously 5-0.
4. Committee Discussion/Reports
a. Scholarship Committee
Jeanne Anne Marsh remarked that scholarship applications were being accepted up to the deadline in May. There was group discussion on the statewide mail issue and that we would be flexible if applications were received a few days late. Jeanne Anne Marsh stated that more volunteers who could give adequate time would be welcome to serve on the Committee. President Calhoun thanked Jeanne Anne Marsh and the Committee for the work they have done for the scholarship applications.
b. Legislative Committee
President Calhoun reported that Richard Osborne has continued to lead this Committee and has been extremely helpful in sending out email blasts and updates on the progress of legislative activities.
c. Communications Committee
President Calhoun gave a brief update on the Facebook page which is being used to add photos of conferences and the GAZA website was updated with past conference presentations. He said that numbers for traffic to the website and emails received were increasing which is a good sign for GAZA. The former recipients for scholarships would be added and new recipients updated as necessary. New members to GAZA are added to the membership list but it takes about 2 months before the numbers show up on the website. Calhoun reported that Toussaint Kirk had been instrumental in negotiations with vendors regarding the online credit card payment option to be added to the website and registering with the Secretary of State. Our goal is to have the electronic payment method up and running by 2025. The GAZA photo backdrop, retractable banner, and tablecloth was used at the last conference and would be used again for future conferences with membership applications, committee forms, scholarship applications, and other GAZA information.
d. Sponsorship Committee
i. Lisa Jackson stated that Responsive Technology had expressed interest in sponsoring the 2024 Summer Conference networking reception and encouraged the board to solicit sponsors. Lisa Jackson will reach out to the Augusta Chamber of Commerce. The giveaways were a success at the last reception. President Calhoun thanked Lisa Jackson for her work with sponsorships and memberships.
ii. Chrissy Marlowe remarked that a representative of the GA Association of County Commissions (ACCG) expressed an interest in attending the GAZA summer conference as an exhibitor.
e. Membership/Nominating Committee
Norman Pope stated that the current membership number was at 136 and the mail issue resulted in one check being lost. During the last week 12 more applications were received. Norman Pope stated that we are usually at about 160 members around this time of year. Last year the membership reached 198 in total members. He emphasized that the $35 member fee was very affordable and valuable compared to other organizations. Pope confirmed that Toussaint Kirk is the current Vice President and Nayna Mistry is the current Secretary, which leaves 3 open positions on the Board. The Board comprises of a total of 11 members. President Calhoun stated that it is important to have a full board to be able to share the workload. We are looking for people who are willing, able and have the time to take on initiatives.
President Calhoun thanked Nayna Mistry for her presentation at the last conference and for taking on the role of Secretary; both at short notice. Jackson stated she had talked to Clifford McGrady from Hiram, Paulding County who had been incredibly involved in the past and was willing to step up to join the board. Discussion occurred regarding possibilities for other new board members, especially in the southern part of the State, and more inquiries will be made.
President Calhoun thanked Nayna Mistry for preparing the contact sheet for the Board members and any updates and corrections to the sheet, including the term dates shall be emailed back to Nayna Mistry to revise. Norman Pope stated that the website should be kept updated with the officers’ information and terms.
Lisa Jackson made a motion to nominate Clifford McGrady to be a board member. Her motion was seconded by Jeanne Anne Marsh which then passed unanimously 5-0.
f. Award Program Update
President Calhoun reported that no applications had been received for the Awards Program and he would send email reminders to encourage applications. Jeanne Anne Marsh suggested that we send the application to all the Regional Commissions, and everyone agreed this was a great idea.
5. Future Conference Locations 2024-2025
a. Summer 2024
Chrissy Marlowe stated that everything was in order for the summer 2024 conference at the Augusta Marriott and Convention Center in Augusta, GA. The dates are confirmed for August 14-16, 2024. We need to have the speakers, any break-out sessions, logistics and registration fees to be finalized. Norman Pope stated that June 7, 2024, is the deadline for registration.
b. Winter 2024
Working on details for Columbus GA
c. Summer 2025
Working on a location to be decided.
d. Winter 2026
Working on details for Athens, GA
6. 2024 Summer Conference Agenda
i. 2024 Summer Conference Agenda Sessions and Speakers
President Calhoun mentioned that the last tab in the binder was for the survey responses with excellent feedback on the conference and future topics. He would get zipper bag inserts to keep the binder organized. The 3-ring binders were for each board member with dividers to use to keep things like minutes, agendas, reports, etc. together in. The binders also have copies of GAZA bylaws, strategic plan, and the new contact information spreadsheet.
President Calhoun mentioned that he had a brainstorming session (on zoom) with Lisa Jackson and Nayna Mistry (both in person) on April 12, 2024, at Putnam County Planning Office and a sheet was included for reference for the board members.
There was detailed group discussion on the survey, the session ideas and the proposed draft schedule for the conference. Some of the topics included workforce housing for rural and urban areas, break-out sessions, short-term rentals, wedding venues, mega-plants, transportation, population growth, annexation, agrotourism, legal updates, writing ordinances and art districts. Following the discussion, President Calhoun stated that he would update the schedule and circulate that back out to the board for information.
ii. Networking Reception
Everyone agreed that the networking reception was a tremendous success, and we would like to do it again.
iii. Conference Registration Giveaways
Jeanne Anne Marsh presented the various swag options and prices to the group. President Calhoun suggested we allow $1500 maximum for the promotional materials. Lisa Jackson made a motion to approve, and Tom O’Bryant seconded the motion which then passed unanimously 5-0.
7. Board Member Introduced Topics
No additional topics were discussed.
8. Set Date and Time for Next BOD Meeting
After discussion by the board, the next board meeting would be held on August 14, 2024, at 4.00pm at a location to be decided in Augusta, GA.
9. Strategic Planning Session – Board Members Only
No planning session required.
10. Adjourn
With no other topics to discuss, the meeting adjourned at approximately 1.26 pm.